Located in the southeastern United States, between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, Florida is traditionally associated to vacations, fun, and retirement, with a characteristic humid subtropical climate in most of the state, turning into a tropical climate in the Florida Keys.

Explorer Juan Ponce de León, who looking for the mythical “Fountain of Youth landed on the coast on April 2, 1513 during Easter season thus the name derived from the Spanish words “Pascua Florida“ (Flowery Easter), discovered the peninsula of Florida

Originally named as "La Florida" after this fact, the peninsula was claimed for Spain. Before this discovery, Florida was inhabited for thousands of years, until Native tribes such as the Apalachee, the Calusa, the Tocobago, the Timucua, and the Ais, settled down in the area.

Today, Florida offers to locals and visitors a rich variety of cultures, leisure opportunities, vacation rentals, and more. Surrounded by the states of Alabama and Georgia, and near to many Caribbean countries, Florida keeps being the favorite destination for having a good time.

In fact, Florida is listed as the fourth most populous state in America, and one of the most active. The state's economy relies heavily on tourism, although there are several major industries contributing to Florida's annual gross product, such as banking and citrus fruit and juice production.

In addition, the space program at the Kennedy Space Center and the phosphate mining in the Bone Valley region, are unique in the country. However, over 60 million visitors every year coincide remarking that the whole state of Florida is full of great tourist attractions.

Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista is the most popular tourist complex in the state and worldwide famous. With 4 theme parks, and numerous hotels, shopping centers and water parks, Walt Disney World shares credits with other important Floridian theme park resorts, such as the SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort.

Hundreds of miles of Atlantic front beaches, and those within the Gulf, attract vacationers from around the world. The state's overall warm weather is only surpassed by the Florida Keys, surrounded by water and lesser variability in temperatures, such as in Key West, where summer temperatures rarely exceed 90 °F, and lower than 60 °F during the winter season.

Florida Keys are composed by a string of 1700 islands approximately, forming an archipelago that begins at the southeastern tip of the state, located about 15 miles south of Miami, spanning in arc to south-southwest then westward to Key West.

Key West is the westernmost of the Keys inhabited islands, near the uninhabited Dry Tortugas, and the nearest point to Cuba. More than 95% of all Keys' land area lies in Monroe County except a small portion in the northeast, which lies into Miami-Dade County.

Technically speaking, the Florida Keys are exposed portions of an ancient coral reef, covered with very little sand, which took their present form after drastic changes in sea level that began130,000 years ago during the Ice Age.

Actually, the Florida Keys are connected to mainland by U.S. Highway 1, the "Overseas Highway" running throughout all the inhabited islands, from the Upper Keys to the Middle and Lower Keys, except the two outlying islands of Marquesas Keys and Tortugas Dry, accessible only by boat.

Before this highway, all the Keys were only accessible by boat, until the completion of the Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway in the early 1910s, service discontinued in 1935, taking its place the Florida East Coast Railway.

In 1982, the Conch Republic was declared as a tongue-in-cheek protest secession of the Florida Keys from the United States. This micro-nation is maintained as a tourist promotion to the Keys since that time.

However, life is easygoing, fun and casual throughout the different Florida Keys, with the economy relying on fishing, tourism and ecotourism. Scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and all water-related sports and activities that you can imagine are the major entertainment all over the place.

There is also a ferry running from Key West to Fort Myers, serving as a tourist attraction. Dry Tortugas National Park is a unique landscape to visit any time of the year. Situated 70 miles (112.9 km) west of Key West, Dry Tortugas is composed of seven islands of coral reefs and sand, home of abundant sea turtles (tortugas).

Marathon is the hearth of the Florida Keys. Known under this name due to its location, straight in the middle of the archipelago, and consisting of a number of many small key and islands, running from Long Key to Pidgen Key, and separated from the lower Florida Keys by the famous Seven Mile Bridge, featured in many movies.

Key Largo, Islamorada and Big Pine are some of the other of the most visited Keys in Florida, along with Key West and Marathon. The Bahia Honda State Park and Beach in Big Pine Key was designated as the Best Beach in Continental U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler in 1992.

Visiting or relocating to Florida Keys is a once-in-a-life experience, and the best way to enjoy the so-called American Caribbean. Key West is also a renown gay vacation destination, home to the United States' first Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and the place were the WomenFest is held, a lesbian-oriented festival of art, snorkeling, sailing, comedy performances and other activities.

Florida Keys offer a full range of accommodations, including hotels, motels and resorts, guesthouses and inns, vacation rentals, camping and RVs, as well as restaurants, bars and vibrant nightlife. Although the cost of living in the Keys is not cheap, the housing market keeps good standards for relocating or investing.

Even when real estate prices vary from island to island and within divisions, the environment of the Florida Keys is also unique. Unlike the volcanic nature of the Caribbean island, the Keys are former coral reefs built up by sand, plants and animals.

As a playground for playing, boating or having fun under the sun, investing in residential or commercial properties in Florida Keys is an excellent investment.