"Heart of the Old Florida Orange Industry " a Haines City Travel Page by atufft

Florida is by far the flattest state in the USA. There are no mountains and barely any hills to speak of, but down the center in the upper half of the state is a "sand ridge" that provides well-drained soil for the citrus industry. Until recently, the majority of growers were located in this region around Haines City and to the north of it. After major frosts destroyed whole citris orchards in the 1980's though, the industry moved south. Now, in large corporate farms in the south of Florida, where the sand ridge doesn't reach, water is pumped out of, rather into, the citrus orchards. Smaller and midsized citris orchards remain around central Florida, and these are producers of the best tasting fruit. Meanwhile, the warehouse industry and towns such as Haines City are a mixture of old decaying centers and suburban build-up.