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Florida’s Favorite Christmas Song Has A Southwest Florida Connection

Author Joe Winner
Palm Trees Christmas

Just a few years ago, you’d need to do countless polls and go through endless research to find out where people’s interest lie. Now it’s easy. Google gives us all the data. Google Trends tells us what people are searching for, and where they are searching from. Making it very easy to find everyone’s favorite Christmas song this year. Here in Florida, our favorite Christmas song is a little more special, because the artist has Southwest Florida roots.

 What’s Everyone’s Favorite Christmas Song?

There’s definitely a difference in preference based on where you live. With research compiled by Crosswordhelper, it looks like America’s most searched holiday song is “Jingle Bell Rock” by Blake Shelton. Blake did his version back in 2012 with Miranda Lambert.

Coming in at number 2: “This Christmas” by Chris Brown is the second most searched-for holiday song in the U.S. Chris released his version of that classic song back in 2010. It’s the favorite song to our northern neighbors in Georgia and some other southern states. With 82 million streams on Youtube alone, it’s popularity has not gone away. But are we listening to here in Southwest Florida?

Florida’s Favorite Christmas Song: The Southwest Florida connection.

Florida’s favorite Christmas song according to Google Trends is easy to learn. The song has just 19 words, 13 in English, 6 in Spanish.  The artist who wrote it told The News-Press in 2010. “I wrote it bilingual so that radio stations had no excuse but to play it. It covered everybody.” The song is Feliz Navidad, by José Feliciano who has family in Southwest Florida and actually lived in Lehigh Acres. Jose’s Puerto Rican roots tie in perfectly with the Florida Christmas feel, so it’s not surprising at all to know that it’s our favorite song this holiday season. Feliz Navidad is also number 1 in Texas, another warm weather state. Here’s all 19 of those words, so you can sing along.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Próspero año y felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

 

Apparently, Wealthy Residents Of Southwest Florida Are Moving To Lehigh Acres

I’ve lived in Southwest Florida a long time. I remember when a lot of the roads in Lehigh Acres were sand. I remember the ’08-’09 recession when partially built houses were abandoned all over Lehigh Acres. In fact, back in 2009, The New York Times wrote “In Florida, Despair and Foreclosures“. It was a story about Lehigh.

But things have certainly changed in “LA“. Census data shows that there’s a lot more high earning residents moving to, and living in Lehigh Acres than there was just a few years ago.

Which US Cities Have Experienced The Biggest Rise in Top Earners? 

A new report discovers where about in the US has the highest increase in households earning over $200,000 – and the biggest decreases.

  • Hemet, CA has seen the largest increase in households earning over $200,000 in the last 10 years, at +6,407%.
  • Lafayette, ID has seen the biggest decrease of households earning more than $200,000, at -77%.
  • In the state of New Jersey, Elizabeth has seen the greatest increase in high earners over the last 10 years.

Over the last 10 years, average household income in America has increased by almost 38%. However, are earnings increasing more rapidly in different states and cities across the US? Which US areas’ household incomes have grown the most (and least) since 2013?

By analyzing CENSUS income data from 2013 to 2021, OLBG has revealed the US areas which have experienced the greatest increase (and decrease) of households earning over $200,000 since 2013. So, who tops this list…

Which US areas have seen the biggest increase in households earning more than $200,000? Lehigh Acres?

Coming in at number one, with a 6,407% increase in households earning more than $200,000 since 2013, is Hemet in California. The area has grown by 10%, equating to an additional 1,945 households that are earning above the $200,000 threshold.

In a not-so-close second place, we have Miami Gardens in Florida, with an increase of 1,678%. With 9% more household in the area, 1,588 more now earn over the $200,000 mark.

In fact, Florida features heavily on this list, with Lehigh Acres in fifth place, Palm Bay in eighth, and Deltona in ninth all seeing a +1,000% increase in households earning more than $200,000 since 2013.

 

  • Area   % increase of households that earn over 200k since 2013 % increase in total households in that area since 2013 The actual number of households now earning over 200k
    Hemet, California 6407% 10% 1,945
    Miami Gardens, Florida 1678% 9% 1,588
    Hammond, Indiana 1302% 8% 742
    Schenectady, New York 1287% 16% 1,290
    Lehigh Acres CDP, Florida 1244% 28% 783
    Jonesboro, Arkansas 1115% 15% 2,067
    Pasco, Washington 1028% 24% 1,669
    Palm Bay, Florida 1022% 18% 1,563
    Deltona, Florida 1018% 21% 1,192
    Menifee, California 985% 28% 4,105

  • The Lehigh Acres population growth is incredible

    A 28% increase in households in the past 10 years. But based on data, Lehigh Acres is no longer just a place for people who can’t afford Fort Myers to go to. Many of those new residents have household income over $200k.

  • ¿Por qué?

    It may not all be just new people moving into town. Lehigh Acres is more of a ‘working class’ town. And the latest construction boom in Southwest Florida has made some of them quite a bit of money. Add in a hurricane and experienced roofers are making baaaaaaaank. Can someone in construction make more than a doctor. Yup. Have you seen some of the lifted trucks driving down Lee Blvd?

    But what about the other end. Are there places where the high earners are leaving? Also yup.

  • The table below shows US locations in order of biggest percentage decrease of households earning more than $200,000 since 2013:

    #

    Area 

    % increase of households that earn over 200k since 2013

    % increase in total households in that area since 2013

    The fall in number of households now earning over 200k

    1

    Lafayette, Indiana

    -77%

    7%

    -320

    2

    Victoria, Texas

    -34%

    7%

    -316

    3

    Largo, Florida

    -32%

    7%

    -334

    4

    Bismarck, North Dakota

    -32%

    9%

    -464

    5

    Apple Valley, California

    -23%

    3%

    -216

    6

    Missouri City, Texas

    -18%

    34%

    -512

    7

    Kissimmee, Florida

    -17%

    27%

    -81

    8

    Jackson, Tennessee

    -14%

    3%

    -150

    9

    Oshkosh, Wisconsin

    -7%

    7%

    -28

    10

    Evansville, Indiana

    -1%

    9%

    -7

  • One part about that table

    As more retirees move into certain parts of Florida, the percentage of top earners will go down. If they aren’t working, they’re less likely to earn 200K a year. That’s another thing that makes Lehigh Acres unique. Retirees keep moving there. Yet the percentage of households making $200K+ a year has gone up dramatically.

    Plus there’s a Popeye’s across the street from the Aldi’s. Pretty much all I need.

  • Methodology

    Data was analyzed from 2013-2021 using the US census (https://data.census.gov/table?q=Income+(Households,+Families,+Individuals) ). However, please note that the data for the year 2020 was missing due to Covid data collection issues within the US census. We also excluded areas which had missing information on some of the years.

    The columns for each of the tables include:

    • Area – this is the area of the US
    • % increase of households that earn over $200,000 since 2013
    • % increase in total households in that area since 2013 – this is the % that the area has grown overall since 2013. For example, if there were 10 houses in that area in 2013 and now there is 15, the area has grown by 50%
    • The actual number of households now earning over 200k – this is the actual increase (as a number) of how many more houses earn over $200,000 since 2013

  • Full study at OLBG here. 

    About

    About OLBG.com

    OLBG has grown a fun, friendly community of highly knowledgeable sports bettors who share their expertise to help others improve their enjoyment of betting.

    Whichever popular sporting event you want to bet on, the OLBG Tipsters have researched the best bets for you.

    OLBG has grown a fun, friendly community of highly knowledgeable sports bettors who share their expertise to help others improve their enjoyment of betting.

    Whichever popular sporting event you want to bet on, the OLBG Tipsters have researched the best bets for you.

 

Joe Winner spends his days combing through memes and off beat stories to bring you the side of Florida not always seen.

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