Thanks to its sun-drenched beaches, colorful restaurants and nightlife, and world-famous entertainment attractions like Disney World, Florida has been voted the “most fun” state in the United States.
The honor was given to the Sunshine State by WalletHub, which compared all 50 states across 26 key indicators of “a great time that won’t break the bank.” These metrics include movie costs, number of theme parks per capita, and ease of access to national parks.
Each indicator was rated on a scale of 1 to 100, and the finance website then took a weighted average of each country to calculate an overall score. Florida topped the list – which was released in August – with an overall score of 65.51, followed by California in second place (65.14) and Nevada in third place (59.12).
Walt Disney World in Florida.
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“Florida is the most fun state in 2024, leading the nation in the number of restaurants, theme parks, gaming venues and music festivals per capita,” WalletHub said. “But even if you’re not interested in those particular activities, Florida ranks third in attractions per capita and sixth in choice of arts, entertainment and recreation facilities.”
WalletHub also cited Florida’s appeal to those who enjoy the outdoors. “Although it has very hot summers, the state has the 12th best weather overall. It also has the most marinas per capita and the second largest coastline in miles,” the company said.
And, of course, the many state parks and recreation sites helped it rise to the top of the rankings.
“Florida’s government spends a lot on parks and recreation, ranking eighth per capita,” WalletHub said. “The average Floridian also spends more than $2,000 a year on recreation costs, the 14th highest in the nation.”
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While loyal Floridians are toasting their state’s newest honor, not everyone agrees with WalletHub’s list. In a post on a Reddit forum dedicated to California, people sounded outraged at the state’s second place in the rankings.
“Moved to FL from CA. Definitely a lot less fun here. Outdoor activities are extremely uncomfortable 9-10 months of the year and mosquitoes bite you all the time,” one California resident wrote, while another person added, “I’ll take California over Florida every day.”
Several commentators have argued that Florida only tops the list because it is home to the most famous and visited theme park in the world, Disney World. “If Florida didn’t have Disney, we’d be first. Beaches are nice, that’s about it,” they wrote.
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A series of hotels and restaurants on Ocean Drive in Miami.
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Another California fan didn’t mince words, listing the many reasons why he thinks Florida doesn’t deserve the honor and that California outshines the southern state.
“HATE Florida, ugly beaches, no mountains, ecologically monotonous, geritocracy, mosquitoes, cockroaches and painfully long boring drives, especially if you want to leave and go somewhere else,” they wrote. “California has beautiful oceans, mountains, redwoods, low humidity and a more Mediterranean climate on the coast, deserts if you want, Las Vegas is not far away and the list goes on.”
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Another person pointed out that anything you can do in Florida you can do in California – plus more.
“On the other hand, where can you go snow skiing in Florida? Where can you go hiking/hiking in Florida? How many national parks do the two states have and how diverse are they in landscape?” they commented. “I think these are pretty important criteria for visiting any state in terms of fun activities, and for things like these (and a bunch of other things I left out), California beats Florida.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education