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Florida is a great place to work and live
EDUCATION
» Fourth among U.S. states for number of high schools on U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 list of “Top 100 U.S. High Schools” and the only state with four in the top 25
» Second in the nation for percentage of high school students taking Advanced Placement exams; fifth for number of students passing at least one AP test
» Three universities among the top 25 worldwide for number of patents awarded
» Fourth among U.S. states for number of persons age 25+ with a bachelor’s degree or higher
» An institution of postsecondary learning within 50 miles of every Floridian
HEALTHCARE
» More than 300 general medical and surgical hospitals, including Moffitt Cancer Center, a designated National Cancer Institute treatment facility
» At 43,111, fourth among U.S. states for number of patient care physicians
» 21 top 50 rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s “Best Hospitals, 2014-15,” and four hospitals among the top 25 nationwide in seven adult medical specialties; 35 top 50 rankings in “Best Children’s Hospitals, 2014-15” and four among the nation’s top 20 in five pediatric medical specialties.
HISTORY AND CULTURE
» Home to America’s oldest European settlement, St. Augustine, founded 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and still attracting 5 million visitors annually
» A thriving arts scene, including the eclectic galleries/artist colonies of Bradenton, Sarasota, Naples and Key West and renowned works by surrealist Salvador Dali in St. Petersburg, Louis Comfort Tiffany in Winter Park and acclaimed artists of the Americas at the newly opened Pérez Art Museum Miami.
VALUE
» No personal income tax
» Cost of living below that of comparable states with similar growth and in-migration rates
LIFESTYLE
» 1,350 golf courses
» 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways; 2,300 miles of tidal shoreline
» 161 state parks, plus three national parks, two national seashores and a national preserve
» 10 of the top 25 U.S. beaches on TripAdvisor’s list of “2014 Travelers’ Choice Awards”
» Nine major professional sports franchises in baseball, basketball, football and hockey, and their top trophies for World Series, NBA Championship, Super Bowl and Stanley Cup playoff wins
» Headquarters for many sporting organizations and their world-class events, including NASCAR and its Daytona 500 and the PGA Tour, LPGA and PGA of America
