Orlando is a distinctive and family-oriented city with a growing population of approximately 213,223. Here is a city with fantastic weather, numerous enticing attractions, and ready access to the oceanside beaches. It also offers excellent job opportunities, good schools and plenty of available housing. Enjoy the unique character of this community with its brick-lined streets, top-notch restaurants, lively theater and festivals. It is all here, to be enjoyed, in Orlando.
Location
Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, located in eastern central Florida. The hub of a 4-county metropolitan area involving Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties, Orlando is the sixth-largest city in Florida, as well as its largest inland city. Orange County is bounded by Volusia County on the northeast, Brevard County on the east, Osceola County on the south, Polk County on the southwest, Seminole County on the north, and Lake County on the west.
Geography/Terrain
Sitting at an average elevation of 106 feet, Orlando encompasses 93.5 square miles of land and 7.5 square miles of water. The Orlando area has over 100 lakes, including Lake Apopka, Eustis, Griffin, Harney, Harris, Jesup, Monroe, Sand Lake, Conway, and Tohopekaliga. The local terrain is mostly low-lying, with the exception of minor sand hills found primarily in the western sections of the metropolitan area. Approximately an hour’s drive east is the Atlantic Ocean and a little over an hour west is the Gulf of Mexico.
Distance to 3 closest major cities
Tampa, FL is 77 miles southwest of Orlando, while Miami, FL is 204 miles south and Jacksonville, FL is 125 miles north.
Jobs
Orlando is a successful business hub with a growing and strengthening employment base. As the city is rated one of the top vacation destinations in the world, tourism is a major contributor to the area’s economy. The convention industry and manufacturing are additional important employment sectors, as well as computer firms, and the film, television, and electronic gaming industries. Major employers in Orlando are: Walt Disney World, Adventist Health System, Publix, Universal Orlando, Orlando Regional Healthcare System, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, and McDonalds. Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services provide 20.2% of the employment in the area: educational, health and social services provide14.0%, professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services provide12.7%, and retail trade provides11.2%.
The unemployment rate in Greater Orlando is a low 3.1%, and the average time taken to commute to work is 25 minutes. The median household income for Orlando residents is $45,569.
Housing
There is a wide range of homes available in Orlando to accommodate all tastes. Here you can find newly built residences, apartments, or renovated historic homes, many with scenic garden or golf course views. The recently developed concept of Condo-Tels (resort hotel style condominiums that are owned year-round) is extremely popular in Orlando, and there is a major development of high-rise condos in the downtown area.
In fact, the city has the largest number of apartments converted into condominiums in the entire nation. Orlando has seen a great deal of redevelopment, and is the eighth largest housing market in the U.S. The number of homes available has significantly increased, encouraging a strong buyer’s market.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Beautiful parks and natural lands abound in Orlando. More than 102 parks are located throughout the city, many with exercise courses, bike paths and playgrounds. Some of the better-known parks include: Lake Eola Park, Loch Haven Park, Turkey Lake Park, and Harry P. Leu Gardens. Bordering Lake Rowena, Leu Gardens is a 50-acre park, which has the largest camellia collection in the U. S. It also has a tropical stream garden, a rose garden, and a butterfly and herb garden.
The Recreation Department of Orlando offers excellent programs and facilities for all ages in such activities as: baseball, racquetball, basketball, softball, flag football, volleyball, cheerleading, tackle football and track. There are 17 recreation centers, 10 pools, 67 athletic fields, 15 tennis courts, two tracks, and four racquetball courts. Orlando is also home to the Orlando Skateboard Park and the Orlando Tennis Centre.
For bikers, the city has an extensive network of bikeway facilities. Other activities include horseback riding along scenic trails, canoeing or kayaking on any of the many waterways; gliding over the Everglades on an airboat; or taking a sea excursion off the coast. The city is located just 45 minutes from the beach. The truly adventurous can enjoy auto racing, hot-air ballooning, scuba diving, water skiing, or flying a glider or classic aircraft.
The number of first-class golf courses in Orlando is seemingly limitless. There are approximately 7 resorts, 11 public courses, 5 private courses and 7 semi-private courses in the area. The Bay Hill Club and Lodge encompass 270 acres of land along the shores of the Butler Chain of Lakes. Over the years it has received some of the highest ratings, including: "Silver Medal Resort”, "Best in State", “America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses”, “America's 100 Best Modern Courses", and "Top 10 PGA Courses You Can Play." The Grand Cypress Resort, with its four Jack Nicklaus-designed courses, is rated a "Gold Medal Resort". Some of its additional merits have included: "Best in State", “Best Public Course”, "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S.", and "Top 75 Resort Courses." Hunter’s Creek Golf Course has been rated among the top seventy-five best public courses in the country, and is the longest course in the State. Meadow Woods Golf Club is considered to be one of the best semi-private courses in the city, and the Dubsdread Golf Course, designed is 1923, is the oldest public layout in the area.
Special Attractions/Events
With its celebrated theme parks, outstanding museums, first-class entertainment and chartbusting rides and attractions, Orlando draws approximately 52 million tourists every year. The renowned Orlando tourist attractions include Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld, Universal Orlando Resort, Cypress Gardens, Discovery Cove and Gatorland "the Alligator capital of the world". SeaWorld Orlando features zoological displays and marine animals as well as an amusement park with roller coasters and a water park.
Orlando has no shortage of art, museums, music, theatre and other cultural events. The Orlando Film Festival is one of the biggest in the nation located outside of California. In the spring, the city hosts the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Outstanding performances can be enjoyed at The Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, The Orlando Repertory Theatre, The Mad Cow Theatre, Theatre Downtown, and The Osceola Center for the Arts, Winter Park Playhouse, Theatre Winter Haven, or Seaside Music Theatre.
Do not miss the Orlando Centroplex, which has the TD Waterhouse Centre, the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, the Expo Centre and the Florida Citrus Bowl. Orlando is home to the world’s most complete collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. The Orlando Museum of Art has extensive collections and touring exhibitions. Adults and children will enjoy the Orlando Science Center, with its hands-on exhibits, or the Central Florida Fair, held in March. Orlando also boasts the second largest university in the State; the University of Central Florida.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
The city was named after Orlando Reeves, a soldier who was killed in the area by Indians. It was settled after the Seminole Wars, and flourished after the arrival of the railroad in 1880.
For historical interest, the nearby city of Eatonville is the nation’s oldest incorporated African-American municipality, and provides walking tours. .In Orlando, you can visit the Wells’Built Museum of African-American History, which was previously a hotel often visited by Duke Ellington and Ray Charles. The Historic Waterhouse Residence and Carpentry Shop Museum, built in 1884 and the Withers-Maguire House and Museum, built in 1888 are examples of attractive late-Victorian architecture. The Orange County Regional History Center has interactive exhibits explaining the area’s rich history.
Orlando is a leader in medical care and research, primarily at Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional Medical Center. Florida Hospital has been recognized as one of America's top hospitals for many consecutive years.
The city's nickname is "The City Beautiful", and its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola.
Comedian Wayne Brady, actor Wesley Snipes, and football player Pete Pihos are all from Orlando. The city was the filming location for the 1998 movie, "The Waterboy", the 1991 movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes", and the 1992 movie, "Lethal Weapon 3."
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