Orlando is a major city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan region. The Greater Orlando metropolitan area has a population of 2,054,574 while the city-proper population is 230,519 (July 2008 estimate). It is the fifth largest city in Florida by population. It was incorporated on July 31, 1875, and became a city in 1885.
Originally the center of a major citrus-growing region, Orlando is now an urban city with various industries. The area is a major tourist destination and is the home of the Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld. Orlando is also about 21 miles Northeast of Lake Buena Vista, Florida, home of the Walt Disney World Resort. These attractions helped make Orlando the third most visited American city among travelers in the year 2007. Since the establishment of destination tourism in the 1970s, the local economy has diversified, and today the region is the center of operations for companies servicing Central Florida. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, the largest university campus by student enrollment in the state of Florida and among the largest in the United States.
In 2008, Orlando was listed as a "high sufficiency" world-city in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University
History
Pre-European history
Before European settlers arrived in the area in 1836, Orlando was sparsely populated by the Creek and Apache Native American tribes. However, very little, if any, archaeological sites exist today.
Namesakes
Prior to being known by its current name, Orlando was known as Jernigan. This originates from the first permanent settler, Aaron Jernigan, a cattleman who acquired land along Lake Holden by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842.
Local legend says the name "Orlando" was derived when a soldier named Orlando Reeves died in the area during the Second Seminole War. 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. Pioneer settlers simply found his name carved into a tree as Orlando Acosta and assumed it was a marker for his grave site. They then referred to the area as "Orlando Acosta's grave" and later simply Orlando. According to written evidence, Orlando Acosta was also a soldier, but most details of his life is uncertain. A memorial beside Lake Eola designates the spot where the city's namesake fell. Another popular local legend says the city was named after one of the main characters in the Shakespeare play As You Like It. One of the main streets in downtown Orlando is named Rosalind Avenue, after Rosalind, the heroine of the play.
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.
Most pioneers did not arrive until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. Many early residents made their living by cattle ranching.
Incorporation
After Mosquito County was divided in 1845, Orlando became the county seat of the new Orange County in 1856. It remained a rural backwater during the Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Union blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought on a population explosion, which led to Orlando's incorporation as a town on July 31, 1875, and as a city in 1885.
The period from 1875 to 1895 is remembered as Orlando's Golden Era, when it became the hub of Florida's citrus industry. But the Great Freeze of 1894–95 forced many owners to give up their independent groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons" who shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County.
There were a couple of notable homesteaders in the area, including the Curry family. Through their property in east Orlando flowed the Econlockhatchee River, which travelers crossed by fording. This would be commemorated by the street's name, Curry Ford Road. Also, just south of the airport in the Boggy Creek area was 150 acres (0.61 km 2 ) of property homesteaded in the late 1800s by the Ward family. This property is still owned by the Ward family, and can be seen from flights out of MCO southbound immediately on the south side of SR-417.
After Industrial Revolution
Orlando, as Florida's largest inland city, became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish-American War and World War I. In the 1920s, Orlando experienced extensive housing development during the Florida Land Boom. Land prices soared. During this period several neighborhoods in downtown were constructed, endowing it with many bungalows. The boom ended when several hurricanes hit Florida in the late 20s, along with the Great Depression.
During World War II, a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Orlando Army Air Base and nearby Pinecastle Army Air Field. 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 the city. Orlando AAB and Pinecastle AAF were transferred to the United States Air Force in 1947 when it became a separate service and were redesignated as Air Force Bases (AFB). In 1958, Pinecastle AFB was renamed McCoy Air Force Base after Colonel Michael N.W. McCoy, a former commander of the 320th Bombardment Wing at the installation, killed in the crash of a B-47 Stratojet bomber north of Orlando. In the 1960s, the base subsequently became home to the 306th Bombardment Wing of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), operating B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, in addition to detachment operations by EC-121 and U-2 aircraft.
Tourism in history
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 regions of Miami and Tampa for his park, one of the major reasons behind his decision not to locate there was due to hurricanes— Orlando's inland location, although not free from hurricane damage, exposed it to less threat than coastal regions. 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. Orlando is consistently ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world, and now boasts more theme parks and entertainment attractions than anywhere else in the world.
Another major factor in Orlando's growth occurred in 1962, when the new Orlando Jetport, the precursor of the present day Orlando International Airport, was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base. By 1970, four major airlines (Delta Air Lines, National Airlines, Eastern Airlines and Southern Airways) were providing scheduled flights. McCoy Air Force Base officially closed in 1975, and most of it is now part of the airport. The airport still retains the former Air Force Base airport code (MCO).
Geography and cityscape
The Geography of Orlando is mostly wetlands, consisting of many lakes and swamps. The terrain is generally flat, making the land fairly low and wet. The largest lake in Orlando, Lake Apopka, is larger than the Walt Disney World Resort.
Skyscrapers
As of 2010, Metro Orlando has a total of 71 completed skyscrapers. The majority are located in downtown Orlando and a sizable amount are located in the tourist district southwest of the city. Skyscrapers built in downtown Orlando have not exceeded 441 ft (134 m), the height of Suntrust Center, Orlando's tallest tower, since 1988. There has never been an "official" reason why, but local architects speculate restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration, as the Orlando Executive Airport is located 4 miles east of downtown Orlando.
- The SunTrust Center, 1988, 441 ft (134 m)
- The VUE at Lake Eola, 2008, 426 ft (130 m) tall, but with 35 stories it has more stories than the SunTrust Center.
- The Orange County Courthouse, 1997, 416 ft (127 m).
- The Bank of America Center (Formerly Barnett Plaza), built in 1988, 409 ft (125 m)
- 55 West on the Esplanade, 2009, 377 ft (115 m)
- Solaire at the Plaza, 2006, 359 ft (109 m)
- Dynetech Center, 2009, 357 ft (109 m)
Outside downtown Orlando, the Orlando International Airport ATC T
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