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Brochure images of tanning flesh and Mickey Mouse give an inaccurate and incomplete picture of FLORIDA . Although the aptly nicknamed "Sunshine State" is indeed devoted to the tourist trade, it's also among the least-understood parts of the US. Away from its overexposed resorts lie forests and rivers, deserted strands filled with wildlife, vibrant cities and primeval swamps.

In many respects Florida is still evolving. Seven hundred people a day move to the state, now the fourth most populous in the nation. Changing demographics are eroding the traditional Deep South conservatism: the new Floridians tend to be a younger, more energetic breed, while Spanish-speaking enclaves provide close ties to Latin America and the Caribbean - links as influential in creating wealth as the recent arrival of the movie industry in central Florida, fresh from Hollywood.

The essential stop is cosmopolitan, half-Latin Miami , from where a simple journey south brings you to the Florida Keys , a hundred-mile string of islands known for sports fishing, coral-reef diving, and the sultry town of Key West , legendary for its sunsets and anything-goes attitude. North from Miami, much of the east coast is disappointingly urbanized, albeit with miles of unbroken beaches flowing alongside. The residential stranglehold is lessened further north, where communities such as Daytona Beach have become subservient to the local sands. Farther along, historical St Augustine stands as the longest continuous settlement in the US.

In central Florida the terrain turns green, though it's no rural idyll: this is where you'll find Orlando and Walt Disney World , one of the world's leading tourist destinations. From here it's just a skip north to the forests of the Panhandle , Florida's link with the Deep South, or to the towns and beaches of the west coast . To the south, and also easily accessible from Miami, stretches the Everglades , a swampy sawgrass plain filled with camera-friendly (but otherwise unfriendly) alligators.

In at least one way it makes little difference when you visit : warm sunshine and blue skies are almost always a fact of life. Florida does, however, split into two climatic zones : subtropical in the south and warm temperate in the north. Orlando and points south have very mild winters (October to April), with warm temperatures and low humidity. This is the peak tourist season, when prices are at their highest. The southern summer (May to September), on the other hand, brings high humidity and afternoon storms - the rewards for braving the mugginess are lower prices and fewer tourists. Winter is the off-peak period north of Orlando; while snow has been known to fall in the Panhandle, daytime temperatures are generally comfortably warm. During the northern Florida summer, the crowds arrive, and the days - and the nights - get hot and sticky. Also, there is a potentially ominous time of the year - the " hurricane season " - June to November.

Finally, although Florida has struggled with its reputation for crimes against (and even murders of) tourists, the state's been very successful in reducing such attacks. It's definitely no longer the den of "Miami Vice" it once was, but, as when visiting all big cities, it pays to be wary.

Florida is surprisingly compact, and easy to get around by car: crossing between the east and west coasts takes a couple of hours, and one of the longest trips - between the western extremity of the Panhandle and Miami - can be done in a day. Public transportation , on the other hand, requires adroit advance planning. Greyhound buses link all major towns and cities, with both Miami and Orlando well served; but many rural areas and some of the most enjoyable sections of the coast are not covered.

Florida's railroads were built to service boomtowns in the Twenties, and consequently some rural nooks are well-linked. Amtrak runs west from Jacksonville via New Orleans all the way to LA, while connections with New York are good. However, in some areas Amtrak buses have replaced the trains; these can be very expensive, so check in advance. Passengers with cars can use the daily Auto Train from Lorton, Virginia (just south of Washington, DC), to Sanford, north of Orlando. The southeast coast boasts an elevated TriRail system that ferries commuters between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Palm Beach.

Although inadvisable in the cities, cycling is a great way to see large parts of Florida - miles of cycle paths follow the coast, and long-distance bike trails cross the state's interior. Forget hitching : always dangerous (especially for women), it's illegal in Miami (where you'd be lucky to live to regret it) and on the outskirts of many other cities.

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