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The story
History
Settlement
In 1823, the Treaty of Moultrie Creek created a Seminole reservation encompassing much of central Florida, including the area that would become Orlando. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 authorized relocation of the Seminole from Florida to Oklahoma, and along with the enforcement of the Treaty of Payne's Landing led to the Second Seminole War. In 1842, white settlement in the area was encouraged by the Armed Occupation Act. The first settler, Aaron Jernigan of Camden County, Georgia, arrived the following year and settled near Lake Holden.
Mosquito County was renamed Orange County in 1845, with the county seat shortly thereafter relocated to Mellonville, a few miles west of Sanford. By 1856, settlement had begun in earnest in the interior of the county and a more centrally located Courthouse was sought. The new town of Orlando, laid out in 1857, consisted of four streets surrounding a courthouse square. The fledgling village suffered greatly during the Union blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought on a population explosion, resulting in the incorporation of the Town of Orlando on July 31, 1875, with 85 residents (22 voters). For a short time in 1879, the town revoked its charter, and was subsequently reincorporated. Orlando was established 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. The period ended with the Great Freeze of 1894–95, which forced many owners to give up their independent citrus groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons", who shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County. The freeze caused many in Florida, including many Orlandoans, to move elsewhere, mostly to the North, California, or the Caribbean.
Notable homesteaders in the area included the Curry family. Through their property in east Orlando flowed the Econlockhatchee River, which travelers crossed by fording. This was commemorated by the street's name, Curry Ford Road. Also, just south of the Orlando International Airport in the Boggy Creek area are 150 acres (0.61 km2) of property homesteaded in the late 19th century by the Ward family. This property is still owned by the Ward family, and can be seen from southbound flights out of Orlando International Airport immediately on the south side of SR 417.
Post-Industrial Revolution
Orlando became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish–American War and World War I. Orlando later experienced extensive housing development during the 1920s Florida land boom, causing land prices to soar. During this period, dozens of neighborhoods in the vicinity of downtown were constructed. The boom ended when several hurricanes hit Florida in the late 1920s, 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 and 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, operating B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, in addition to detachment operations by EC-121 and U-2 aircraft.
In 1968, Orlando AFB was transferred to the United States Navy and became Naval Training Center Orlando. In addition to boot camp facilities, the NTC Orlando was home of one of two Navy Nuclear Power Schools, and home of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. When McCoy AFB closed in 1976, its runways and territory to its south and east were transferred to the city to become Orlando International Airport, while a small portion to the northwest was transferred to the Navy as McCoy NTC Annex. That closed in 1995, and became a housing, though the former McCoy AFB still hosts a Navy Exchange, as well as national guard and reserve units for several branches of service. NTC Orlando was completely closed by the end of 1999 by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, and converted into the Baldwin Park neighborhood. The Naval Air Warfare Center had moved to Central Florida Research Park near UCF in 1989.
Tourism in history
A 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).
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Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando's economy, though, 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 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 now has more theme parks and entertainment attractions than anywhere else in the world.
21st century
Today, the historic core of "Old Orlando" resides in downtown Orlando along Church Street, between Orange Avenue and Garland Avenue.
The urban development and the central business district of downtown have rapidly shaped the downtown skyline during recent history. The present-day historic district is primarily associated with the neighborhoods around Lake Eola but stretches west across the city to Lake Lorna Doone and north into the College Park Neighborhood where you can find century-old oaks line brick streets. These neighborhoods include the "Downtown Business District", "North Quarter", "Parramore," "Callahan", "South Eola Heights, "Lake Eola Heights", "Thornton Park" and "College Park", and contain some of the oldest homes in Orlando.
2016 mass shooting
On June 12, 2016, more than 100 people were shot at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. Fifty (including the gunman) were killed and 60 were wounded. The gunman, whom the police SWAT team shot to death, was identified as 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, an American security guard. The act of terrorism was both the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history at the time and one of the deadliest mass shootings perpetrated by a single person in recorded world history. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during his unsuccessful negotiations with police. After the shooting, the city held numerous vigils.
The club's owner founded the onePULSE Foundation, which unvieled an interim memorial in May 2018, but then faced financial challenges and organizational difficulties. The City of Orlando purchased the property in October 2023, and as of 2025, is advancing plans for a Pulse Memorial to be completed in late 2027.
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 307,573 people, 113,238 households, and 61,667 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 238,300 people, 97,661 households, and 51,716 families residing in the city.
In 2014, 12.0% of city residents were under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 36.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
Orlando not only has the largest population of Puerto Ricans in Florida, but it is also home to the fastest-growing Puerto Rican community on the mainland US. Between 1980 and 2010, the overall Latino/Hispanic population in Orlando increased from 4.1 to 25.4%. In addition to Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Colombians also have a large presence in the city. Orlando also has a large and growing Brazilian population, and is a popular travel destination for many Brazilians. There are Brazilian restaurants and shops located on International Drive and, in addition to Spanish and English, Portuguese-language signs and information can be found throughout Orlando International Airport.
A large non-hispanic Caribbean population is also present, especially Haitians and Jamaicans, but also Bahamians, Guyanese—of both Indian and African descent—and Trinidadians. Orlando has a considerable Muslim population, and an active Jewish community as well.
Orlando has a large LGBTQ+ population and is historically recognized as one of the most accepting and tolerant cities in the Southeast. As of 2015, around 4.1% of Orlando's population identify as LGBTQ+, making Orlando the city with the 20th-highest percentage of LGBTQ+ residents in the country. The city is host to Gay Days every June (a Pride Month event at Walt Disney World), holds a huge Pride festival and parade every October (since 2005), and is home to Florida's first openly gay City Commissioner, Patty Sheehan.
According to the National Immigration Forum, the majority of Orlando's foreign-born population are from Latin America (64.1%): Mexico (35,357), Colombia (30,967), Haiti (29,464); Asia (17.3%): Philippines (13,267), India (12,610), Vietnam (11,407); Europe (12.4%): United Kingdom (14,395), Germany (8,358), Italy (3,302) and Africa (3.0%): Morocco (2,846), Egypt (1,306), South Africa (1,295).
From Wikipedia’s article on Orlando, Florida, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5