Let's get the most important stuff out of the way first. On Jeopardy! last night, in a category called Aunties, not a single one of the contestants buzzed in to say "Who is Auntie Mame?" even though the clue mentioned Patrick Dennis and Rosalind Russell, nor did anyone buzz in to say "Who is Aunt Polly?" even though the clue mentioned Tom and Becky and a whitewashed fence. As the Vulcan character Mr. Spock portrayed by Leonard Nimoy on Star Trek often said, "Fascinating."
Okay, that's over with.
Today is Friday the 13th, not that it matters, and in two more days there will be a total lunar eclipse visible in the Western Hemisphere, a "super blood moon" as it is being referred to in the media because it will occur at the moon's perigee in its orbit, a mere 225,000 miles from the surface of the earth. The moon will appear to be 7% larger than at other times, not that that matters either. I thought you would want to know.
Moving right along....
When our family lived in Florida back in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, the first number on an automobile license plate represented the county's rank in population among Florida's 67 counties. Every Floridian worth his or her salt knew that 1 was Dade County (Miami), 2 was Duval County (Jacksonville), 3 was Hillsborough County (Tampa), 4 was Pinellas County (St. Petersburg), 5 was Leon County (Tallahassee), 6 was Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach), 7 was Orange County (Orlando), 8 was Volusia County (Daytona Beach), 9 was Escambia County (Pensacola), and 10 was Broward County (Fort Lauderdale). After that, everything was a blur/no one could possibly care/it didn't matter about the other 57 counties.
The cost of a license plate (that is, the tax assessed) was based on the weight of the vehicle, which was reflected in the tag number by a letter of the alphabet after the county ranking number. D meant a small, economy car; no suffix meant a heavier car; W meant an even heavier car; and WW meant the heaviest car of all. An E didn't indicate weight but meant that the car was leased or rented. G meant something too, as I recall, but I forget what, which may be something of a first for my readers. I'm pulling your leg (British, joking).
Florida changed its automobile license plate scheme many years ago and today an entirely different system is in place. The most recent census in 2020 shows that Florida's population has shifted dramatically from when we lived there. For example, in 1960 Florida had 4.9 million people and was ranked 10th among the 50 states. Today Florida has 21.9 million people and is ranked 3rd among the 50 states.
Today the most populous counties in Florida bear little resemblance to the old license-plate system:
1. Dade (Miami) - 2.70 million (rank unchanged)
2. Broward (Fort Lauderdale) - 1.94 million (up from 10th place)
3. Palm Beach West Palm Beach) - 1.48 million ( up from 6th place)
4. Hillsborough (Tampa) - 1.45 million (down from 3rd place)
5. Orange (Orlando) - 1.37 million (up from 7th place)
6. Pinellas (St. Petersburg) - 970,000 (down from 4th place)
7. Duval (Jacksonville) - 948,000 (down from 2nd place)
8. Lee (Cape Coral-Fort Myers) - 756,000
9. Polk (Lakeland) - 705,000
10. Brevard (Cocoa-Titusville-Melbourne) - 594,000
Volusia (Daytona Beach), Leon (Tallahassee), and Escambia (Pensacola) have dropped out of the top ten altogether.
Demographic minutiae like today's post are interesting to me. I hope they don't bore you to tears.
I challenge you to do similar research on your own area of interest and report it on your own blog.
Because somewhere, someone will care.
I'm not even sure what I would research and report on but I'm glad you love demographics!
ReplyDeletekylie, I'm glad you're glad that I love demographics, but what I would like to know is why you are glad. Are you saying that you like demographics too?
DeleteI love reading blogs that give us a little knowledge with perspective. I pop a fact or two periodically. Some favorite posts are when folks cover local gems and bring us along. Some UK bloggers are wonderful at this. Vintage Vixen and Eccentric Amblings and Ramblings are good ones.
ReplyDeleteMe as well - well said and shared!
DeleteSAM, (I feel like I'm shouting when I say SAM), by "local gems" are you referring to Florida license plates or are you trying to steer me in a different direction? I can't figure it out.
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ReplyDeleteI only discovered your blog after reading your honest and thoughtful comment on another blog that shall be unnamed. About a women complaining of mistreatment in a home she is a guest in. I admire your reality and honesty about needing to change that situation and move on, and I was sad to see how the honest and frank comment you left was berated by the blog owner. We need more people in the world who are so truthful and real like you are. Clearly you don't wish to see someone in a non-ideal situation. I applaud your candor despite being bullied for leaving the words you left.
BlogReader, your name seems rather generic, if I may say so. Glad to have you here on my blog! And thank you for your kind words and support. Yes, I feel she over-reacted, but I rather expected that she would. I try to be as tactful and non-confrontational as possible. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't!
Deleteyes - as generic as it gets. There are some unpredictable characters on the internet...so best to be a simple gal. Plus is captures me well! Blog reader!
ReplyDelete"pulling your leg" (British, joking). The British use and certainly have for my nearly 80 years of existence. I would suggest that it's not just 'joking' either in American or British. It's a particular type of joking trying to make someone think something that isn't true by using a joke. That's exactly what you did.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I suddenly remember that Dr. Doolittle had a two-headed llama called a pushme-pullyou. Now that is a joke.
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