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Pine Hills is a census-designated place, an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Orlando. The population was 41,764 at the 2000 census. The area is bounded by Apopka-Vineland Road (west), the city limits of Orlando (east), Clarcona-Ocoee Road (north), and State Road 408 (south).

History

The area that would become Pine Hills began in the early 1950s with the first subdivisions – Robinswood and Pine Ridge Estates – built along the newly constructed Pine Hills Road north of Colonial Drive (SR 50). It was considered one of the first suburbs of Orlando and gradually grew to serve as a bedroom community for the blue-collar workers of Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin). Pine Hills was once an upper-middle class suburb and was complete with a modern shopping mall and country club named "Silver Pines". The shopping mall still stands as the Pine Hills Marketplace, now a strip-mall with an AutoZone and discount stores. The country club was closed and apartment complexes were built on the site in the 1990s.

During the 1980s, an effort was made by the City of Orlando to annex Pine Hills. Some areas of Pine Hills annexed during this time include North Lane west of Pine Hills Road (creating the Rosemont neighborhood), Clarion Drive south of Clarcona-Ocoee Road, and areas of the Signal Hill subdivision. Long-time residents rejected further proposals, fearing larger taxes and little representation. However, as Orlando's growth absorbed Pine Hills, many of the original families moved out of Pine Hills and moved into newer neighborhoods in nearby Ocoee, Winter Garden and MetroWest. As a result, many areas of Pine Hills fell into a state of decline. During the 1990s, much of the housing became low rent and government subsidized resulting in higher crime and little representation from Orange County Commissioners. Many homeowners now embrace the idea of Orlando annexing the remainder of Pine Hills. They argue the potential benefits are better police protection and city beautification services.

As of 2009, Pine Hills residents, growing weary of the perceived high crime and bad reputation, have created community outreach programs by collaborating with the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Orlando Police Department. Local churches in Pine Hills offer after-school and summer programs to deter juvenile crime and many subdivisions have neighborhood watch. These initiatives are helping to establish a strong sense of community in an area otherwise forgotten by the local government. Despite these efforts, the Orlando media habitually labels Pine Hills as a high-crime and dangerous area; even when the crime happens outside of Pine Hills limits. Orlando locals have also labeled Pine Hills with the degrading nickname Crime Hills . This is because Pine Hills has the misfortune of being situated in the vicinity of higher crime areas, such as Carver Shores to the south and Mercy Drive to the east. These areas have long possessed high crime rates which spill into Pine Hills. On the other hand, Pine Hills, in recent years, has had an increase in the number of murders, car jackings and home invasions. The Orlando Sentinel's "Orlando-Area Murder Map" has shown a total of 16 murders in Pine Hills in 2008 out of a total of 123 murders in the Orlando area that year. That is compared with 15 the year before out of 98 murders in the Orlando area.

Despite all this, Pine Hills could arguably be considered the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in Orlando. There is a sizable Caribbean population including Haitians, Jamaicans, and Puerto Ricans. There is also a large Asian population of Vietnamese, Koreans, and Cambodians. Located along Pine Hills Road are many immigration offices, Caribbean & Asian restaurants, and West Indian grocery stores. Pine Hills is also home to Orlando's "Chinatown" on West Colonial Drive. There are Asian-owned grocery stores, restaurants, and retail outlets.

Geography

Pine Hills is located at 28°34′30″N 81°27′26″W  /  28.575°N 81.45722°W  / 28.575; -81.45722 (28.574876, -81.457267).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 20.5 km² (7.9 mi²). 19.9 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (3.03%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 41,764 people, 13,358 households, and 10,031 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,099.6/km² (5,436.7/mi²). There were 14,125 housing units at an average density of 710.1/km² (1,838.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 51.42% African American, 33.93% White, 14.07% Hispanic or Latino, 2.89% Asian, 0.28% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.86% from other races, and 5.57% from two or more races.

There were 13,358 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.53.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,455, and the median income for a family was $34,997. Males had a median income of $25,613 versus $21,099 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,257. About 14.8% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

(from the U.S. Census Bureau)

• 1970 – 13,882
• 1980 – 35,771
• 1990 – 35,322
• 2000 – 41,764
• 2005 – 45,000 (unofficial estimate)
• 2010 – 50,000 (stratigraphic guess)

Economy

The primary industry in Pine Hills is retail. Major companies with a presence in Pine Hills are Target, The Home Depot, Lowe's, Sam's Club, Publix, and Winn-Dixie.

Light industry is located along east Silver Star Road, in Orlando city limits.

Due to its relatively central location, Pine Hills enjoys close proximity to Orlando's burgeoning business and tourism centers. Many residents commute to Downtown Orlando, less than 5 miles (8.0 km) east, the northern suburb of Maitland, or to the International Drive, Universal Orlando Resort, and Walt Disney World Resort tourist attractions to work in the service industry.

Education

Main article: Orange County Public Schools

The elementary schools in Pine Hills are: Hiawassee, Lake Gem, Mollie E. Ray, Pine Hills, Rolling Hills, and Ridgewood Park; while the middle schools are Meadowbrook and Robinswood.

Maynard Evans High School is in Pine Hills with a separate 9th Grade Center 4 miles (6.4 km) away from the main campus along West Silver Star Road. In 2008, the Orange County School Board wanted to build a new campus next to the existing 9th Grade Center on land owned by the school board. Residents from the surrounding neighborhoods and the mayor of Ocoee, a small city one mile west of the center, met this effort with overwhelming negativity. They argued the new campus would bring more traffic and noise; and the new campus would not fit in with the rural character of the area. However, the general consensus appears to be that the arguments stem largely from a fear of Evans students, as the school is predominately African-American. The Orange County Commission rejected the school board's proposal in October 2008. As of 2009, The school board decided to rebuild Evans High School on the existing campus. At an approximate cost of $75 million, it will cost the school board twice more than if a new school were built next to the 9th Grade Center.

Several private schools also have campuses in Pine Hills. The West Campus of Valencia Community College is less than 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Pine Hills.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

West Colonial Drive State Road 50 and State Road 408 are the major thoroughfares in Pine Hills. The secondary highways are Pine Hills Road, which runs north and south and is paralleled by Hiawassee Road to the west. Silver Star Road is the secondary east-west connector to U.S. Route 441 or Orange Blossom Trail.

The northern terminus of State Road 435, also known as Kirkman Road, is in Pine Hills at State Road 50.

Mass transit

LYNX is the public bus transportation system serving Greater Orlando; it has many stops throughout Pine Hills.

Notable natives and residents

• Chucky Atkins – NBA basketball player
• Kenard Lang – NFL Denver Broncos
• Alex Haynes – NFL Baltimore Ravens
• Chris Johnson – NFL Tennessee Titans
• Brandon Siler – NFL San Diego Chargers

Notes and references

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