We really love South Florida. Like, a lot! So much so that we have several luxury South Florida apartments scattered all around Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Here are a few of the great reasons we chose South Florida, and why you should, too!
12 reasons to love living in Miami
There are some great contemporary art museums
Miami is full of museums, especially art museums, and what a selection there is to choose from!
Check out the brand-new Museum of Graffiti that delves into the city’s history and culture of street art. Or, if you like, head over to the Lowe Art Museum that focuses on art from all over the world. There’s contemporary Jewish art, performance art, children's’ art and so much more!
Miami is one corner of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle
Fret not, friends, as the Bermuda Triangle is not nearly as dark and mysterious as one might think.
Legends surrounding the ominous triangle of ocean only began to surface in the mid-20th century, and since then theories surrounding mysterious disappearances have ranged from sea monsters to supernatural portals to aliens to Atlantis and more. It turns out, though, that the most common explanation for lost ships and planes is that the unstable weather, strong Gulf Stream and simple human error are the most likely causes for chaos.
Florida is where Publix started!
Yes! America’s favorite store started right here in Florida, where there are now a whopping 825 stores in this state alone.
Publix’s famous culture and quirks have turned what was once a small, family-owned grocery store into a chain of markets that have a very particular feel to them. Whether you’re enjoying their famous sweet tea, crafting the perfect sub, browsing the well-stocked aisles or following your nose to the fried chicken within, rest happy knowing that the apocalypse will come and go long before Publix leaves Florida.
NASA launches rockets from Florida!
Although NASA’s human spaceflight program is headquartered in Houston, Texas, nearly all the rockets sent up into space are launched from Cape Canaveral right here in South Florida.
Why? Because there’s plenty of water around, it’s close to the equator and, of course, Florida’s already out-of-this-world. Right? Right.
There’s a micronation here: The Conch Republic
Funnily enough, the southernmost point of the Florida Keys is an unofficial micronation that seceded from the United States in 1982. Key West was the capital of the Conch Republic for a whopping few hours that day on April 23, 1982, during which a sea battle fought with stale bread and water balloons occurred between the United States Coast Guard and a collection of local yachts. The secession was done in mock humor, but it accomplished the goal of appealing to Congress to lift restrictions on the U.S. Highway 1 that were impeding travel to the islands.
The Everglades are one-of-a-kind
The Everglades are beautiful and incredibly diverse, but there's more to them than just the preservation of natural Florida habitats.
The Everglades are actually home to eight different wildlife habitats, ranging from wetlands to marine estuaries to pinelands to marl prairies and more. Over 360 species of birds call the Everglades their home, including many migratory species who rest and recuperate in the Everglades before flying across the Caribbean.
Around 40 species of mammals live in these Everglades, too, including bobcats, manatees, otters and the ever-elusive Florida panther. It’s also the only place on the planet where both the alligator and the crocodile live together, but don’t get too close to find out!
There’s some seriously good seafood
With the longest coastline in the United States, there’s no wonder that Florida is a goldmine for fresh seafood. The warm water of the Gulf of Mexico and the cool waters of the Atlantic offer plentiful ocean bounties, including local favorites such as shrimp and spiny lobster. And lucky for all us seafood-lovers out there, there are plenty of seafood markets to browse through to find your next perfect catch.
History and shipwrecks galore!
There are a lot of shipwrecks around Florida. Like, a lot.
Thousands of sunken vessels cover the Florida coastline, and a thousand more dot the sandy ocean beds around the Florida Keys. A bustling trade industry in the 18th and 19th centuries created a bustling piracy industry, and the sheer amount of traffic through the shoals and sand banks meant that the likelihood of running aground was that much higher.
Sure, hurricanes and pirates played a part in the unfortunate demise of many ocean vessels, but it was the frequent storms and shallow waters which lay claim to many of the shipwrecks you can still see today. Biscayne National Park just outside Miami is home to some truly fascinating shipwrecks that carry lost tales of treasure, intrigue and piracy.
You can find real-life treasure on the beach!
With shipwrecks come treasure, and boy-oh-boy, is there treasure to be found in Florida! Metal-detecting treasure hunters still comb Florida’s east coast for coin, trinkets and jewelry from treasure ships that sank over 300 years ago!
Miami Beach is the world’s center for Art Deco
Art Deco architecture only lasted a few years in the 1930s, but its effect on Miami Beach culture is still visible today. In fact, Miami Beach has the world’s largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world!
A Miami adventure-botanist helped build America
Grocery store shelves packed with colorful fruits and vegetables was never the norm here in the U.S.A. At least, not until a botanist based here in Miami went on a worldwide adventure to find exotic fruits and veggies that he could cultivate in his Miami gardens.
Thanks to him, we get to enjoy foods like bananas, avocados, soybeans, kale, quinoa, mangoes, apples, pistachios, oranges, dates, nectarines and so much more!
Black Caesar: Florida's Most Mysterious Pirate
Apprenticed under Blackbeard himself, Black Caesar was a terrifying figure who instilled fear on the waters surrounding 18th-century Florida. According to legend, he was one of the most feared pirates on the water, and his alleged $6 million treasure is said to still be buried in the white sands of Biscayne National Park!
These are just a few of the reasons why South Florida is a great place to live, and there are about a million more reasons we could list here, too. In the end, though, we love that this region is filled with such beauty, history and culture, and we’re happy to be here no matter where life takes us.
Enjoy!
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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/ASSY
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
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