In 1513, Spaniard Juan Ponce de León discovered and named Florida while seeking the "Fountain of Youth". He claimed it for Spain but because of Indian attacks, he never establish a colony. It wasn't until over 150 years later when the first permanent European settlement was established in St. Augustine. Florida became part of the U.S. territory in the early 19th century and was admitted to the union as the twenty-seventh state in the U.S. on March 3, 1845. In the 20th century, Cape Canaveral (John F. Kennedy Space Center) was established and Florida becomes part of the Space Age. Walt Disney World was built and opened in 1971. Florida also became home to thousands of Cubans fleeing Castro. Florida has been and still is one of the fastest growing states in the country. (http://www.floridasmart.com/ commculture/history.htm)
The population estimate of Florida for 2005 is 17,789,864. Of this population, 80% are white, 15% are black and 19% are hispanic. 80% of people over 25 years old are high school graduates and 22% have a Bachelor's degree or higher. The homeownership rate in Florida is 70% and the number of people per household is 2.46 with a median household income of $38,985.