Besides being known as the popular vacation spot it’s become today, visitors to Orlando might be surprised to learn that the city also has a rich, intriguing history. Some historians date the founding of the city’s namesake back to 1836, when a soldier named Orlando Reeves supposedly died in the area in the war against the Seminole Indian tribe. Other sources speculate that Reeves operated a sugar mill and plantation near modern-day Orlando and that settlers found his name on a tree and, assuming it to be a grave, called the early town “Orlando’s Grave,” before eventually settling on the less somber Orlando.
The town’s first permanent settler was Aaron Jernigan, a cattleman who acquired land along Lake Holden thanks to the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. Most settlers, however, wouldn’t arrive until the Third Seminole War of the 1850s. When they did, the preferred way of life was cattle ranching. While the city remained a rural backwater throughout the Civil War, and suffered a great deal under the Federal Blockade, the Reconstruction Era brought an enormous population boost. The city was formally incorporated in 1875.
It was between the Spanish-American War and World War I that Orlando was transformed into a popular resort town. Then, in 1965, Walt Disney announced plans to build a theme park in Orlando, thus transforming the city’s economy – and future – forever. (Miami and Tampa had been considered, but Disney feared the park would be destroyed by hurricanes, and thus decided Orlando would be a safer choice.) The Park opened to critical acclaim in 1971, bringing with it yet another major population boom. The city’s chief economy became the tourism trade, and today Orlando is consistently ranked as one of the top vacation spots in the United States.
Florida’s sixth-largest city boasts a population of about 205, 700 (with nearly 1.8 million in the metropolitan area), and is temporarily home to an estimated 52 million tourists a year. In addition to the Walt Disney World Resort, area attractions include SeaWorld, Universal Orlando Resort, Gatorland, Kennedy Space Center, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, the Orlando Museum of Art, Wekiwa Springs State Park, World of Orchids, Cirque de Soleil, and the world’s largest McDonald’s.
In short, Orlando has something to offer everyone, young and old alike, making it an ideal spot for your next vacation.
