Migration and Health in Florida

Before the early 1800s, most colonization attempts were unsuccessful due to Indian attacks, and so most of the state of Florida was a swampy wasteland. Throughout the early 1800s, people began to trickle down from the newly created United States. As immigrants came to settle in Florida, they brought disease with them. Florida's warm, humid climate was one of its many draws. However, this climate also meant that there was an abundance of mosquitoes, which meant disease was rampant. As people began to settle the swampy area, disease rates were both positively and negatively affected.