The early human settlement in Florida dated back to 14000 years ago when the first Native American inhabited the peninsula. At the beginning of the 20th century, Florida was mostly agricultural and frontier, and its population was around 528,542, of whom nearly 44% were African American, the same portion as before the Civil War. During the early 1900s, black people made up almost half of the state’s population. The economy was mostly dependent upon agricultural products such as cattle, sugar cane, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and strawberries. In the early 1900s, the promise of work in the sugar industry drew African Americans, but increasingly, they turned to other jobs.
After World War I, the tourism industry snowballed. More than one million tourists visited Florida in the early 1920s. Between 1920 and 1925, the population increased four times faster than that of any other state. Here below are some stunning historical pictures that show how Florida looked like in the 1900s. Vote your favorites, and don’t forget to share.
