10 SMALLEST Towns in FLORIDA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
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Have you ever wondered what the smallest towns in a state were like? Well wonder no more as I have traveled all around Florida to visit the 10 smallest incorporated towns. I have done several other states like this and Florida's was definitely the most unusual so far. There are traditional small towns, super elite places, beach communities, and even theme parks! It was a lot of fun finding these towns and learning about the histories of each one - hope you enjoy it too!
T-shirt: Natural Bridge State Park
Part 107 certified drone operator
0:00 Intro
0:33 Horseshoe Beach
3:30 Cloud Lake
5:48 Otter Creek
8:52 Bascom
11:36 Indian Creek
13:31 Belleair Shore
16:34 Lazy Lake
20:31 Bay Lake
22:48 Lake Buena Vista
25:19 Marineland
28:53 Final Thoughts/Outtakes
Music
You are the Only - TrackTribe
Under the Wire - The Mini Vandals
All Hail the Queen - Dan Lebowitz
Michigan Greens - Dan Lebowitz
Jeremiah's Song - Dan Lebowitz
Log Cabin - SIlent Partner
5-O-July - Dan Lebowitz
FL is a strange state. The further north you travel, the more southern you get.
That's why Jacksonville has so many GA. Bulldog fans.
thank you for taking us with you on your travels
Glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Wow incredible video! I can't believe you don't have a million subscribers - this is fascinating. Thank you for the time, effort, and money it took to make this video.
Wow, thank you! I've got a long way to go but am very thankful for whoever watches my videos :)
I think my favorite was Bascom - seemed like a nice little town. Way better than the snobs at Indian Creek I bet! 🤣
That would be near the top of my list too - Haha about Indian Creek!
Many years ago we lived in a nearby town. Still many good people living in and around Bascom. Good memories.
morning coffee with the wiseguy, great stuff brother as usual, safe travels
Thank you! It was a fun and interesting trip thats for sure :)
Im a Floridian and my original hometown had 208 people back in the 80's. But its not in Florida, its in Idaho: a little town along I-84 called Bliss. Go Bears. (Currently in the Tallahassee area).
My family was one of the founders of Horseshoe bch. It was built on commercial fishing. Now it's a tourist spot. We go back 8 generations here.
That's so awesome! It was a really beautiful place - I loved visiting!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy lot got destroyed since your video. My name is marion polk. Ever back I'll be glad to show you what's left of the old ways. My great grandfather Charlie polks house still stands. Just different owners
I’m a Florida native now living in Wichita for the last year. Love this video and seeing the ones you post around Kansas. Thanks! ☺️
Very cool! Thank you!!
The town of Ochopee, FL (unincorporated) has a population of 8. It has the USA’s smallest United States Post Office
Thank you for taking us along.
My pleasure! Thank you :)
A NICE RIDE, TODAY!
I ALWAYS LOVED MY FLORIDA TRUCK TRIPS ESPECIALLY IN WINTER!!
I WAS MOSTLY BASED IN ORLANDO WHERE I GATHERED 25 CEMENT TRUCKS AND BROUGHT THEM TO WINTER PARK TO PREPARE THEM FOR OVERSEAS EXPORT.
AT WINTER PARK I WOULD TAKE MOST OF THESE TRUCK TO APOPKA AND HAVE AN JUNKYARD TORCH OFF THE MIXER BODIES.
I ALSO BROUGHT A GOOD NUMBER OF DRYWALL CRANE TRUCKS TO OLATHE KS ALSO!
MY MOST INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING TRIP TO FLORIDA WAS TAKING TWO DAMAGE DEBRIS REMOVAL GRAPPLE TRUCKS TO FLORIDA, FUELED BY NATURAL GAS!
AS THERE ARE FEW NATURAL GAS FILLING LOCATIONS WE HAD A LIST OF FUELING STATIONS TO USE ON THE ROUTE, AND WE HAD TO FUEL 8 TIME!
MY FIRST TRUCK HAD AN DEFECTIVE FUEL GUAGE SHOWING FULL AT ALL TIMES!
I DID MAKE IT OK BUT IT WAS WORRISOME!!
This is great stuff!! Thank you for posting!!
My pleasure! I had a lot of fun making it!
Groovy small town documentary. I live in Florida and I had never heard of any of these places except Marineland which like you I visited with my parents when I was a kid.
Thank you :)
Another fantastic video, John! The large old tree in Cloud Lake is majestic. Otter Creek looked peaceful and remote! But Marineland is my favorite 😍
I agree Marineland is probably my favorite as well. Would be a great place to relax 😎 Thank you ❤️
Otter Creek that's my home town, I love it here
Good video my Friend. Enjoyed it as always.
Lazy Lake Florida reminds me of Eastborough Kansas in many ways....🤔
Thanks for posting, stay safe and Be Blessed.
Thanks! Good comparison!
wow, you would never think that there would still be small towns left in florida. so nice for the folks that live there
Hey Coach.You really covered a lot of ground on this one The drone take off view is working.I like Horseshoe Beach.The dog in the closing moments seemed a wee bit tentative.Safe travels
Thanks so much! Yeah I don’t think he sees many people 😂
Thanks Coach for Beautiful FLORIDA 😊
My pleasure!
Outstanding! Smallest towns always interesting. Fla. Is keeps showing it unique ness through your viedo adventures John. The oceans view and beaches where a treat. The tree was a beautiful piece of nature on display. Thankful for your uniqueness in seeing beauty of our world.
Thanks! It was a fun trip all around the state - very diverse that's for sure. This might be the only way to connect them all to have something in common!
Best production ever, keeps up the great work❤
Very nice of you to say :) I really appreciate it - this was a long, but fun video to make!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy we went to Sanibel island many times, Mother Nature took over🥲
Very sad - such a beautiful place!
Surprising view of Florida, thanks again
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was incredibly interesting!
Thank you!
Otter Creek was more of my style
Oh, this was so good - but all your videos are. I used to live in Denham Springs, LA, and the landscape in this and your two previous videos looks so similar to my old home it's bringing back happy memories. Not to mention the houses on stilts for avoiding storm surge - used to see that all over LA, too. Awesome that we still got to see a bit of Indian Creek thanks to your drone! If I had to pick one of these places to live, I think it would be Horseshoe Beach, but Belleair Shore and Lazy Lake are close seconds. Thank you for all the time, effort, planning, and heart you put into these, they're such a bright spot in the week!
Thanks! It was a fun video to plan, visit, and edit. Such a range of different places, and being in Florida very beautiful. Appreciate the nice comment 😊
😢 North of okeechobee You are in florida South of okeechobee you are in cuba
I really liked the lazy lake interesting story. Hope you got some beach time.
Thanks! I stayed over at Belleair Beach so I did!
What a nice surprise to see Cloud Lake in here! That's my neck of the woods. Great video, thank you.
Nice! Interesting area to be surrounded by!
Enjoyed the video. I think Horseshoe Beach was my favorite. I know that this was part of your Xmas trip to the Keys so I expect that you now have a greater appreciation just how large the state of Florida is from one end to the other.
Thank you! A lot of people agree with you! I’ve been to Florida a lot (my parents lived there) so I knew what I was in for haha.
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Florida is hyuge. With all of the traffic issues on I-75 it sometimes took 8 hours or more after leaving Naples to get to the state line. Sometimes we gave up & would turn around & go back home. I can’t imagine what it would be like to make that drive during a hurricane evacuation. It was a factor in why we finally moved out of Florida. Keep up the good work 👍
Absolutely would be jammed packed. Thanks!!
GREAT JOB THANKS
Thanks for watching! Fun trip!
Very interesting and different 10 small towns videos. I think the last one (marineland) would be my favorite. I like small, semi isolated, quiet towns. Thanks for sharing.
That seems to be a lot of people's thoughts - hard for me to disagree!
I like the older more secluded towns myself. Good to see you! I was absent for awhile and missed a lot. (No, I was not in jail). So I'm catching up. A few of my fellow Nebraska friends live there now and this video is likely the most I'll ever see of it. Thanks for the tour.
Glad you are back! I'd be curious what your Nebraska friends think of these towns also! Thanks for the comment!
I've lived in the Midwest for years, but Florida is my home state! I miss it all the time and look forward to moving back one day! But, of all the years I lived down there, I've only ever heard of Horseshoe Beach and Lake Buena Vista. I never knew or heard about the rest of them. Love the video, I really enjoyed learning about the different small towns! Thank you for another great interesting travel video!! 😀👍
I’m wondering how many people who live near those places know about those towns too! Fascinating adventure.
Another great video, these videos must take ages to make. Keep up the good work
They do but it’s a lot of fun!!
I enjoyed your video of the smallest towns in Florida. I lived in the town of Bay Lake in the 70s. There are actually residential homes on the east shore of Bay Lake ( the lake that the Contemporary hotel is on) the residents are in Disney management, which my father was in Disney management. My father-in-law was the mayor for years. It was an awesome place to grow up.
Thank you very much - it was a lot of fun to make! That would've been a very unique experience for you to grow up - thanks for sharing!
My grandmothers home town where my mom sent my brother and I for vacation for a week or 2 every summer to get us out of her hair. Pop. 185 as of 2022. My brother has since purchased my grandmothers home, and now lives there. Small town just west of Spring Hill on the gulf.
If I may add, Marine Land was taken over by the university of Florida as a research facility about 2010, It does offer tours of the marine life that is studied there for the Biology Dept of the school.
I did see the U of F signs around a few of the buildings. Beautiful area!
I forgot to ask if Two Egg is sunny side up or scrambled? Yeah, I know, pretty bad! I'll show myself the door.
It appears sunny side up, but upon closer inspection I'd say scrambled :)
@@TravelwithaWiseguyActually, boiled 😂, from a Florida native.
Mainland stayed there many times in the hotel and spent time along the beach fishing . I am a Floridian
Beautiful and peaceful area!!
I owned a farm in Bascom during covid until last year...crazy you found that place.
Cool little town!
The tree behind the bench in Cloud Lake looks like a Strangler Fig or Banyan tree!
Someone was asking about that - thanks!
native resident of pinellas county here - i always wondered why belleair shore was a separate thing on the map. i've driven past it a lot of times and not even noticed haha. so cool that you came over to my county though!! ^^
also, hulk hogan actually lives in clearwater, just south of caladesi island
Thanks for the Hogan info! Such a beautiful area you live in!
Just south of marineland on A1A there's a little community you might say of Beverly Beach It does have a City Hall building about as large as a one-bedroom apartment it seems to me it would be incorporated but I don't know
It has a population of 474 so a little too large for this video. I drove through it on my way to Marineland 😊
I gotta admit, I'm surprised. I never thought FL had "small towns!" Horseshoe Beach is incredible. Almost everything is on stilts. Marineland is just down the road from where my youngest is stationed, NAS Jacksonville. Did you see any planes flying in and out? Great video. I like a couple of those small towns that are situated away from the big cities. Nice little communities.
These are some of the biggest small towns so far, but yeah still really small for Florida!
Love videos like this, tha baseball players house has caused a lot of controversy been sold and so forth, Hulk Hogan at on time lived on the intercoastal side if Belliar however he moved to due North of Belliar shores, both of my sons live in area and I have been going there since the 70s when no one wanted to live there. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Spectacular area there!! Fun video to make 😊
Yay ty John once again! Unexpected 😂 I go to horseshoe beach during summer and am this summer! Beautiful town and John, thank you so much brother!💙🩵
Thank you for watching!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy No problem bro! That was so unexpected lol! What was your favorite town? Horseshoe beach is my personal favorite
@@TravelwithaWiseguy John what was your favorite town???
Hard to say between Horseshoe Beach, Bascom, and Marineland.
I live right across Indian Creek with unobstructed views of the golf course on the water!!
Oh wow what a view!
I kept expecting you to visit Boca Vista, where the Seinfelds retired.
That would've been awesome haha - especially if Kramer was still on the board :)
I like mairneland. I could easily take my dogs walking on the beach which is a rarity anywhere you go in this state
Definitely an enjoyable place to visit!
Florida is great if you want to be in Miami that's like New York or LA or disappear in a small town no matter what your only 30 minutes from the beach 💪💪🇺🇸🇺🇸
Looking at Google maps, it appears Bay Lake has a little residential area off Reams Rd on the north side of the border.
Marineland appears to have a residential area on the south end
Great video!
That is correct! I actually found it after the fact in the area you are talking about.
1st town, Horseshoe Beach. Lost much of their population the last 30 yrs. Unsure, but many move out of the town limits, when the town/city acts too much like an HMO, or taxes get to high
Thanks for the great video. I think I like Marineland the best.
Hard to disagree!
Bascom looked like my kinda place. I can't believe you didn't video a few gators. Wife wants to move to Ocala, guess when we get there I'll get on the hawg and go visit Bascom
I was looking for them but I guess they hibernated for the winter!
There is a small town tucked right in the middle of South daytona Beach named Wilbur by the that i always thought had a very interesting name.
Very interesting. I live in Sanford Florida
Thank you!
Really a different world than the Midwest! The one that was more inland would be my choice. There sure isn't any quiet along the shore with that surf. Plus I do not know if I want to face down a hurricane. Very pretty areas and very interesting also.
Definitely a lot of different types of places to check out. You don’t want to live at Indian Creek? 😂😂
@@TravelwithaWiseguy No, I'll pass. I am afraid that I wouldn't live up to their image. Imagine being that up in the world, only to find an old farm boy/biker/trucker moving in next door? Be just like the Clampets moving in next to the Drysdales!
Haha that would be a great idea for TH-cam!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Yeah, I would be stocking bass in the cement pond, and putting in a veggie garden out back. Be flying my Hawkeye and Husker flags on the front porch, and have my old Jimmy Envoy and Harley Ultra sitting in the drive. They would be happy with their new neighbor!
😂😂😂
I drove through there it’s beautiful and tranquil at the same time marineland my favorite by far go the best of both worlds
It’s a really beautiful area to visit 😊
I've been to Lazy Lake, and couldn't understand why I never did a service call on certain streets .
Definitely a unique town 😊
I think I like Bascom as well with Horseshoe Beach second. I was surprised that there is a place like Horseshoe Beach on the water in Florida that isn't overly populated. It's practically isolated.
It’s pretty far down the way so you have to take a trip to get there. Would be fun for the weekends for sure!
marineland was my fave because of the uncrowded beach
Agreed 👍🏼
Have you watched the you tubes of Otter Creek? Very interesting.
I haven’t. Is there one you recommend?
Really nice, but very bizarre. 80 degrees today, tons of yard work (argh). Be good, be safe !!
Thanks and true! Same here and I’m out exploring 😊
I was looking at those expensive houses and my first thought was don't build your house on sinking sand. Florida develops too many sink holes to put down that much money. I liked the little country towns, the people were probably a lot more down to earth and friendly. Life moves slower there as well. Talk about a hodgepodge lol I don't think you could have found anymore places on both ends of the scale as this collection is lol Really pretty areas, the beaches were pretty, I see someone had their ducks in a row 😉 Another great video dear, stay safe and GOD bless
Haha yes they were definitely in a row 😂😂 I agree about the little country towns. They felt like they could’ve been in any state really. Thanks again!!
Great video Coach BUT you forgot to mention about the devastation that happened at horseshoe Beach when hurricane Idalia went through there in September 2023
Thank you - you might have missed it, but I showed a photo of that during the video of Horshore Beach around the 2:00 mark.
Beverly Beach is just south of marineland they have a tiny little city hall building but I don't know if they're incorporated or not
Didn’t Horseshoe Besch get clobbered by Hurricane Idalia last year ?
Yes I put a picture of that in there, you may have missed it.
I’d never heard of Horseshoe Beach. It looks like an old Florida fishing town. There aren’t many of them left.
I was glad to see Marneland. I was under the impression it had closed down years ago. Like you, I visited there as a child with my parents and grandparents. That would have been sometime in the early 1960s. Now I want to go back.
Thanks for the video.
I like Marineland...Live 8 miles North in Butler Beach.
Beautiful area you live in!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy stop by next time you are local!
Wonderful video of my state. Next door to Otter Creek, you will see a sign for a town called Rosewood. I always wondered why there was almost no one there. Then I found out that 100 years ago, all the African American residents were either massacred or driven away by their less affluent jealous neighbors. There is a movie of that name that depicts it well.
I’ve heard of the movie but haven’t seen it. Might have to check it out now - thanks!
Dont forget Palmdale & Venus. FL. Both off hwy 27
Both are unincorporated thus not eligible for this list.
I love Marine land. Got my car packed n I'm moving south!!!!!
Woohoo 🙌🏼
Wow what a peculiar state Florida is. All of the inhabited towns were fascinating in their own way, I'm guessing the folks were from all over the USA, residing there for the climate. The towns associated with Disney appear to be 'paper towns', I'm guessing they were probably started as a tax avoidance strategy, or something to gain some sort of advantage. It would seem that Florida is prone to extreme weather events, having a six month long hurricane season and I would imagine property insurance is extortionate in cost, leaving residents out of pocket on quite a regular basis. The average age of the state might be interesting, I would imagine higher than most as it seems an idyllic retirement area. What is the employment situation like? Thanks for another really interesting video John.
I think you’re right about the Disney paper towns. Florida is definitely home of retirees so the average age is much higher than most states! I think the economy is very good!
Couple of places are considered towns by Floridians some of the others are just considered communities attached to other towns.
Standing at.the train station
No jobs in most of them, Marineland my favorite was there in 87.
They make good hamburgers at that store in Otter Creek
Neptune and Atlantic Beach should be on the list.
This is a list of the smallest towns. Not the best towns. Those are much too large for this video.
SMALLEST TOWNS IN FLORIDA
I TRULY HATE LAKE BUENA VISTA I REMEMBER DRIVING THE BACK WAY TO DISNEY WORLD TO THE EMPLOYEE'S ENTRANCE THE POLICE ALL HAD BLACK VEHICLES AND WAS WAITING FOR SPEEDING VEHICLES ON THE WAY TO WORK. THERE WERE A LOT OF ACCIDENTS ON THAT ROAD. I can't believe you forgot Eatonville, Florida, what's up with that? I really enjoyed the video!!!!
Looking online it says Eatonville has a population of over 2,000 so much too large for this video. But thanks a lot for watching!
What kind of tree , behind the bench at Cloud Florida? None of the towns, all of the neighbors are so close I could hear them fart!
Someone said maybe a Strangler Fig or Banyan tree.
Big town of two egg ☺️
Me, I liked number one. The ocean reminds of the trip to California back in March 1979, when my Mother and went to California. We stayed at a motel that was about a block from the ocean. We sat on the beach for a little while but since it was cloudy it was kinda chilly. Mother and I kept a little diary of our trip and in it I wrote that the ocean was going to keep calling me and it did for a few years. All ten towns were pretty interesting though. Thank you for the trip. Happy trails to you and God bless.
Marineland would be a great place to settle down. Lots of positives without the big population!
weeki wachee has a population of 3.. it was incorporated as of 2020 afaik..
Reading online it says it used to be incorporated but was dissolved in 2020. 🤷🏼♂️
Your in the biblebelt of Florida
While those towns may be outdated, they certainly are not the smallest towns in Florida. Almost every village in Holmes county is small and more remote then most of the towns he mentioned. If you really want to see what old Florida was like...go to Holmes county. Some cool things there...like the original Fountain of Youth...in Ponce De Leon.
These are the smallest incorporated towns in Florida according to the 2020 US Census. I'm assuming the places you're referring to are unincorporated, thus not eligible for this list.
@@TravelwithaWiseguyEsto, Bethlehem, Caryville, all in Holmes County.
So you actually did have hair at one time...I often wondered about that. You look cool though the way you are...in a Telly Savalas kind of way! 👨🦲
Haha! Telly was cool so I’ll take that as a compliment 😊
Hey John, in 2000, bellaeir shore had a population of zero! Look on Wikipedia today!
I wonder what happened?!?!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Hell if we know 😆😆😆
Careful! Disney World is a no fly zone!
I actually researched this prior to arriving and even though it looks like I’m right over Disney I wasn’t. It was from further away and zoomed in. My drone has some incredible technology.
Surprised Two Egg, Florida didn’t make your list. I guess they are one yoke to big.
😂😂 actually it’s unincorporated but I did make a separate video about it!
Bell Aire Beach ⛱️ Bum
😂😂
Yeehaw junction ?
It’s unincorporated so not eligible for this video - but sounds cool!
U need to stay away from the coast and get into the interior, of the state.
Well I can’t control where the 10 smallest towns are actually located 🤷🏼♂️
Only real problem with small towns like this, No Place to Shop. Have to drive a Hour or more to go Shopping for anything you actually need. No Place to do anything. Again Have to drive a Hour or more to go out and do something. I live a Hour away from Destin and 1.5 from Panama City.. My town has a Few Bars but I do Not go to Bars. Local Buffet Closed for a Starfucks back in 2020 so No Real Place to Eat Unless you want Chinese Buffet or Go to a Bar that calls themselves a "Family Restaurant" but IS A BAR! Yeah we have a Walfart but that;s about it. Many Shops that Sell Used/Usless Beat Up and Nasty Stuff.. Highest Police to Citizen Ratio of the State..
Nice to see, I wouldn't want to live there. To rich for my blood so to speak. 😎
Same 😊
Florida is a dangerous place to live. Hurricanes, karst terrain, quick sands. In Miami in 2021 a condo collapsed (98 casualties).
We need to all chip in and help you buy some new stock music
Haha I purposely use the same music for the 10 Smallest Towns video each time. It’s the only time I use those songs. No one ever complained about the Dukes of Hazzard theme song every week 😂😂😂
Hahaha, I like the music on the small towns!
@@elizabethmurray3221 🤣
You could show Hulk Hogan's house
You could have interviewed people in each town. Your lack of research and knowledge for instance, Wiseguy, of the significance of Bascom. The only beluga whale farm allowed in all of the United States is in Bascom and they harvest caviar that goes to the affluent restaurants in New York City.
I actually did talk to a local (who didn’t want to be on camera). I asked about historical places and he didn’t mention the whale farm. Maybe because it’s not actually in the town and it’s not very old 🤷🏼♂️ there’s also no mention of it on the official website for Bascom. Interesting. Anyways - thanks for the comment and info. I always appreciate info about these places I visit even if they come off poorly!
Yeah, you are splitting hairs on the small town part. Bueno Vista is no small town.
None of this is my “opinion”. It’s technically what the smallest incorporated towns are.
Disney sucks