Many Florida towns are a favorite destination for tourists or residents looking for fun, entertainment, shopping and dining.
Most of these towns are also a mirror of Florida history as well, with small museums and authentic old buildings to enjoy.
According to the Florida League of Cities, Inc., there are 411 incorporated towns and cities in the state.
In addition to these, one internet resource, Florida Hometown Locator, has profiles for 8,643 populated places including cities, towns, subdivisions, neighborhoods and settlements.
It is obvious that no one website or publication can explore this many towns in depth. This is why I will focus initially on those towns I know something about.
Here is an alphabetical list of the Florida towns currently on the Florida Backroads Travel website:
That is 55 years earlier than Johnny Come Lately Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts.
The newest cities in Florida are Cutler Bay (2005), West Park
(2005), Grant-Valkaria (2006) and Loxahatchee Groves (2006).
Other than St. Augustine and Pensacola, the history of most
Florida towns goes back to just before or after the Civil War.
In addition to old towns and new towns, Florida also has its share of
Ghost Towns
, once thriving places whose bones now bake quietly in the hot Florida sun.