Before the Civil War, Florida's population hovered around 200,000. Over the next century, it increased dramatically, rising to just under three million by 1950. During the next fifty years, however, it exploded, increasing more than 500 percent to almost sixteen million. By the end of the twentieth century, the state had one of the nation's largest economies."The Sunshine Economy" traces the development of the industries that spurred this major growth. It describes how Florida progressed from being one of the least populated states in the country, with an economy based on forestry products and open-range cattle farming, to the fourth most populated state with an economy based on sunshine, tourism, retirement, citrus, and vegetables.William Stronge draws on the vast amount of statistical information available on Florida to tell the history of the remarkable transformation of the state's economy. His work is essential in understanding how Florida became a major national economic force. His insights highlight the significance of the tremendous reduction in transportation costs in driving much of the state's economic development. His perspectives also enrich our understanding of Florida's experiences during the Great Depression and the rampant inflation of the 1970s.
List of Maps
List of Tables and Charts
1 1900: A Western Economy in a Southern Setting 1
2 The Transfer of Public Lands 21
3 Developing the Rail Network 38
4 Sunshine Agriculture before 1900 55
5 Tourism before 1930 76
6 The 1920s: Urbanization, Boom, and Collapse 92
7 1930: A Frontier Economy with a Sunshine Sector 108
8 1930-1945: Depression, Recovery, and War 127
9 1945-1960: Postwar Readjustment and Boom 147
10 1960: The Rise of the Sunshine Economy 165
11 The 1960s and 1970s: Slowdown, Boom, and Recession 185
12 1980: A Northern Population in a Southern Setting 202
13 The 1980s and 1990s: Economic Strength and Slowdown 219
14 2000: A Tourism-Retirement Economy 238
15 The Future Economic Development of Florida 262
Notes 269
Bibliography 307
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