7 Florida Stereotypes That Are Actually Spot On, As Told By A Local Born And Raised Here

This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

Growing up a Floridian definitely has its perks. The beach is close by, the weather is warm and there is never a reason to not be entertained.

There's no question why the Sunshine State is filled with stereotypes. It could be the constant outlandish headlines, or maybe it's the larger-than-life personalities that most people blame on the scorching heat.

No matter what the reasoning, it's created a culture around the state where people see something unusual and think "hmm they must be from Florida."

As someone who does live here, I'm here to tell you that many of these stereotypes are so spot-on we can't even be upset about it. I broke a long list down to a few that I think are most celebrated.

Not everyone here is retired...they just all came from New York.

Have you ever gone to a Florida beach town and just saw an older age group of people living their best lives? board shorts, one-pieces suits with visors and, of course, an oversized umbrella, without a care in the world.

You might overhear a lady with costume jewelry on in the Starbucks line telling the barista that she's from New York and the coffee tastes different.

Don't worry, not everyone is retired in this state, just many of them are Yankees: My parents, their grandparents and most of the friends I made in my adult life.

If you hear orange pronounced like "AH-Range" and water pronounced like "woo-ter", it's a tell-tale sign they're from up north.

We will walk into any establishment with flip-flops and a bathing suit.

Florida has its own sense of style, that's for sure. You can find endless flip-flops and bathing suits in a resident's closet more than you'll find shirts that aren't cropped and jeans that don't have holes in them.

Florida's classy seems to be the world's understanding of "maybe business casual, maybe beach casual". You'll never know unless you're actually warned to wear something fancy.

The only season we know is Hurricane season, which falls on 'Hot Girl Summer'.

Hurricane season is from June-November which is the peak summer season.

If you're from here, you know you can still have a beach day because the rain lasts only for about an hour a day.

Though one side of the beach might have a dark grey sky threatening rain, the other side of the beach will look bright blue and sunny. You got to catch the right time.

Beach days start with a long Publix Sub line and end with tourists crowding the good spots.

Ah, Publix, the ol' faithful. It's not just a grocery store, it's also a deli, bakery, flower shop and fresh sushi station.

If you walk into any Publix, you'll most likely see a long line of beachgoers in bathing suits gearing up to fill their lunchboxes full of beer with a beloved pub sub.

Then, they're off to the beach to see all the snowbirds crowding the area. There are no parking spots and no spot to lay your towel.

This is typically when a true Floridian walks past the other side of the pier to find the local's private hangout spots.

There's Beach Florida, Country Florida, and Big-City Florida.

The state is so different from city to city. If you're from here, you know the different places have their own stereotype.

Places like Miami and Fort Lauderdale are big cities with skyrises and have upscale dining spots and great nightlife.

The Central region of Florida and Northern Florida is truly like the country. Besides its mini pockets, like Orlando, and Tampa, there are a lot of marshy areas and small towns in the Sunshine State that aren't shown on the stereotypical postcard.

"Beach Florida" is in the coastal regions. The Emerald coast, the Treasure Coast, even the coastal regions on the east side of Florida. What makes this different from the big cities is the laid-back vibe of these towns. They're very relaxed and practically run on island time.

We grew up watching alligator shows on school field trips and we're widely unphased by the animal.

You probably went to Billie Swamp Safari where they had alligator shows or even just enjoyed an airboat ride where you saw these big animals chillin' at the Everglades.

It's almost a rite of passage in Florida elementary schools. We learned about gators so much that we not only know how to run away from them and escape them, but we are practically unphased by them.

We see at least one Florida Man daily, but the world sees the wildest ones in the headlines.

I can't have a stereotype list with Florida Man. In the state, we see abnormal oddities happening on daily basis with some of the people that are here, and we know that the world only really sees the wildest ones.

However, there is so much that people don't know about. So, when we finally see a headline, it's not so surprising.

Just do that old social media challenge where you type in your birthday and "Florida Man" next to it and see what comes up!

Florida has its characters, and the state definitely has character. Its uniqueness is what makes this place one of a kind, and, although not everyone loves having these stereotypes, I couldn't see myself living anywhere else!