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Quality of Life in Florida
Living the Good Life
The world's favorite leisure destination is also a great place to settle down.
Life isn’t meant to be all work; it should include some play too, and Florida has plenty of that. In fact, Florida’s worldwide reputation as a great vacation destination brought 83.6 million visitors to the state in 2008. Many of them will come back — not just to visit, but to live permanently. Why? Because they liked what they saw. And because they want to share in the exceptional quality of life that full-time Floridians enjoy.
? Florida’s Assets
- Great climate: Average annual temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Outstanding education: A public school system ranked 10th in the nation, plus at least one post-secondary educational institution — public or private university, community college and/or technical training center — within 50 miles of every Floridian.
- Economic value: No personal income tax and affordable housing. (At a median price of $187,800 in 2008, houses cost less in Florida than in many comparable states.)
- Plenty to see and do: More than 1,300 golf courses; 2,300 miles of tidal shoreline; 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways; 161 state parks spanning 700,000 acres; some of the world’s biggest and best theme parks; a thriving arts and culture scene; unique shopping opportunities; world-class sporting events.
- Sophisticated healthcare: More than 300 general medical and surgical hospitals, including the facilities ranked No. 1 in the nation for ophthalmology (Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami) and No. 16 for cancer care (H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa) on U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 list of “America’s Best Hospitals.”
? Life’s a Beach
 29 lifeguard stations — some clunky, some funky — dot the shoreline along Miami Beach. |
Florida’s Fort DeSoto State Park near St. Petersburg, Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys and St. Andrew’s State Park near Panama City took the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 slots respectively on TripAdvisor’s 2009 list of Best Beaches in the U.S.; Honeymoon Island near Clearwater came in at No. 9.
And with six No. 1 beaches since 1991, Florida is second only to Hawaii for top honors on Dr. Beach’s annual “Top 10 Best Beaches,” a list compiled by the director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research; California has never claimed the top spot. In 2009, Siesta Beach in Sarasota was runner-up for the No. 1 position; Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne snagged the No. 8 slot. Criteria for the selections include water and sand quality, facilities and environmental management; once a beach is named No. 1, it’s retired from the competition.
