WHEN you move to Florida (Naples: neighborhood, living in, friendly)

[Bubba Cue]

Do not call us natives ‘Crackers’. This term does NOT refer to someone born in Florida. It is a reference to a specific culture of people in the 19th century who migrated to Florida from YOUR PART of the country. The ‘cracker’ reference is a highly disuputed term, which could originate from any of the below:

1. An Elizabethan pioneer who ‘cracked’ jokes
2. A Georgian cowboy who ‘cracked his whip’ to drive the cattle south to more fertile grazing lands in Florida
3. A Celtic immigrant who migrated south and grew corn, cracking the corn into grits

Not that it matters any more, but please don't be ignorant...

[faithfulFrank]

Bubba,

In all my trips down to Florida, I have never heard of anyone calling anyone else a "Cracker".

I have studied that term from a historical perspective, so I am familiar with it, but have never heard it used down there. I will be there this week, and will listen for it. I have found people down in Florida to be kind and friendly, and have responded in a like manner.

Now up here in NY, I have been called a "Cracker" during rescue squad and fire calls, when they were in a somewhat "poor" neighborhood. It always came from persons of an ethnic minority, and I considered it a derogatory term when directed to me, perhaps because of my skin, (white) or my uniform and badge, being a civil servant. Oh well......


Frank D.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by Bubba Cue

Do not call us natives ‘Crackers’. This term does NOT refer to someone born in Florida. It is a reference to a specific culture of people in the 19th century who migrated to Florida from YOUR PART of the country. The ‘cracker’ reference is a highly disuputed term, which could originate from any of the below:

1. An Elizabethan pioneer who ‘cracked’ jokes
2. A Georgian cowboy who ‘cracked his whip’ to drive the cattle south to more fertile grazing lands in Florida
3. A Celtic immigrant who migrated south and grew corn, cracking the corn into grits

Not that it matters any more, but please don't be ignorant...

I've only heard that term used by a certain ethnic group. And it figures that they'd be using it incorrectly.
And don't delude yourself that everyone wants to move to Florida.
I moved *from* there. Quick as I could.

[Ellie C.]

Oh Bubba - what sad part of Florida are you living in where this term is still being used?

It's more often a reference to the crack of an overseer's whip, which isn't the origin of the term. As you said, it's Elizabethan, but it doesn't mean someone who cracks jokes. It refers to a braggart.

It is a Florida term, like it or not. The FSU Seminoles were almost the FSU Crackers. It was old-time Floridians who called proudly themselves crackers. Then there's the "Cracker Trail", an old cattle trail which runs from Bradenton to Fort Pierce.


I've only heard it in Naples, of all places. When people found out I was a native Floridian, they would say, "oh, you're a real Florida cracker..."

Then they found out I was born in Miami, and they took it back.