Orlando

Orlando is busy year-round due to its theme parks and consistently warm, sunny weather. Peak season is during U.S. spring break weeks (Mar–Apr). Other especially popular times are Jun–Aug and Nov–Dec. Summers can be quite hot and humid. Along with the Florida Film Festival (Apr), Epcot’s annual flower festival (Mar–May) and food festival (Sep–Nov) attract visitors.

History

The Orlando area was once known as Fort Gatlin, established at what is now just south of the city limits by the 4th U.S. Artillery on November 9, 1838 during the construction of a series of fortified encampments across Florida during the Second Seminole War. The site of construction for Fort Gatlin, a defensible position with fresh water between three small lakes, was likely chosen because the location. When the U.S. military abandoned the fort in 1839 the surrounding community was built up by settlers.

Orlando was once known as Jernigan. This name originates from the first permanent settlers, Issac and Aaron Jernigan, cattlemen who acquired land two miles northwest of Fort Gatlin in July 1843. Purchasing 1,200 acres and moving some 700 head of cattle down from Tallahassee area. By the terms of the Armed Occupation Act. Aarron Jernigan became Orange County’s first State Representative in 1845. Fort Gatlin was briefly reoccupied by the military during October and November 1849 and subsequently a volunteer militia was left to defend the settlement. A historical marker indicates that by 1850 the Jernigan homestead served as the nucleus of a village named Jernigan.

A Post Office opened at Jernigan in 1850. Jernigan appears on an 1855 map of Florida and by 1856 the area had become the county seat of Orange County. In 1857, the Post Office was removed from Jernigan, and opened under the name of Orlando at a new location in present-day downtown Orlando. During the American Civil War, the Post Office closed, but reopened in 1866. Aaron Jernigan’s fall from grace after he was relieved of his militia command by military officials in 1856. His behavior was so notorious that Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wrote, “It is said they [Jernigan’s militia] are more dreadful than the Indians.” In 1859, Jernigan and his sons were accused of committing a murder at the towns post office. They were then transported to Ocala but escaped. He died in 1891

There are at least five stories as to how Orlando got its name. The most common stories are that the name Orlando originated from the tale of a man who died in 1835 during a attack by Native Americans in the area during the Second Seminole War. Several of the stories relay an oral history of the marker for a person named Orlando, and the double entendre, “Here lies Orlando.” One variant includes a man named Orlando who was passing by on his way to Tampa with a herd of ox, died, and was buried in a marked grave. At a meeting in 1857, debate had grown concerning the name of the town. Pioneer William B. Hull recalled how James Speer (a local resident, and prominent figure in the stories behind the naming of Orlando) rose in the heat of the argument and said, “This place is often spoken of as ‘Orlando’s Grave.’ Let’s drop the word ‘grave’ and let the county seat be Orlando.” Through a retelling of history, it is believed that a marker of some sort was indeed found by one of the original pioneers. However, others claim Speer simply used the Orlando Reeves legend to help push his plan for naming the settlement after the Shakespearean character.

Before European settlers arrived in 1536, Orlando was sparsely populated by the Seminole tribe. There are very few archaeological sites in the area today, except for the former site of Fort Gatlin along the shores of modern-day Lake Gatlin south of downtown Orlando.

After Mosquito County was divided in 1845, Fort Gatlin became the county seat of the new Orange County in 1856. The incorporation of the Town of Orlando was on July 31, 1875 with 85 residents. In 1879 the city revoked its charter, and re-incorporated. 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. But the Great Freeze of 1894–95 forced many owners to give up their independent groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few “citrus barons” who shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County.

Orlando became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish–American War and World War I. In the 1920s, Orlando experienced extensive housing development during the Florida Land Boom. 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 re-designated as air force bases (AFB). In 1958, Pinecastle AFB was renamed McCoy Air Force Base. In the 1960s, McCoy AFB closed in 1975.

In 1968, Orlando AFB was transferred to the United States Navy and became Naval Training Center Orlando. In addition to boot camp facilities, 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 1975, its runways and territory to its south and east were imparted 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 1996, and became 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 closed in 1993 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 1988.

Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando’s economy 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.

Another 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 were providing scheduled flights.

The historic core of “Old Orlando” resides in Downtown Orlando along Church Street, between Orange Avenue and Garland Avenue. 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 where century-old oaks line brick streets. These neighborhoods, known as “Lake Eola Heights” and “Thornton Park”, contain some of the oldest homes in Orlando.

Metro Orlando has a total of 19 completed skyscrapers. The majority are located in Downtown Orlando and the rest are located in the tourist district southwest of downtown.

The geography of Orlando is mostly wetlands, consisting of many lakes and swamps. The terrain is generally flat. The area is dotted with hundreds of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Apopka. Central Florida’s bedrock is mostly limestone and very porous; the Orlando area is susceptible to sinkholes.

There are 115 neighborhoods within the city limits and many unincorporated communities. Orlando’s city limits resemble a checkerboard, with pockets of unincorporated Orange County surrounded by city limits.