Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
right: the original Crackers scratched out a living in the backwoods (in the Keys, Crackers
became Conchs). They were migrant field hands, not plantation owners, and with their
lawless squatting, make-do creativity, vagrancy and carousing, they weren't regarded
kindly by respectable townsfolk. But today, all native Floridians like to feel they too share
that same streak of fierce, undomesticated self-reliance.
And yet, stand in parts of Miami and even Tampa, and you won't feel like you're in the
US at all, but tropical Latin America. The air is filled with Spanish, the majority of people
are Roman Catholic, and the politics of Cuba, Haiti or Colombia animate conversations.
Ultimately, Florida satisfies and defies expectations all at once, and is a study in con-
trasts. From Cuban lawyers to itinerant construction works, from fixed-income retirees to
gay South Beach restaurateurs, it's one of the USA's more bizarre dinner parties come to
life.
However, most residents do have something in common: in Florida, nearly everybody is
from someplace else. Nearly everyone was a newcomer once and, one and all, they whole-
heartedly agree on two things: today's newcomers are going to ruin Florida, and wasn't it
great to beat them here?
IMMIGRATION BY THE NUMBERS
For the last 70 years the story of Florida has been population growth, which has been
driven mostly by immigration. Before WWII Florida was the least populated state (with
under two million), and today it is the fourth most populated, with 18.8 million in 2010.
Florida's growth rate has been astonishing - it was 44% in the 1970s. While it's been
steadily declining since, growth was still over 17% for the 21st century's first decade,
twice the national average. That equaled nearly three million new residents from 2000 to
2010.
Florida ranks fourth in the nation for the largest minority population (7.9 million), as
well as for the largest number and percentage of foreign-born residents (3.5 million
people, who make up 18%). In Miami the foreign-born population exceeds 60%, which is
easily tops among large US cities.
Finally, Florida is home to an estimated 700,000 illegal immigrants, and stemming this
tide is currently a hot-button issue.
