Orlando, Florida
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The city of Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 185,951 (metropolitan area 1,644,561). A 2003 local population count gave the city had a total population of 199,336 (metropolitan area nearly 1.8 million). It is the sixth-largest city in Florida, and its largest inland city. It is also at the head of the state's third-largest metropolitan area, behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Tampa-St. Petersburg. Additionally, Orlando is home to the second largest university in Florida, the University of Central Florida.
The city is best known for the tourist attractions in the area, particularly the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, which is in the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Other area attractions include SeaWorld and the Universal Orlando Resort, the latter of which is in Orlando proper. Downtown Orlando has recently seen much redevelopment, despite being far from the main tourist attractions.
The city's nickname is "The City Beautiful", and its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola. The current mayor is Buddy Dyer.
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| City nickname: "The City Beautiful" | |||||
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| Founded | 1875 | ||||
| County | Orange County | ||||
| Mayor | Buddy Dyer (D) | ||||
| Area - Total - Water | 261.5 km² (100.9 mi²) 19.3 km² (7.5 mi²) 7.39% | ||||
| Population - City (2000) - Metropolitan - Density | 185,951 1.6 million 767.9/km² | ||||
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5 | ||||
| Latitude Longitude | 28°32' N 81°22W | ||||
| City of Orlando Official Website (http://www.cityoforlando.net) | |||||
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History
Some historians date Orlando's name to around 1836 when a soldier named Orlando Reeves allegedly died in the area, during the war against the Seminole Indian tribe. It seems, however, that Orlando Reeves (sometimes Rees) operated a sugar mill and plantation about thirty miles to the north at Spring Garden in Volusia County, and pioneer settlers simply found his name carved into a tree and assumed it was a marker for a grave site. They thus referred to the area as "Orlando's grave" and later simply "Orlando."
During the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Army established an outpost at Fort Gatlin, a few miles south of the modern downtown, in 1838. But, it was quickly abandoned when the war came to an end.
The first permanent settler was cattleman Aaron Jernigan, who acquired land along Lake Holden by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. But, most pioneers did not arrive until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s.
Orlando remained a rural backwater during the Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Federal Blockade. And, most of the early residents made their living by cattle ranching. But, the Reconstruction Era brought a population explosion. This led to the city's incorporation in 1875.
The period from 1875 to 1895 is remembered as Orlando's "Gilded Era," when it became the hub of Florida's citrus industry. But, a great freeze in the latter year forced many owners to give up their independent groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons" which shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County.
The years between the Spanish American War and World War I saw Orlando become a popular resort, as Florida's largest inland city.
During World War II, a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Pine Castle AAF, now the site of Orlando International Airport. Some of these servicemen stayed in Orlando to settle and raise families. In 1956 the aerospace/defense company Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) established a plant in Orlando.
In addition, Orlando is close enough to Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Kennedy Space Center for residents to commute to work from the city's suburbs. It also allows easy access to Port Canaveral, an important cruise ship terminal. Because of its proximity to the innovative "space coast", many high-tech companies have shifted to the Orlando area.
The most critical event for Orlando's economy occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced the plans for Walt Disney World. The famous vacation resort opened in October, 1971, ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for the Orlando metropolitan area, which now encompasses Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties. As a result, tourism became the centerpiece of the Orlando economy.
In the hurricane season of 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne battered the Orlando area, causing widespread damage and flooding and impeding tourism to the area.
Geography
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Orlando is located at 28°32'1" North, 81°22'33" West (28.533513, -81.375789)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 261.5 km² (100.9 mi²). 242.2 km² (93.5 mi²) of it is land and 19.3 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.39% water.
Orlando is rivaled only by the Twin Cities in the number of natural lakes in its metropolitan area. The region Orlando inhabits is very low-lying and subtropical in climate. The Orlando area is home to 100+ lakes, the largest of which are Lake Apopka, Eustis, Griffin, Harney, Harris, Jessup, Monroe, Saint Cloud, and Tohopakaliga. The area is also very prone to sink-holes due to the large amount of underground limestone caverns that are located in the area.
Neighborhoods
The city of Orlando has 115 neighborhoods in the city limits, some of which are:
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Metropolitan area
In the Orlando area, like most metropolitan areas in Florida, the majority of the population lives outside the city proper. Nearby suburbs extend into the surrounding counties. Oviedo, in Seminole County, has been listed as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Clermont (Lake County) and Poinciana (Osceola) have also seen explosive growth. Deltona, in Volusia County, has grown so fast that, between 1980 and 1990, it became the largest city in that county.
Climate
Orlando is considered to be in a subtropical climate zone. Summer high temperatures average in the low-to-mid 90s °F (mid-30s °C). Its proximety to the Atlantic Ocean in particular allows the Sea Breeze to cool it, but also keeping humidity high, keeping temperatures stable and making temperatures of 100°F (38°C) very rare. Its all-time record high temperature is 102°F (39°C), last achieved on May 31, 1945. 100°F was last reached in 1998, when several days of 100-degree weather were observed, peaking at 101°F on July 2.
Winter temperatures are typically mild, with the jet stream bringing in frequent cold fronts. High temperatures typically fluctuate anywhere from 65°F (18°C) to 80°F (27°F). Below-freezing temperatures are uncommon, with snow almost a generational event. Orlando's all-time record low is 19°F (-7°C), last achieved on January 20, 1985. The last recorded snow event was on December 23, 1989, when light snow and sleet fell and the high temperature only reached 33°F (0.5°C). January is the only month in which a temperature of 90°F (32°C) has not been recorded.
The average annual rainfall for Orlando is 48.35" (1,198.1 mm). June through September is its "rainy season", accounted for by its location at the center of the Florida Peninsula, with the Gulf Breeze off the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea Breeze off the Atlantic Ocean colliding over the city in the summer, creating "pop-up" thunderstorms. December through May is considered Orlando's "dry season", with wildfires a danger particularly in May.
Economy
To no surprise, a large part of the Orlando area economy is involved in the tourist industry. Tourism surrounding Orlando is worth billions of dollars in the area's economy. Combined domestic and international tourism during 2004 is 48 million visitors. The convention industry is also huge in the area due to the proximity to the area attractions. The Orange County Convention Center is the one of the large convention complexes in the United States. The Orlando International Airport is a world-class facility, and one of the most heavily travelled airports in the world.
The area's economy also has other industries apart from tourism, such as the huge presence of manufacturing in the region. Lockheed-Martin has a large manufacturing facility for aeronatuical crafts and related high tech research due to Orlando's proximity to the NASA Kennedy Space Center. The area is also home to many computer software and hardware firms that located here in the 1970's and 1980's such as IBM. Another area that is developing rapidly is the film industry, supplemented by the presence of Universal Studios and Disney-MGM Studios. Numerous office complexes for large corporations popped up along the Interstate 4 corridor north of Orlando, especially in Maitland.
Companies that have a their corporate headquarters or a major presence in the area:
- Adventist Healthcare System
- AirTran
- Albertsons
- Darden Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Bahama Breeze
- EA Games
- Gaylord Entertainment
- IBM
- Lockheed-Martin
- Loews Hotels
- Marriott International
- Oracle Corporation
- Publix Supermarkets
- Siemens AG, Siemens Westinghouse
- Sprint Corporation
- SunTrust Bank
- T.G. Lee Dairy
- Tupperware Corp.
- Universal Orlando Resort
- The Walt Disney Company
Transportation
Air
Orlando is served primarily by Orlando International Airport, though nearby Orlando Sanford International Airport also serves the area. Orlando Executive Airport is used for charter flights and General Aviation.
Roads
Its major freeway is Interstate 4, which crosses Florida's Turnpike southwest of Downtown Orlando. It is also served by the toll roads of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, particularly the East-West Expressway (SR 408), which crosses I-4 downtown.
Rail
The Orlando area is served by one through railroad, CSX's A line (formerly the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's main line), and some spurs, mostly operated by the Florida Central Railroad. Amtrak passenger service runs along the CSX A line. See also a map of these railroads.
The following railroad stations have existed in Orlando:
- Amtrak Orlando station (originally built by ACL to replace Church Street Station, the only one still in use)
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Orlando station (now Church Street Station, a tourist attraction)
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Orlando station (Central Avenue Station)
- Eight Oaks (ACL station)
- Formosa (ACL station)
- Livingston (SAL station)
- Rowena (SAL station)
Buses
Orlando is served by Lynx, which runs bus service in the tri-county area (Osceola-Orange-Seminole).
Education
Public Education is handled by Orange County Public Schools. Some of the larger private schools include Lake Highland Preparatory School, Bishop Moore High School, New School of Orlando and Orlando Christian Academy.
Area institutions of higher education
- Barry University's law school
- Brevard Community College (in nearby Brevard County)
- DeVry University, Orlando campus
- Florida A&M University's law school
- Florida Institute of Technology, Orlando campus
- Florida Metropolitan University, Orlando campus
- Full Sail Real World Education (in Winter Park)
- International Academy of Design and Technology
- Nova Southeastern University, Orlando campus
- Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando campus
- Rollins College (in Winter Park)
- Seminole Community College (in Sanford)
- Stetson University (in Deland)
- University of Central Florida
- University of Phoenix, Orlando campus
- Valencia Community College
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 185,951 people, 80,883 households, and 42,382 families residing in the city. The population density is 767.9/km² (1,988.9/mi²). There are 88,486 housing units at an average density of 365.4/km² (946.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.10% White, 26.85% African American, 2.68% Asian, 0.34% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.41% from other races, and 3.54% from two or more races. 17.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 80,883 households out of which 24.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% are married couples living together, 15.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% are non-families. 35.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.25 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,732, and the median income for a family is $40,648. Males have a median income of $30,866 versus $25,267 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,216. 15.9% of the population and 13.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.0% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Area attractions
For more tourist information, see the Wikitravel article.
The Orlando area is home to a wide variety of tourist attractions, including the Walt Disney World resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and Universal Orlando Resort. The Walt Disney World resort is the area's largest attraction with its many facets such as the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. SeaWorld Orlando is a large adventure park that features numerous zoological displays and marine animals alongside an amusement park with roller coasters and water park. Universal Orlando, like Walt Disney World, is a multi-faceted resort comprised of Universal Studios Florida, CityWalk, and Islands of Adventure theme park.
Other attractions in the Orlando area includes:
- Arboretum of the University of Central Florida
- Space Coast beaches
- Brevard Zoo
- Central Florida Zoological Park (http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/), located in Sanford on Lake Monroe. This 100 acre (400,000 m²) zoo is home to a butterfly garden, herpetarium, and numerous tropical animals. This zoo originally started as a collection in the Sanford Fire Department, but grew into a regional zoo in 1975. It is currently in the planning stages of expansion and renaming the facility to "Zoo Orlando at Sanford".
- Church Street Station, a multi-level shopping mall and entertainment center that features specialty shops, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars.
- Cirque du Soleil, in Downtown Disney West Side, features its renowned blend of acrobatics and special effects with more than 70 artists from around the globe performing in a custom-designed, 1,671-seat theater.
- Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
- Discovery Cove, part of the SeaWorld Adventure Park complex. This attraction features tropical fish in a coral reef, snorkeling with stingrays, and interacting with birds in an aviary, as well as swimming and playing with dolphins during a half-hour dolphin encounter.
- Gatorland (http://www.gatorland.com) is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles. A few of Gatorland's residents have made wrangling appearances in movies, television shows and commercial spots. The 54-year-old park combines a petting zoo, bird sanctuary, mini-water park, eco-tour and outdoor entertainment, including daily alligator wrestling.
- Hard Rock Live & Hotel is the Hard Rock Café chain's featured location in Orlando. It features a concert venue and large restaurant with typical rock style memorabilia. The Hard Rock Hotel is a featured resort hotel with a California-style restaurant called The Kitchen.
- Jungleland, featuring 300 animals, including a pair of Himalayan bears born in 2002, plus leopards, tigers, lions, gator wrestling and a petting zoo. The seven acre (28,000 m²) zoo also has a nearly mile-long path winding around a natural lagoon with black swans and white ibis.
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is 45 minutes from Orlando and south of Daytona Beach. Visitors can tour launch areas, see giant rockets, "train" in spaceflight simulators, and much more. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is open every day except Christmas and certain launch days. Apart from the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Space Center bus tours run every 15 minutes with stops at an observation gantry and the Apollo / Saturn V Center. Other guided tours include NASA Up Close, Cape Canaveral: Then and Now, and Lunch With An Astronaut. Combo tickets offer maximum access admission, plus one guided tour.
- Old Town features 8 restaurants, 15 amusement park rides and 75 shops along its brick-lined streets. Classic car shows every Friday and Saturday feature hundreds of vintage automobiles. Admission and parking are free.
- Orange County Regional History Center
- Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium is located in a building artfully constructed to appear as if it were collapsing to one side, perhaps a sly reference to central Florida's infamous sinkholes. Explore artifacts, collections, weird art/hobbies and interactive exhibits in 16 odd galleries. For more than 40 years, Robert Ripley traveled the globe collecting the unbelievable, inexplicable, and one-of-a-kind. His collections are housed in 27 museums in 10 countries.
- International Trolley and Train Museum features 14 model railroad trains with sound and lighting traveling through an indoor garden with 12-foot high mountains, waterfalls, and more than 30 trestles and tunnels. Also on display are toy trains from the 1920s to the present. Visitors can catch a ride in a California Victorian Style half open/half closed trolley or the 5/8 replica of an 1880 locomotive (a Mason Bogey) with its passenger cars.
- Orlando Museum of Art, which has ongoing exhibitions of American portraits and landscapes, American impressionist works, and art of the ancient Americas.
- Morse Museum of American Art, which houses a permanent Tiffany collection featuring an impressive array of Tiffany glass, an exhibit on the Tiffany home, and American paintings from the 19th century.
- Cornell Fine Arts Museum, which is situated on the campus of Rollins College, this free museum features significant loans, recent acquisitions, and items from the Cornell's renowned permanent collection.
- Blue Spring State Park, which is the winter home of large numbers of Florida Manatees that come upstream from the St. Johns River to bask in the warm 72°F waters of the springs. Canoeing, swimming and fishing are popular activities at Blue Springs.
- Wekiwa Springs State Park, which comprises around 700 acres (2.8 km²) of wild Florida. The springs pump out 42 million gallons of crystal clear water a day. Popular activities at the park include canoeing, swimming, picnicking and fishing.
- Harry P. Leu Gardens, which is an inner city oasis covering 50 acres (20,000 m²) and features colorful annuals, palms, an orchid house, a floral clock and a butterfly garden.
- World of Orchids, featuring thousands of blooms in an enclosed tropical rainforest. World of Orchids is a working greenhouse shipping orchids and other plants nationwide. A greenhouse covers nearly an acre (4,000 m²), and in this controlled climate of warm, humid air some 1,000 orchids are displayed in a natural jungle setting, with streams, waterfalls, and squawking parrots. World of Orchids also has a 1,000-foot-long boardwalk meandering off into nearby wetlands. Admission is free.
Sports
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Orlando was a stronghold of minor-league ice hockey throughout the 1990's, being home of the Orlando Solar Bears of the now-defunct International Hockey League. Historically successful, they won the Turner Cup championship in 2001 to end the IHL's final season. In 2002, the Atlantic Coast Hockey League formed with Orlando forming one of the charter franchises, the Orlando Seals, which won their Commissioner's Cup in 2003. They moved to the World Hockey Association 2 in 2003, then the Southern Professional Hockey League in 2004. The City of Orlando revoked their lease for the TD Waterhouse Centre, forcing them to sit out the 2004-05 season. They moved to Kissimmee and became the Florida Seals in November 2004.
The Citrus Bowl is the home of the Capital One Bowl (formerly the Florida Citrus Bowl) and the Champs Sports Bowl (formerly the Tangerine Bowl). It also hosts regular-season football games for the University of Central Florida (NCAA Division I-A) and Jones High School, as well as the annual Florida Classic played between the NCAA Division I-AA Football teams from Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman College. It hosted soccer games for the FIFA World Cup '94 and the 1996 Summer Olympics when each were hosted by the United States.
The Orlando Renegades were a USFL team playing at the Citrus Bowl in 1985. They folded with the league in 1986. The Orlando Thunder were a charter team in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. They lost the World Bowl to the Sacramento Surge in 1992. Like all other American teams, it was dropped in the World League reorganization of 1995. The Orlando Rage were a member of the XFL that played at the Citrus Bowl, and only played in 2001. That team has since been revived in the minor-league Southern States Football League (SSFL).
The Orlando Breakers were a fictional NFL football team depicted in the U.S. TV sitcom Coach. The plot device was created in part to reflect the NFL expansion of 1995, when Jacksonville got a team. They played their games in the Citrus Bowl, and the stadium and other Orlando locations were used profusely in the final two seasons of the series.
The Orlando Sundogs were a minor-league soccer team in the A-League that played in the Citrus Bowl. They were disbanded in 1997 after only playing one year.
Tinker Field, named for baseball hall-of-famer Joe Tinker, is an old baseball stadium next to the Citrus Bowl, currently out of use. It was formerly the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins (and the Washington Nationals/Senators before them) and AA Southern League affiliates of the Twins, Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Other
Trivial facts
- ZIP codes for Orlando are in the range from 32801 to 32899.
Famous people
Among the famous people and groups connected to Orlando are:
External links
- City of Orlando (http://www.cityoforlando.net/)
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