In other terms, West Virginia’s 2020 population size was 8.3% of Florida’s. As someone that grew up in Florida most of their life, I find that the culture has made a pronounced change since my childhood.
In addition to air conditioning becoming widespread, Walt Disney World opened in 1971. There was very little in Orlando prior to that due to not being on the coast - it’s miserably hot and doesn’t get the afternoon breeze off the ocean like costal cities.
The most populous city in Florida for a lot of the 19th century was Key West, which is crazy to think about compared to today.
The thing about Florida is that its development mirrors a lot of western states more as massive public works projects made larger and larger pieces of Florida habitable. Then, over the, the touristy bits converted to actual cities with actual economies.
Fun fact! In April 1982, Key West seceded from the US and established the Conch Republic when the Feds started enforcing a roadblock that made travel between the Keys and the mainland a pain in the butt.
Its amazing what trains do
Related Wendover video.
