city-of-Orlando-Florida

It is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan region.

The Orlando metropolitan area has a population of 2,082,628 and it is the 27th largest metropolitan area in the United States The city-proper population is 230,519 making Orlando the 82nd largest city in the United States.

It is Florida's third largest metropolitan area and it's fifth largest city by population.

Orlando was incorporated on July 31, 1875, and became a city in 1885.

Originally the center of a major citrus growing region, Orlando is a city now heavily urbanized with various industries.

The area is a major tourist destination and is the home of Universal Orlando Resort

and Sea World Orlando.

Lake Buena Vista Florida.

located 21 miles southwest of downtown Orlando is the home of Walt Disney World

Third most visited American city

These attractions form the backbone of Orlando's tourism industry, making the city the third most visited American city in 2007.

Like other major cities in the Sun Belt, Orlando grew rapidly during the 1980's and well into the 2000's.

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 and is one category away from becoming a Gamma world city.

According to Loughborough, Orlando now ranks alongside other cities such as Osaka Glasgow and Baltimore

Pre-European history

Before European settlers arrived in 1836, Orlando was sparsely populated by the Creek and other Native American tribes.

There are very few archaeological sites in the area today, except for the ruins of Fort Gatlin along the shores of modern-day Lake Gatlin south of downtown Orlando.

There are also some instances where construction projects will yield an arrowhead or musket bullet unearthed during excavation.

Orlando was known as Jernigan

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 originated from a soldier named Orlando Reeves who died in the area during the Second Seminole War.

There are conflicting legends, however, as 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's grave" and later simply Orlando. According to written evidence, Orlando Acosta was also a soldier, but most details of his life are 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.

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Orlando Florida's famous International-Drive

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