[Pizza Hun]

Lots of people talk about "Old Florida" on the forums. Is that Florida before Disney & the influx of foreign tourism or does it go back further than that?

[gypsychic]

I think most folks think of "old Florida" as being pre-Disney. Disney pretty much changed things around here. That and the interstates. In the old days people traveled via the main highways and there would be all sorts of neat, smaller attractions and parks, shops, restaurants. It was a simpler time back then.

Now most of those are gone and replaced by the big chain shopping/restaurants, and of course Disney and the mega-attractions around.

For me as a native, I don't consider all of the changes bad necessarily but I do feel that a lot of Florida's charm has been lost for good due to wiping out a lot of our wildlife habitat and other resources.

[FLBob]

I think of olde Florida as the times before A/C. A time when most of the roads in the south were crushed shell. Towns like Naples were small fishing villages. When the circus came home for the winter, and the neighborhood came out to watch the "parade" of animals and performers make their way from the train to their winter homes.

[tallrick]

Old florida was the time when Floridians could live off of the land without relying on foreign funny money. I hope that time returns in the future.

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I think most folks think of "old Florida" as being pre-Disney. Disney pretty much changed things around here. That and the interstates. In the old days people traveled via the main highways and there would be all sorts of neat, smaller attractions and parks, shops, restaurants. It was a simpler time back then.

Now most of those are gone and replaced by the big chain shopping/restaurants, and of course Disney and the mega-attractions around.

For me as a native, I don't consider all of the changes bad necessarily but I do feel that a lot of Florida's charm has been lost for good due to wiping out a lot of our wildlife habitat and other resources.

This is the Florida I remember, where we'd spend most of the summer when I was a kid (1960's). Is there any place in Florida that is still like this? The closest I've found is the Homosassa Springs and Crystal River areas.

[Mugatu]

Old Florida to me is the time in the 70's and 80's when I enjoyed growing up and living there before the population, crime, construction, and cost-of living spiraled out of control from about the mid to late '90s onward.

[Strel]

It still exists in the Panhandle (i.e., the "Forgotten Coast") and certain places in the interior of the peninsula.

IMHO it now refers to those parts of Florida not paved over and ruined by overdevelopment and overpopulation. There are still a lot of places in this state which have retained their natural beauty...for now. Hopefully they will continue to exist and escape the notice of Snowbirds and retirees....

[big mean bear]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Old florida was the time when Floridians could live off of the land without relying on foreign funny money. I hope that time returns in the future.

Florida was built on 'boom speculation'. Ever heard of Flagler's Folly? The 1920's real estate boom and ensuing 1926 crash on Miami Beach? Hell, even Key West, the largest city in Florida until the mid 1800's, was built on speculative ship 'wreckers' (funny money).

What about the jet-port they started building in the Everglades in between Miami and Naples? It was supposed to be for supersonic jets. Again, another speculative project that was abandoned. I could go on an on about the number of 'funny money' stories w/ Florida...

[Pizza Hun]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Old florida was the time when Floridians could live off of the land without relying on foreign funny money. I hope that time returns in the future.

By funny money you means the money that costs twice as much as yours? Whats funny about that? Nothing I can see. I love the US

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by Strel

It still exists in the Panhandle (i.e., the "Forgotten Coast") and certain places in the interior of the peninsula.

IMHO it now refers to those parts of Florida not paved over and ruined by overdevelopment and overpopulation. There are still a lot of places in this state which have retained their natural beauty...for now. Hopefully they will continue to exist and escape the notice of Snowbirds and retirees....

I hope not to offend you, but I'm planning to be one of those "retirees". But just so you know, I'm not at all interested in some type of planned over 55 development on a golf course. I just want to find a little affordable place of my own in a climate that I love, where I can enjoy the natural beauty and putter around in the garden, do a little biking, and hopefully enjoy my "golden" years without imposing on anyone else.