About
Orlando, FL
Orlando Overview
The city of Orlando is located in Brevard County and Orange Counties, Florida. Orlando has a population of 321,427 people as of 2022. It is also the seat of Orange County. The current growth rate is 2.20% per year, and its population has decreased by over 6,000 since the most recent census, which recorded a number of 307,573 in 2020.
The typical household salary is $75,669, with a poverty rate of 16.07 percent. The monthly rental costs in recent years were $1,253 per month on average, while the median house value was $262,500. In Orlando, the median age is 33.8 years old for males and 34.3 years old for females.
Orlando, Florida is known as “The City Beautiful” and “The Theme Park Capital of the World.” The city gets more than 51 million tourists every year, including almost 4 million from outside the U.S. Orlando is home to tourist attractions such as Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, Gatorland and Wet ‘n Wild Water Park.
The city is the 32nd most populous in the US, with 1.5 million people, while the Greater Orlando metropolitan area has a population of 2.13 million, which is the 26th largest in the country, sixth largest in the Southeastern United States and third greatest in Florida. Orlando is Florida’s biggest coastal metropolis and fifth biggest city.
People
People of Orlando
Orlando Diversity
The city has the largest Puerto Rican population and fastest-growing community in Florida with a cultural impact similar to that of Cuban Americans in South Florida. The Hispanic population of the city has increased exponentially in recent decades, growing from 4%in 1980 to 25% by 2010. There is also a sizable Caribbean and West Indian presence in Orlando, composed of many Tobagonians, Trinidadians, Jamaicans and Haitians.
Orlando Population Growth
In two years, Orlando grew by almost 7,000 people between 2010 and 2012, putting it second in Florida. Miami was the most rapid in growth (15,000). In 2014, Orlando is the second-fastest growing metropolitan region in the United States, losing to Austin but topping out over Raleigh, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.
Orlando Facts
- In 2009, the city was ranked the 4th most popular U.S. city to live in based on a study.
- Orlando’s Wet ‘n Wild water park is the first of its kind and it remains open throughout the entire year.
- If you took all of the land from Manhattan and San Francisco,you could still fit Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort inside it.
- If you ate at a different restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and supper every day for five years in the city, you’d visit them all.
- Orlando has the second highest number of hotel rooms in the United States, following only Las Vegas.
Great People. Amazing Tours. Beautiful Orlando.
Orlando Attractions
Every year, over 52 million people visit Orlando to Walt Disney World- the most visited vacation resort in the world. The property spans 66 miles and houses four theme parks, 24 themed hotels, two water parks, and four golf courses.
The Universal Orlando Resort is the biggest resort owned by Universal Parks & Resorts, consisting of two theme parks: Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Wet ‘n Wild Water Park was recently added to the list of attractions at Universal Orlando Resort, which was founded in 1998 as Wet ‘n Wild Water Park.
SeaWorld is home to majestic creatures of the sea like orcas, dolphins and sea lions. They were also the first to successfully birth a killer whale in captivity as well as hatch green sea turtles.
Orlando's roots
Orlando History
Before European explorers arrived in 1536, the region was sparsely inhabited by Native Americans. The name Orlando is thought to have come from a soldier named Orlando Reeves who died in 1835, supposedly after being wounded during the Second Seminole War, although there are numerous stories about how the city got its name and no military records of Orlando Reeves exist.
The Second Seminole War lasted from 1835 to 1842 and was sparked by disputes between Native Americans and early American settlers over slavery and livestock. The natives departed, leaving pioneers to establish a town around Fort Gatlin, which was built south of present-day Orlando city limits in 1838 to protect settlers from Indian assaults. Aaron Jernigan, the first permanent settler, sold his property to a squatters’ meeting in 1841. A hamlet was subsequently established around the fort and named Jernigan in his honor.
During the American Civil War, Orlando remained a rural community. After the Reconstruction Era, when there was a rise in population, the city was incorporated in 1875. Orlando’s Gilded Age (1875 to 1895) was made possible by its position as the center of Florida’s important citrus industry, but a severe freeze relocated operations south. During World War I and World War II, Orlando became one of America’s top vacation destinations.
In 1965, Walt Disney announced his plan to build Walt Disney World in Orlando, making the city famous. He rejected Tampa and Miami in favor of avoiding hurricanes, and the world-famous resort opened in 1971, spiking economic growth and population in Orlando. The tourism sector is still an important element of the region’s economy.the
Orlando Demographics
According to the most recent ACS, the cities demographics are as follows:
White
57.42%
Black or African American:
24.20%
Two or more races
8.06%
Other race
5.52%
Asian
4.65%
Native American
0.14%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
0.02%