Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
where pioneers could simply plant stakes and make a life on ostensibly unclaimed land
(well, unclaimed if you weren't Native American).
These pioneers became Florida's 'Crackers,' the poor rural farmers, fisherfolk, cow-
hands and outlaws who traded the comforts of civilization for independence on their terms.
Many Crackers came from the old Southern states, and created a culture not too far re-
moved, geographic or otherwise, from the Confederacy. In parts of southern America, the
term cracker is pejorative, but it has a specific connotation in Florida that is a badge of
honor, as evidenced by the annual Cracker Storytelling Festival and
Crackers in the Glade
,
a classic illustrated account of growing up in the Everglades region, among other cultural
ephemera.
A bit of Southern-fried hospitality and Western independence is a feisty combination,
but therein are the roots of many Glades citizens. Even the local Native Americans share
these qualities; it may surprise you to see large Confederate flags and Ford F-250 pickup
trucks jamming many a Seminole Nation parking lot, although many Seminole and Mic-
cosukee also retain elements of indigenous culture. Most Everglades citizens, like rural
people in much of the USA, place a high value on self-reliance and perceived freedom
from government.
Finally, we'd be remiss not to mention the large number of Mexicans who now call
Homestead home, the majority attracted by jobs working on nearby farms. As you drive
south from Miami, the shift from Cuban Spanish to Mexican Spanish is quite distinct, even
to an untrained ear.
The Keys
The Keys constitute a fascinating combination of white Floridians, Caribbean islanders
and just about anyone attracted to living an island lifestyle that's still technically in the
borders of the USA. As the Keys have been settled by non-Native Americans longer than
Miami, there is a distinct local culture that's a little bit country in the Outer Keys, and el-
egantly eccentric in Key West. Regardless of where you're from, if you're born in the
Keys, you're considered a Conch - one of the members of a tribe whose bond is life amidst
the islands.
There's a great deal of pride in the Keys themselves and their independence from the
mainland. And while many people, especially in the Outer Keys, have conservative atti-
tudes on gun control and the environment (ie less regulation related to both), there's also a
