The "Sunshine State" is by far the most popular destination for retirees in America. Blessed with a warm climate and an almost dizzying number of recreational choices, Florida attracts so many seniors (and other new residents) that it is perennially one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. As recently as 2005, one Florida county (Flagler) had the highest growth rate in the country, and 14 made the list of the hundred fastest-growing counties. It's not hard to understand the appeal Florida exerts on newcomers: an extensive and varied coastline, featuring wide, sandy beachs, mangrove swamps, and the famous Keys; a tropical/subtropical climate that encourages gardening, sun-worship, and year-round golf; exciting urban areas such as Miami, Tampa, and Orlando, plus historical sites like St. Augustine and Cape Canaveral; a surprising amount of quiet, purely rural countryside in the central and northern parts of the state, not to mention the famous Everglades in the south, and extensive parks and preserves; and recreational opportunities from boating, fishing, and every kind of aquatic activity, to the myriad of theme parks, to sports and cultural activities—all these have helped transform Florida from a sleepy Southern backwater to a boom state in little more than a century. [Less...]