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Thursday, October 5, 2006
I’d like to give the world…Florida?
If Florida were a brand, it would be Coca-Cola, or possibly Nike — one of the most famous brands in the world.
Actually, Florida is a brand — and one of the most famous in the world — according to the first-ever public opinion survey of attitudes about American states by The Anholt Brands Index.
The poll of a representative sample of 9,000 Americans and 12,000 foreigners sought answers to the question, “Where do you want to live?” Americans picked North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Oregon, in that order.
Foreigners picked California, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Washington. (The survey author thinks foreign respondents believe the state of Washington is home to Washington, D.C., which accounted for its popularity.)
Florida was the only state to make the top five of both lists.
“The most famous states in the union are virtually nation brands in their own right,” survey author Simon Anholt said, putting California and Florida squarely in the category of “megabrands.”
“Hawaii and New York are in the second tier of brand power,” Anholt said.
Anholt thinks Americans picked North Carolina and Virginia over Florida because of the role those states play in American history.
We think the domestic survey-takers have actually been to Florida and prefer the less-congested — and more affordable — states to the north, which still have good weather but without the hordes of people and exorbitant housing costs.
Other survey highlights:
Foreigners ranked New Jersey 50th among all states.
Familiarity often breeds “brand” success: British respondents ranked New England states the highest; French survey-takers ranked Louisiana high; Mexican panelists favored New Mexico; the Chinese rated Alaska above average; and Canadians preferred Michigan, Maine and Vermont.
New Jersey, despite scoring the lowest in attractiveness among all states, was foreigners’ sixth most-visited — probably owing to Newark’s international airport. New Jersey’s low overall rating and high number of foreign visitors suggests foreigners’ visits “may not be getting off to the best possible start,” Anholt said.
Foreigners think Alaska has the worst climate, but Americans think New Jersey does.
Hawaii is perceived as the most beautiful state with the best climate by both domestic and foreign panelists, and New Jersey as the least attractive state by both groups.
Hawaii also is perceived as the state with the most to do for a week, by both foreigners and Americans.
Americans think Iowa is the most boring state.
New Mexico, New York and Kentucky (go figure — mint juleps?) have the best food, while New York, California and Florida are best for shopping, international survey-takers believe.
Americans think New Yorkers would make them feel less welcome than people in any other state, while foreigners also rank New York near the bottom in hospitality, at 41st.
Foerigners think Texas is the least-welcoming state. Given the president’s plunging popularity overseas, the internationals must know where George Bush calls home.
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A taxing study
Local property taxes are the topic of much grumbling due to soaring property values, but be glad you don’t live in New York or New Jersey.
Homeowners there have the highest property taxes in the nation, according to a new report by the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit research group that advocates for tax reform. Of the 10 top counties ranked according to median property taxes, five are in New York and five are in New Jersey.
New York’s Westchester County ranked No. 1, with median property taxes of $7,337. Nassau County on Long Island was No. 2 with taxes of $7,025.
New Jersey’s Hunterdon, Bergen and Essex counties ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
The study also compared the average tax burden as a percentage of per capita income for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The comparisons are based on what residents pay in state and local income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, luxury taxes and fuel taxes, among others.
The study factored in the portion of business taxes that are passed along to residents through higher prices, lower wages or lower profits.
Florida ranked 39th, putting it among the more favorable “tax-friendly states,” with residents paying 9.7 percent of their annual income in taxes, or $3,566.
Maine was the least tax-friendly state in the union, with residents paying 13.5 percent of their income in taxes, or $4,719.
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Prices still gaining, at twice national average
Depending on whether you’re buying or selling, this is either good news or not-so-good news: Home-price appreciation in Fl orida, though slowing, is still more than twice the national average, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Home prices in Florida rose 21.3 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared with 6.2 percent nationwide, the FDIC said in a report released Thursday.
Appreciation has fallen for last two quarters from a high of 28 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, the report shows.
A year ago, the appreciation rate was 26 percent.
Home sales in Florida are declining, the FDIC says, mirroring monthly reports from the Florida Association of Realtors, whose most recent report showed declining sales in every metropolitan market in the state.
During the first half of this year, sales of single-family homes and condominiums declined 25.8 percent compared with the first half of 2005, the FDIC report said.
“Despite these declines, innovative mortgages have helped support real estate market activity and comprised 47 percent of 2006 securitized non-prime originations across the state,” the report said.
Year-over-year price gains in Florida for the second quarter were highest in the Lakeland area at 27 percent, the FDIC said.
Congress created the FDIC in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation’s banking system. It promotes the safety of the nation’s 8,778 banks and savings institutions by monitoring risks they’re exposed to, and reports its findings in these quarterly reports.
Other highlights of the report:
Florida’s tourism indsutry, which employed 950,000 people last year, remains a critical part of the state’s economy. Visitors remained near record levels in early 2006, but higher fuel and airline ticket prices may prompt these gains to moderate the rest of this year.
Residential construction has slowed, with permits fown 20 percent in the second quarter, compared with the smae period last year.
Palm Beach County had the lowest second-quarter office vacancy rate in the state at 14 percent.
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