When did Florida become a U.S. state?
Florida was admitted to the United States as the 27th state on the 3rd of March, 1845, the day before President John Tyler's term ended. It entered as a slave state.
Questions about Florida
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was the first European to reach Florida?
Spanish explorer and conquistador Juan Ponce de León was the first recorded European to reach Florida, sighting the peninsula on the 2nd of April, 1513, and coming ashore the following day. He is credited with giving the territory the name La Florida.
What is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States?
St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565 under admiral and governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States. It also hosted the first recorded Christian marriage in the continental United States, between Luisa de Abrego and Miguel Rodríguez, also in 1565.
How large is Florida's economy compared to other countries?
Florida's gross state product reached $1.834 trillion in 2025. If Florida were a sovereign nation, it would rank as the world's 15th-largest economy according to the International Monetary Fund, ahead of Spain.
Why is Florida so vulnerable to hurricanes?
Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the United States because of its lengthy coastline exposed to subtropical and tropical water on multiple sides. From 1851 to 2006, Florida was struck by 114 hurricanes, 37 of them major. Of all category 4 or higher storms that have hit the United States, 83% struck either Florida or Texas.
What is the Florida Reef and why is it significant?
The Florida Reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States and the third-largest coral barrier reef system in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef. It supports nearly 1,400 species of marine plants and animals, including more than 40 species of stony corals and 500 species of fish.