Snowbirds, Welcome (Back) to Florida!
Every year during the winter months many people, typically older, flock to the southern states like Florida to escape the frigid temperatures of the north. These people are referred to as 'snowbirds'. They are usually retired and own a condo or a smaller home by one of Florida's beaches. The snowbirds come down to escape the snowy winters and then once it gets hot again in Florida, they return up north to escape Florida's heat and return back up north. That is why they are referred to as snowbirds, since they migrate back and forth depending on the weather conditions.
The term snowbird was really made popular when a Canadian singer Anne Murray released a song called "Snowbird". One of the lines from the song that describes these people perfectly is:
As well as condos and smaller homes like timeshares, a large portion of snowbirds utilize RVs. The primary purpose for these people owning RVs is so they can drive them down from the north. There are many RV parks specifically for snowbirds and most go to the same one year after year, which creates somewhat of a second family for these people.
Snowbirds do not just simply flock to the southern states and cause a bigger population for a few months. They are good for the economy of these southern states because they like to spend money when they come, which is always a good thing. There are numerous websites that are focused on this specific breed of people, they include countless discounts to services provided throughout the states, helping out the economy. Here is a snowbird guide that will give you a further description of snowbirds; and these sites are full of resources for activities snowbirds can engage in while they are here.
Some other benefits of being a snowbird are they use their vacation time to declare permanent residency in low or no tax states and claim lower non-resident income taxes in their home states. They also have the right to vote for local office since it is governed by local law, so it may be possible to vote for local offices in both places if the locality permits nonresident voting, but representation in the United States federal Congress is for residents as enumerated by the decenniel census. So snowbirds could potentially have two votes.
Snowbirds are a rare breed, but they are definitely noticeable if you live in the southern states. Who knows, maybe you are one! If you are, or if you know a snowbird that needs help with their migration down south for the winter send them right this way: BungoBox Prices.
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