World War II and the Post-War Boom

With its warm climate and plentiful supply of vacant land, Florida was a good place to train for fighting overseas. Many military bases were constructed here prior to World War II; from the 1930s on, the number of installations grew to 172. During the war, Camp Blanding, near Jacksonville, became Florida’s fourth largest city.  Some 40 airfields were active during this period.

Florida’s population surged during the war and afterward. “The state's population grew to about 2-3/4 million by 1950. The country's population grew 15% after the war, but Florida's rose a startling 46%!” (Florida during World War II, 2002, par. 11). As the state’s population grew, acreage devoted to citrus and other crops decreased rapidly. “For example, Orange County, Florida, home of Disneyland and Orlando, produced 95% less citrus in 1990 than in 1970” (Bittersweet, n.d., par. 2). However, citrus is still an important industry, making a $9 billion impact yearly on the state (Citrus Industry History, 2012, par. 13).

Read about German U-boats off the Florida coast, the war’s economic stimulus to the state, and more, at the following link.

http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/ww_ii/ww_ii1.htm

View images and documents of the World War II era in Florida, below.

http://fcit.usf.edu/wwii/warcomes.php

View images of Florida after World War II, below.

http://fcit.usf.edu/wwii/post_war.php

Read about the ups and downs of Florida’s citrus industry at the link below.

https://www.floridacitrus.org/oj/facts/what-is-the-history-of-citrus/