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Florida: The Union~s 27th State
 by Dellanar Vistanfloriy
http://www.floridasights.com

Florida may conjure up images of Mickey Mouse at Disney
World, lots of gorgeous sun and miles of sandy beaches,
but that's only a small portion of what Florida is all
about. The state's culture is rich and varied, making
it a great vacation destination for both fun-seekers
and culture buffs. There's much about the nation's 27th
state that is not as widely known--including the things
that Floridians themselves uphold as characteristic of
their state.

Florida~s state flower ~ the orange blossom ~ fills the air
with a thick, heady sweetness, reminiscent of St. Joseph~s
Baby Aspirin. Considering the fact that the state is
known for its orange crops ~ which also explains the fact
that the state beverage is Florida orange juice ~ one can
well imagine that the pungency of these blossoms hangs over
a very large area, indeed. Even the abundant orange crops
don~t singularly define this state, however.

One little known fact has to do with the state seal of
Florida. In the 1868 state Constitution, legislators
decreed that the seal ~not again be changed after its
adoption by the Legislature.~ Despite that statement,
some things have in fact changed with regard to the seal
since 1868. The original design depicted a cocoa tree and
the sun shining over far-off mountains. It also featured
a Native American women laying down flowers and a boat.
In 1970, the Florida Legislature changed the cocoa tree to
the sabal palmetto palm. That led to more changes with
regard to the steamboat, the scenery and the female figure.

While the earliest version of the Seal included a
mountainous background, the image was soon changed, since
there is no such type of landscape that~s intrinsic to
Florida. Much concern has been voiced regarding the
clothing of the Indian woman, as well. First, the type of
clothing was seen as inappropriate; then, she was shown
with an elaborate headdress, which was reserved for the
male population of that culture.

Today's seal is beautiful indeed. Florida also takes pride
in its state bird, the mockingbird; its state animal, the
Florida panther; its state tree, the sabal palm; and even a
state reptile, the alligator. Additional changes include the
replacement of the original state song ~ ~Florida, My
Florida,~ adopted in 1913 - with Stephen C. Foster~s
~Suwanee River~ in 1935.

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