[Bette]

Originally Posted by crazynip

When was that? The area around Bok Tower is now unfortunately all houses, really bad houses too.

We've been married this long? It sure doesn't seem like it.....yikes.

It was a special moment; something he shared from his heart (I felt that)

[LarsMac]

When in College in Tallahassee, I used to be able to drive to Palm Beach county following US 27 to US 441 and follow US-441 to West Palm Beach, and drive it in about 6 hours.

Orlando Airport was a single runway and the terminal was a Quonset hut. Kissimee was a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. There were millions of Orange trees, as far as the eye could see.
And the biggest attraction in Central Florida was Cypress Springs.

[crazynip]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Well you can blame that on your FL leaders for the last 40yrs. I have never seen a state with so much uncontrolled sprawl.

Of course when you're getting palm greased by builders they tend to look the other way.

They just got approval to build townhomes in my area where there are wetlands, they have a surplus of homes to last 5 yrs, tons of foreclosures, vacant homes, new homes that have never been lived in ,and yet the build more and more.

That's on FL.

Guess you've never been to Atlanta...

I agree with your basic premise. Politicians sold their souls to build as much "stuff" wherever people wanted to raise the tax base. Back in the day there were huge scandals regarding payoffs. Do a search on the 3 Hillsborough Commissioners who did jail time for it in the early 80's...

[crazynip]

Originally Posted by LarsMac

When in College in Tallahassee, I used to be able to drive to Palm Beach county following US 27 to US 441 and follow US-441 to West Palm Beach, and drive it in about 6 hours.

Orlando Airport was a single runway and the terminal was a Quonset hut. Kissimee was a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. There were millions of Orange trees, as far as the eye could see.
And the biggest attraction in Central Florida was Cypress Springs.

Orlando International Airport used to be McCoy Air Force Base, which closed in the mid 70's... the old airport I dont know if it even exists anymore.

[Sgt. Buzzcut]

I can remember going to Disney around a couple of years after opened. Grandma took me from Clearwater. Tampa had 1 tall building, I-4 was 2 lane divided highway all the way out. If I can remember correctly the Tree House, Pirates of the Carribean, Jungle Cruise, 20,000 Leauges Under the Sea, the go-karts, Small World, the Teacups, and the Dumbo kidde ride were about all there was to it.

I can remember when Busch Gardens pretty much had the water flume and animals, the skylift thing and the beer house, wasn't much to that either.

Clearwater was so beautiful back then, my grandpa had a pickup truck and takes us kids right down Cleveland St. and soon as you got through downtown just a little past Ft. Harrison, it was just a panaromic incredible view of Clearwater Beach and parking was always available for like 10 cents an hour.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Sgt. Buzzcut

I can remember going to Disney around a couple of years after opened. Grandma took me from Clearwater. Tampa had 1 tall building, I-4 was 2 lane divided highway all the way out. If I can remember correctly the Tree House, Pirates of the Carribean, Jungle Cruise, 20,000 Leauges Under the Sea, the go-karts, Small World, the Teacups, and the Dumbo kidde ride were about all there was to it.

I can remember when Busch Gardens pretty much had the water flume and animals, the skylift thing and the beer house, wasn't much to that either.

Clearwater was so beautiful back then, my grandpa had a pickup truck and takes us kids right down Cleveland St. and soon as you got through downtown just a little past Ft. Harrison, it was just a panaromic incredible view of Clearwater Beach and parking was always available for like 10 cents an hour.

I remember Tampa, St. Petersburg, Busch Gardens and Disney back then, too. Don't forget the haunted mansion at Disney! That was open when Disney's gates were first opened. I-Drive in Orlando had a fraction of the hotels that it has now. The Kapok Tree was GORGEOUS. Daytona wasn't a pit, yet.

[stpeteguy]

Originally Posted by mackinac81

Hello Florida People,

I just got back from a trip to Florida with my family, and while I was there, I was thinking that Florida must have been really different before Disney, tourists, and retirees came. For example, my guidebook said that Orlando was a "sleepy, southern farming town" before Disney came along.

So for all of you longtime residents, could anyone describe to me what "old florida" was like? From Pensacola to Key West? Just Curious

Mackinac81

I've heard stories that way back in the early 1900's, you couldn't really give Florida real estate away. Especially along the coastal areas.

It wasn't good for farming or cattle, It was brutally hot and humid in the summer(remember, no air conditioning), the usual storms and lightning.

I think the advent of air conditioning is what made Florida what it is today.

[Crane's Rooster]

I can't imagine what FL was like pre-ac, and although the coast line are beautiful people tend to forget the bugs and mosquitos are there naturally and just horrendous.

[Sgt. Buzzcut]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I remember Tampa, St. Petersburg, Busch Gardens and Disney back then, too. Don't forget the haunted mansion at Disney! That was open when Disney's gates were first opened. I-Drive in Orlando had a fraction of the hotels that it has now. The Kapok Tree was GORGEOUS. Daytona wasn't a pit, yet.

How could I forget the Haunted Mansion, of course, and yes The Kapok Tree, my grandparents lived about 5 miles from it. McMullen booth was a 2 lane Rd. I remember when Busch Gardens first got the Python....it was scary back then but it's a kiddie ride compared to what they have now.

[LarsMac]

Originally Posted by LarsMac

When in College in Tallahassee, I used to be able to drive to Palm Beach county following US 27 to US 441 and follow US-441 to West Palm Beach, and drive it in about 6 hours.

Orlando Airport was a single runway and the terminal was a Quonset hut. Kissimee was a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. There were millions of Orange trees, as far as the eye could see.
And the biggest attraction in Central Florida was Cypress Springs.

I meant Silver Springs, here, but there was also Cypress Gardens. I was thinking about the both when I wrote this.