Doug Gelbert

So, You're Moving to Florida! A Story of the Sunshine State in 100 Buildings Doug Gelbert

So you are thinking of moving to Florida. Or are moving or are already here. Some eight million Americans move to a new state every year. Now you're one of them.

The story of Florida is all around you in the buildings from those who came before you. In these pages you'll learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make Florida uniquely Florida. So, You're Moving to Florida! ... A Story of the Sunshine State in 100 Buildings will help you join the club in no time.

What city hall looks like a set piece from The Thief of Baghdad? Solved. How did Frank Lloyd Wright come to desing an entire Florida college campus? Mystery solved. The smallest of America's 31,322 post offices? Identified. The only Florida building remaining to be a movie studio in the silent film era? Revealed.

Spanish souvenirs...college football... Art Deco...the "Eighth Wonder of the World"...iron horses...sponges... Black culture...roadside architecture...spring training...cattle...the CCC...speedboat racing...horse racing...auto racing...kit houses...diners...the golden age of motoring...orange groves...early aviation...tourist attractions...shuffleboard...dredging... Frank Lloyd Wright...trailer parks...space travel...miniature golf... Sears kit houses... This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.

Almost all of the selections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So get out and learn more - because the next best thing to being a real Floridian is being able to pass as one.