Central Florida

Central Florida is the central region of the United States state of Florida, on the East Coast. The region enjoys a hot but often stormy climate, with many thunderstorms, and hurricanes threaten often. It grows oranges extensively.

Although the exact area can be disputed, Central Florida tends to be thought of as the area from Daytona Beach, through the Orlando area, to the bottom of Tampa Bay, generally along the Interstate 4 corridor. Central Florida is home to major cities including Orlando, Tampa, and Saint Petersburg as well as major attractions like Walt Disney World, the Universal Orlando Resort, and the Kennedy Space Center.

Emerald Coast

The Emerald Coast (sometimes called the Emerald Riviera) is an area in the southeastern United States on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, roughly bounded by Pensacola, Florida on the west and Panama City, Florida on the east. The area is known to have some of the most stunning beaches in the world, famous for their blinding sugar-white sands and warm, emerald-green waters.

Popular vacation destinations include Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City Beach, relative newcomer Destin, and tony Seaside, a development community whose iconic pastel-paint and tin-roof construction was made famous in the Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show, filmed in the area from 1996-1997. The area is known as a family drive destination, although in the past decade, its popularity has expanded greatly, leading to new construction booms and seemingly overnight changes. Many development communities similar to Seaside have sprung up in Walton County and the west end of Panama City Beach, raising property values, and some might argue, aesthetic appeal.

Deep-sea fishing is a huge draw for the area, with Destin holding the nickname "World's Luckiest Fishing Village" (and several saltwater world records) and Panama City Beach hosting the annual high-dollar Bay Point Billfish Invitational. Eating seafood is perhaps even more popular than catching it, with a seafood restaurant and/or oyster house seemingly on every other corner.

This roughly 100-mile stretch is a military-heavy area, with installations including Pensacola Naval Air Station (home of the Navy's famed Blue Angels flying squadron and the initial training site where all naval aviators earn their "wings of gold"), Hurlburt Field, Eglin Air Force Base (one of the largest military bases in America), Tyndall Air Force Base (home to the Air Force's new F-22 Raptor fighter jets), and Coastal Systems Station-Naval Surface Warfare Center (home to the Navy Experimental Diving Unit and Naval Diving & Salvage Training Center).

In addition to military and related civilian contractors, which are a major presence, tourism, fishing and hospitality industries are also major employers in the area.

First Coast

The First Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. It extends south along the east coast of the state from the Georgia state line to the southern end of Anastasia Island. So named for the city of St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. Encompassing Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Flagler Counties, principal cities include Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, Orange Park, Jacksonville Beach, Palm Coast and St. Augustine. The geography is coastal plain with low hills along the bluffs of the Saint Johns River. Trail ridge, an ancient seashore, borders the western boundary of the First Coast and separates the region from the Okefenokee Swamp.

Florida Panhandle

The following counties lie in the Panhandle:

Cities in the Panhandle include Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City. The Panhandle is known for the Redneck Riviera, the coast along the Gulf of Mexico, which hosts many college students during Spring break.

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