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From YouTube: Florida Snowbirds - From Vagabonds to Visitors
Description
In the early 1900s you probably would not want to have been called a “snowbird.” The term snowbirds, which is now commonly used to refer to people who travel south for part of the year to escape northern winters, was used very differently in the past. Karen Fortin’s video will use Florida newspaper articles to show the evolution of the term from the early 1900s to the 1970s.
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In
response
to
this
group,
cities
in
florida
started
to
create
ordinances
in
order
to
restrict
their
movements
in
this
1916
st
petersburg.
Article
is
stated.
The
proposed
ordinance
is
intended
to
protect
the
merchants
of
the
city
against
the
encroachments
of
the
snow
bird
dealers
who
come
here
and
open
temporary
businesses
to
reap
the
harvest
during
the
tourist
season
in
1916,
lakeland
stated
good
and
evil
are
pretty
thoroughly
mixed
in
this
old
world,
along
with
the
tourists
whom
we
are
all
happy
to
welcome.
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They
know
a
good
thing
when
they
see
it
and
in
1919,
shortly
after
the
end
of
world
war,
one
a
saint
petersburg
article
stated
the
annual
invasion
of
jacksonville
as
the
gateway
to
florida
by
confidence,
men,
wiretappers,
snowbirds,
deft-fingered,
artists
and
other
members
of
the
profession
addicted
to
the
about
purpose
of
plucking.
The
feathers
from
the
working
portion
of
the
nation,
the
german
army,
had
little
on
these
organized
exponents
of
the
light-fingered
arts.
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Obviously,
this
particular
writer
did
not
see
the
term
as
a
negative
and
in
this
1923
article
about
letters
coming
in
to
the
saint
petersburg
chamber
of
commerce
in
advance
of
the
1924
season
stated
some
of
the
snowbirds
who
are
icebound
in
the
frozen
north.
This
winter
must
believe
that
the
earliest
bird
catches
the
worm.
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The
only
example
of
its
use
that
I
could
find
was
this
1932
article,
where
someone
wrote
in
stating
every
person
entitled
to
remain
in
these
united
states
belongs
somewhere.
If
he
has
a
home
state,
it
is
where
he
belongs.
If
he
is
not
the
wherewithal
to
live
and
pay
his
way
elsewhere,
and
if
he
has
not
a
home
state,
he
belongs
in
any
institution
to
which
he
may
be
consigned
running,
snowbirds
out
of
florida
communities
if
the
purpose
is
to
send
them
back
where
they
came
from
is
all
right.
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However,
it
was
used
in
the
papers.
It
obviously
was
still
being
used
frequently
as
a
negative
by
the
locals,
as
seen
here
in
a
1949
article
in
which
a
couple
wrote
a
letter
to
the
editor
complaining
a
past
40
problem.
Here
we
love
saint
petersburg
and
want
to
stay,
but
we
are
not
finding
that
saint
petersburg
wants
us
or
needs
us
in
any
capacity,
and
why?
Because
we
are
over
40
and
new
arrivals,
apparently
one
must
be
established
here
for
at
least
two
years
to
overcome
the
suspicion
of
being
a
transient,
snowbird,
etc.
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You
also
saw
an
increase
in
the
number
of
articles
such
as
this
classified
ad
for
a
rental
which
stated
snow
bird
nests
for
mr
and
mrs
winter,
visitor
and
even
in
1967,
an
article
which
stated
the
snowbirds
as
the
winter
tourists
are
affectionately
called
by
the
1970s.
The
shift
in
how
the
term
snowbird
was
used
was
complete.
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Every
article
that
I
found
used
it
in
either
a
neutral
or
positive
manner
such
as
this
1970
article,
which
stated
whatever
impels
a
snowbird.
That
is
a
person
who
flees
the
snow
scene
up
north
for
the
warmth
of
gentler
climbs
to
pick
saint
petersburg
and
in
1972
a
color
film
of
the
masters.
Golf
tournament
will
be
shown
at
a
meeting
of
the
snowbirds
at
panama
city
civic
center
tonight.