Picture Florida in your mind. What do you see?

Is it swampland with alligators? A bustling amusement park where people walk around with Mickey ears?

Maybe it’s a city filled with retirees or a club hopping with twenty-somethings who are sucking down fruity alcoholic beverages.

There are many stereotypes that come along with thoughts of the Sunshine State, whether it’s an area of Fort Lauderdale houses for sale or Orlando condos for rent you’re considering.

But which sink and which swim? Here are some of the most common misconceptions about Florida and the truths behind them.

It’s a constant summer.

Sure, the weather is nice for the most part, but that doesn’t mean it’s summer year-round.

Winter in Florida is absolutely a thing, with temps sometimes hitting as low as the 10s in the morning hours in places like Tampa Bay area and towns north.

It’s not a tropical area.

For some reason people think Florida is of a tropical bent, but it isn’t. This is due to features like palm trees, lush foliage, and beach landscapes.

However, Florida is subtropical, meaning it’s simply adjacent to the tropics.

Theme parks are the biggest attractions.

It’s certainly hard to get out of the shadow of entertainment behemoths like Walt Disney World, Sea World, and Universal studios, but there truly is so much more to see and do in Florida.

You will find an array of galleries, music venues, museums, and historic sites to keep you occupied.

The local drivers are terrible.

The state is often named among the most dangerous to drive in, but that’s not necessarily the fault of the locals.

With the influx of tourists thanks to the aforementioned attractions, much of Florida’s traffic woes stem from folks who don’t know the area and their way around it.

It’s overrun with retirees.

It’s certainly true that Florida is a great place for older folks to retire. There are major tax advantages, access to great healthcare, and much to keep you occupied in your golden years. But folks of retirement age are not the only ones living there.

Some areas cater to families while others are well suited for young professionals. Thanks to the many universities you’ll find college-age residents, rounding out the types of people you’ll find living down south.

Gators, snakes, and bugs are the main animal groups you’ll experience.

Yes, these creatures are very common in Florida but they aren’t the whole of what you’ll encounter.

Florida is a bird watcher’s paradise thanks to the many exotic species in the state. There are also plenty of northern birds that migrate to the area come winter.

You’ll also find an array of marine life, from dolphins and manatees to various types of fish ripe for fresh and saltwater fishing.

It’s all beach, all the time.

Beaches are a major part of Florida’s vibe, but there are some areas where it’s not so easy to hit the sand and surf.

One-and-a-half million acres of the state is actually covered in the Everglades National Park, a terrain of marshes and swamps.