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Real Estate & Homes in Orlando - Florida - Orlando, Florida homes and communities
Orlando
Orlando Background
With Mickey Mouse in its backyard and its reputation for being America's favorite family vacation spot, it's sometimes hard to remember that nearly 1.9 million people call the Orlando area home. An astounding 42 million passengers deplaned at Orlando International Airport in 2003, nearly three-fourths of them bound for the playgrounds for which this city is famous. On the other hand, except for daily encounters with starry-eyed tourists, Orlando residents do not perceive their city as anything other than one of the great places to live in Florida. Their perceptions are reality; not only do these residents enjoy the healthy climate and easy lifestyle that comes with being a Floridian, they live in a place where they can, in minutes, get to the attractions, dining and entertainment that millions throughout the world only dream of visiting once or twice in a lifetime. As far as the city's livability, the Orlando City Council and Orange County Board of County Commissioners work diligently to control the rampant growth, provide the necessary infrastructure and protect the natural resources of this great area.
Orlando History
Like many Florida cities, the origins of Orlando's “modern” history revolved around a fort constructed to fight the Seminole Indians. Originally known as the town of Jernigan, the community's name was changed to Orlando to honor a heroic soldier, Orlando Reeves, who was killed by an arrow while on sentinel duty. In these early years, the town's economy centered on cattle and cotton. When the Civil War intervened, depriving the farms of the manpower, and when catastrophic rains wiped out crops in 1871, the cotton industry never recovered. After the Civil War, citrus and cattle ruled the land, but the economy was always subject to the vagaries of the weather and fruit flies.
Over the next century, railroading and real estate figured prominently in the economic landscape, and in the late 1950s, the space program at nearby Cape Canaveral was a catalyst for missile production in Orlando. Despite the diversification of the Orlando economy, the city never really flourished in comparison to its sister cities of Miami and Tampa. Who could have predicted the Orlando of today — except, perhaps, for Walt Disney? No one noticed in the 1960s that someone was buying up all the farmland south of Orlando, compiling a small empire. By 1971, Disney opened his Magic Kingdom, thus beginning the meteoric rise of Orlando as one of the top tourist cities in the world. The rest is history.
Orlando Fast Facts
Population: 1,837,400 in Orlando MSA (Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola counties)
Average temperatures: 92.2ºF high in summer, 71.8ºF in winter
Annual rainfall: 50+ inches
Elevation: 127 feet
Household income: $58,701 average, $22,582 per capita
Cost of living: 97.8 on scale of 100 compared with national average
Median home price: $179,000 compared with national median of $183,800
*Information provided by Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, www.orlandoedc.com.
For more information about Orlando visit Orlando Homes Guide.
For more photos from Orlando click here.
Economy
Driving west on Interstate 4 from downtown Orlando, there looms on the horizon an enormous power line structure shaped in the form of a mouse head. This symbol of Orlando's economy says it all. Tourism accounts for an astounding 27.1 percent of all jobs in the Metro Orlando area. More than 40 million U.S. residents visit Orlando annually, along with more than 2 million international tourists. These visitors pump more than $20 million annually into the economy of the area, spending an average of $192 per person daily for in-state visitors and $906 per person for out-of-state visitors.
Orlando is the destination of choice not only for tourists, but also for conventioneers. Convention visitors generate nearly $3 billion in economic impact annually and help to fill the 100,000+ hotel rooms available in the Orlando area. While the tourist industry is the Lion King in the Metro Orlando area, the plentiful labor force; low cost of doing business; and plentiful land, office and warehouse space make Orlando an attractive location for other business sectors. Lockheed Martin is the leading manufacturer in the area and one of the largest employers. More than 55 percent of the total 25+ population has attended college, providing employers with a well-educated pool of workers. As a result, Orlando's unemployment rate is lower than both the national and statewide unemployment rate.
Other businesses with a significant presence in Orlando are Darden Restaurants, Sprint, AT&T, SunTrust, Siemens ICN and Rosen Hotels. These leaders reflect diversity in the economy not readily apparent with such a dominant force as Disney, which employs nearly 53,000 people at its theme parks. Lured by tax and financing incentives, nearly 44,000 business startups were registered in the Orlando MSA in 2003. Florida has no state personal income tax, sales tax on food or medicine, state-level ad valorem tax, inventory tax, or ad valorem tax on goods in transit. Supporting area businesses are an excellent network of roads and railroads, 62 motor freight carriers and the 15th largest airport in the United States based upon total traffic.
*Source of data in this section: 2003 Annual Research Report, Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc., www.orlandoinfo.com.
Neighborhoods
Whether it's one of Orlando's older oak-lined streets, the immaculate new neighborhoods of Disney's Celebration or the friendly planned developments of Lake Mary, there is a neighborhood to appeal to everyone in Orlando, regardless of their lifestyle choice. The old neighborhoods surrounding the downtown and Lake Eola have attracted a professional workforce who loves the old Florida atmosphere and the five-minute drive to work and entertainment. The City of Orlando is embarking on a major redevelopment plan for the downtown, naming the project the “Cultural Corridor.” The vision for this corridor is to develop the downtown as a cultural center with the Performing Arts Center, Florida Center for the Arts and Education and Downtown Arts District as the cornerstones. The corridor will be linked by non-automotive transportation options designed to create a true village feel. Just as popular with the professional crowd is the area in and around Winter Park, just east of downtown Orlando. Upscale shopping and dining and lovely residential neighborhoods can be found in Winter Park, which is also the home of the University of Central Florida.
To the north of downtown are the communities of Sanford and Lake Mary, with their historic downtowns and plentiful golf communities. South of downtown, the Disney empire dominates the area. Disney's homegrown planned community of Celebration is so popular that lots are sold by lottery. The essence of good planning, the streets and sidewalks are pedestrian-friendly and spotless; the stores are bright and colorful; and the entertainment areas are lively and plentiful. For those who prefer a more rural setting, there are pockets of more sparsely populated areas less than 30 minutes from downtown Orlando. Lakes dot the landscape of central Florida, providing waterfront living options for those who enjoy boating and fishing at their back doors.
Activities
Orlando is not just a party town; it is rich with art and cultural options, higher-education institutions, quaint shops and elite department stores. With its well-educated population demanding superior education for its children, top caliber restaurants and entertainment to amuse them, and top quality health care facilities to care for them, Orlando residents promote and enjoy an excellent quality of life. They have the best of all worlds with the warm, year-round climate, easy lifestyle and world-class entertainment and amenities.
Beaches and Lakes
Some of the state's most exciting beaches are within an hour's drive from downtown Orlando. Daytona Beach is practically in Orlando's backyard, and just a little further north is the beautiful high dune beaches of Flagler and St. John's County. Heading west, the popular Gulf beaches of Clearwater and St. Petersburg are 90 miles away. Visitors are often surprised at the amount of recreational water in and around Orlando. Looking at a topographical map of the city is like looking at the surface of Swiss cheese. There are more than 2,000 freshwater lakes in the area, many of which are large enough to support boating, sailing and skiing.
Arts, Culture and Nightlife
Books have been written on the extensive entertainment options available in this area. From alligator wrestling to high tea, from country music to grunge — the range of activities and amusements are so plentiful and diverse, it is impossible to describe them all. There are essentially three distinct areas of entertainment, each with its own personality. With the creation of the Downtown Arts District, the downtown is positioning itself to be the alter-Disney cultural center, with an emphasis on theaters; art galleries; and quality retail, dining and entertainment venues. The Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center is the focal point for activity, with the Wellsbilt African-American Museum and the Orange County Regional History Center rounding out the venues. Downtown, one can enjoy the Orlando Opera Company, Orlando Museum or Art, Orlando Science Center, Southern Ballet Company and Broadway Theater.
To the west of downtown, Winter Park has developed into the more eclectic, chic entertainment and dining center. Small exclusive shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants dot the downtown. The Winter Park Art Festival is a huge attraction, drawing visitors from all over the state to walk through its vendor booths and sample local fare. Of course, the entertainment mecca for this area is Lake Buena Vista and the panoply of dancing, dining, and nightclubs located in and around the Disney kingdom.
Festivals and Events
Every month, Orlando hosts at least two major events that draw visitors from all over the state. In January, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights features 5 million holiday lights at the Disney-MGM Studios. March sees the Bach Festival at Rollins College and the Kissimmee Blue Grass Festival. The International Fringe Festival in April features hundreds of theatrical performances in downtown Orlando. Lake Eola is the scene of a spectacular Fourth of July celebration, and in October, top pro and amateur golfers gather for the Oldsmobile Golf Classic. These are just a few of the dozens of events occurring in and around Orlando during the year.
Attractions
The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Sea World all are located in Orlando. The Cape Canaveral Space Center is less than an hour away. There are dozens of other attractions in this area, many of which grew out of the desire to attract the Disney overflow. These amazing attractions are so extensive and all-consuming that visitors spend weeks never leaving the area hosting these venues. Those who never venture away from Disney miss some of the more interesting attractions and activities Orlando has to offer.
Sports and Recreation
For the amateur sports aficionado, there are dozens of parks and sports complexes in the Orlando area. In addition to the 2,000 lakes where people can fish and boat, there are 3,000 acres of public parks, more than 80 golf courses, and more than 800 indoor and outdoor tennis courts in the area. For professional sports fans, the NBA's Magic make its home in Orlando as do the AA baseball Orlando Rays, the A baseball Kissimmee Cobras and the AFL’s Orlando Predators. Other spectator sports in the area include spring training facilities for the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros, Silver Spurs Rodeo, jai alai, and harness and dog racing. Both the Citrus Bowl and the Tangerine Bowl are played in Orlando.
Where is Orlando?
Written by Margaret Bowles exclusively for HomesParadise.com.
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