ABOUT ORLANDO FLORIDA
The city of Orlando, Florida is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city population of Orlando, Florida was 185,951 (metropolitan area 1,644,561). A 2004 U.S. Census Estimates population count gave the city population was 205,648 (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-West Palm Beach and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. Additionally, Orlando, Florida is home to the second largest university in Florida, the University of Central Florida.The city of Orlando, Florida is well 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 in Orlando, Florida include SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort. Despite being far from the main tourist attractions, downtown Orlando, Florida has recently seen much redevelopment, with many more projects currently under construction or planned. One of the oldest attractions in this area is Gatorland. Orlando, Florida sees an estimated 52 million tourists a year. Orlando, Florida is the 2nd largest city in the country for number of hotel rooms.
The city's nickname is "The City Beautiful", though plans are underway to change this title through a local contest. Its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola. The current mayor of Orlando, Florida is Buddy Dyer.
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ORLANDO FLORIDA 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 30 miles (50 km) 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. Most of the early residents made their living by cattle ranching.
Orlando remained a rural backwater during the American Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Federal Blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought a population explosion, which 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 1894-1895 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.
Orlando, as Florida's largest inland city, became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish-American War and World War I. During World War II, a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Pine Castle AAF. 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 1958, Pine Castle AAF was renamed McCoy Air Force Base after Colonel Michael N.W. McCoy.
Orlando, Florida 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 Orlando, Florida's proximity to the "Space Coast" near the Kennedy Space Center, many high-tech companies have shifted to the Orlando area.
Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando's economy occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World. Although Disney had considered the cities of Miami and Tampa for his park, one of the major reasons behind his decision not to locate in those cities was the threat of hurricanes. 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 area's economy and Orlando, Florida is consistently ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world.
Another major factor in Orlando's growth occurred in 1970, when the new Orlando International Airport was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base. Four airlines began providing scheduled flights in 1970. The military base officially closed in 1974, and most of it is now part of the airport. The airport still retains the former Air Force Base airport code (MCO). It is considered a world-class facility, and it is one of the most heavily travelled airports in the world.
In addition to McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida also had a naval presence with the establishment of the Orlando Naval Training Center in 1968. Providing training to recruits as well as being a base for selected post basic training programs, the base had a prominent presence in the area. In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission ordered that the base be closed. The base continued in a diminished capacity until the base closed for good with the last graduates of the base's Naval Nuclear Power School leaving in December of 1998. The former base has been developed into tracts for upscale housing called Baldwin Park.
In the hurricane season of 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne battered the Orlando, Florida area, causing widespread damage and flooding and impeding tourism to the area.
ORLANDO FLORIDA CULTURE
Like fellow Florida cities Miami and Tampa, Orlando, Florida has a large and increasing number of Hispanic residents living in the city. Orlando is home to one of the nation's largest and rapidly-growing Puerto Rican communities (particulary its metropolitan area). This is reflected by the abundance of Hispanic-themed restaurants and radio stations. Spanish-language music, such as reggaeton, is common on Orlando radio stations. The Orlando Magic basketball team is the only team in the NBA to have a Latin Night, which is geared towards the Hispanic population in the area. Throughout the city, many Puerto Rican flags can be found on or near buildings, including car dealerships. The city's local newspaper, The Orlando Sentinel, publishes a weekly all-Spanish newspaper called El Sentinel.Orlando has an equally large African-American population. The city is located within six miles of Eatonville, Florida, the first all-black town to be incorporated in the United States.
Orlando is also becoming popular with Russian immigrants seeking careers or relocating their families to warmer climates. The growth rate of Russians in Central Florida is second only to the rising Hispanic population. The Russian community, made up of several countries of the former Soviet Union, has the Russian language as their common bond. Community and cultural groups are growing in popularity as is the number of Russian-American marriages.
ORLANDO FLORIDA AREA ATTRACTIONS
The Orlando, Florida 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, CityWalk, and the Islands of Adventure theme park.RESOURCES:
1. Orlando, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved on June 27, 2006.