1869.
In 1869, the Florida Panhandle was almost sold to Alabama. The Alabama governor, David Lewis, offered the Sunshine State $1 million for everything from where the Flora-Bama Bar sits today to the Apalachicola River. And Florida almost took Alabama up on the offer.
Why doesn’t Alabama have the Florida Panhandle?
The answer, once you’ve cut through the oddly complicated bit of history surrounding the creation of the state, is a simple one: Alabama lost out on its rightful share of Florida’s Panhandle because our founding fathers decided to take something that didn’t belong to them.
How did Florida acquire the panhandle?
They repeatedly asked to be annexed by Alabama. Different things put this request on the back burner, including the Civil War. However, in 1869, the people of the Florida Panhandle voted 2:1 on a referendum in favor of having Alabama buy their land for $1 million.
When did the US get the Florida Panhandle?
The colony included about two thirds of what is now the Florida Panhandle, as well as parts of the modern U.S. states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
| West Florida | |
|---|---|
| • Republic of West Florida | 1810 |
| • Annexation by U.S. | 1810 |
| • Adams–Onís Treaty | February 22, 1821 |
How did Alabama get its borders?
Generally, Alabama’s northern and southern boundaries originate in the colonial era, its eastern and western boundaries reflect Indian treaties and land cessions and territorial issues, and the state’s southern footprint to the Gulf of Mexico results from deft international diplomacy.
Is the Florida Panhandle considered the Deep South?
Like the rest of North Florida, including North Central Florida, the Panhandle is more similar in culture and climate to the Deep South than the rest of the state, particularly to Central Florida and South Florida in the lower peninsula, being known for its conservative politics and “piney woods.”
Why is the water so blue in Destin FL?
Choctawhatchee Bay in Destin
Believe it or not, the presence of Choctawhatchee Bay plays a key role in preserving the clarity and color of the Emerald Coast water. Rivers that empty into the bay contain sediment and that murkier water we talked about above.
Why do they call it the panhandle in Florida?
They’re called panhandles because they tend to look like, well, the handle on a pan. There are nine states that officially have these extensions. Actually, there are 10 panhandles because one state has two of them.
Why does Texas have a panhandle?
The 25,610-square-mile Panhandle of Texas was shaped by the Compromise of 1850, which resolved the state’s controverted territorial claims. It is bounded on the east by the 100th meridian, on the north by parallel 36°30′, and on the west by the 103rd meridian.
Why Oklahoma has a panhandle?
There was a pesky 34-mile gap left over between Kansas and Texas. For 40 years, it was a landlocked island without a government. As a result, the panhandle spent the next four decades as a question mark on the map, not part of any state or territorial jurisdiction as late as 1890.
Why did Spain give up Florida?
Florida had become a burden to Spain, which could not afford to send settlers or garrisons, so the Spanish government decided to cede the territory to the United States in exchange for settling the boundary dispute along the Sabine River in Spanish Texas.
Does Spain still own Florida?
Spanish minister Do Luis de Onis and U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams sign the Florida Purchase Treaty, in which Spain agrees to cede the remainder of its old province of Florida to the United States.
What did the US pay for Florida?
It’s long been reported that America paid $5 million for Florida, an amount that’s worth about $111 million now, but it was not in cash; instead, America agreed to spend up to $5 million to settle claims by American citizens against the crown of Spain.
What city is on the Florida Alabama line?
Flomaton, Alabama, and Century, Florida, are across the Alabama-Florida border from each other.
How did the Panhandle get its name?
In geography, a panhandle is a long, narrow, strip of land that projects from the main body of an area. The narrow strip is shaped in the handle of a pan from where it derives its name.
What are people from Alabama called?
Alabama. People who live in Alabama are called Alabamans and Alabamians.
What does Dirty South refer to?
“Dirty South” is an expression that endearingly refers to the southern part of the United States—from Virginia to Florida, Texas, and the states in between—whose Black traditions and artistic expressions have shaped the culture of the region and the nation.
Where is the best place to live in the Florida Panhandle?
Tallahassee
Tallahassee is the safest place to live in Florida Panhandle; the state capital sits on the northeast of Port St. Joe and is away from the beach. It is a small city but a land of a lot of culture and diversity.
Why is Florida not a southern state?
“Technically Florida is in the south but culturally it has been argued that it is not depending on where you come from in the state. North Floridians would tend to argue that Florida is a southern sate in the south but south Floridians would claim that there is nothing southern about the State.
Where is the clearest water in Florida?
Dry Tortugas National Park is a 100-square mile park with seven small islands and is a tropical paradise. Declared a national park in 1992 the water is the clearest water in Florida and the sand is white and pillowy. The waters are also home to the only tropical reef in the States and the third-largest in the world.
Why is the Gulf of Mexico so dirty?
It was caused by high levels of nutrient runoff into the Mississippi River that left the water emptying into the Gulf of Mexico with high levels of nitrogen. Those nitrogen levels cause overgrowth of algae and other vegetation that deplete much of the oxygen from the water and kills fish.