facebook
2/15/2025 8:56:02 PM
Breaking News

Orlando

Orlando, Florida 

Orlando, a city in the U.S. state of Florida, serves as Orange County's County seat. It is the hub of the Orlando metropolitan area, which is located in Central Florida. According to U.S. Census Bureau data published in July 2017, the Orlando metropolitan area had a population of 2,509,831, making it the 23rd-largest in the country, the sixth-largest in the South, and the third-largest in Florida, after Miami and Tampa. Orlando ranked as the 67th-biggest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the largest inland city in the state in the 2020 census with a population of 307,573. 

Orlando is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, drawing more than 75 million visitors in 2018. This is largely attributable to tourism, major events, and convention traffic. Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the 29th busiest airport in the world and the 13th busiest airport in the United States. The Walt Disney World Resort, which the Walt Disney Company opened in 1971 and is situated about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of downtown Orlando in Bay Lake, and the Universal Orlando Resort, which opened in 1990 as a significant expansion of Universal Studios Florida and is the only theme park inside the boundaries of Orlando, are the two biggest and most well-known tourist destinations in the area. 

With the exception of the theme parks, the majority of significant cultural locations, including the Orlando Museum of Art and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, as well as renowned nightlife, bars, and clubs are situated in Downtown Orlando, while the majority of attractions, including the Wheel at ICON Park, are found along International Drive. The Orange County Convention Center, the second-largest convention center in the country, makes the city one of the busiest conference and convention destinations in the country. 

Orlando had fast growth from the 1960s until the first decade of the 21st century, much like other significant Sun Belt cities. The University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, and as of 2015, it had the largest campus by enrollment of any university in the US. The Globalization and World Cities Research Network rated Orlando as a "Gamma+" level global city in 2010. 

 

Geography 

Orlando's landscape is primarily made up of wetlands, including numerous lakes and marshes. The ground is often low and moist because the topography is flat. There are numerous lakes in the vicinity, Lake Apopka being the largest. Because of the bedrock's high porosity and predominance of limestone in central Florida, sinkholes can form in the Orlando region. The "Winter Park Sinkhole" incident, which took place in 1981 in Winter Park, a city located just north of downtown Orlando, is arguably the most well-known sinkhole-related catastrophe. 

Within the municipal borders, there are 115 neighborhoods and other unincorporated localities. The city limits of Orlando are laid out like a checkerboard, enclosing areas of unincorporated Orange County. As a result of this arrangement, Orange County and the City of Orlando both service some areas. This also explains why Orlando has a smaller city population than its surrounding metropolitan area. Orlando is annexing some of the land that already borders the municipal limits as part of a joint effort between the city and county to "round-out" the city bounds. 

 

Climate 

Orlando, like much of the deep South of the United States, has a humid subtropical climate, or Köppen classification Cfa. In Orlando, there are two main seasons: a hot and rainy one from May through late October (about when the Atlantic hurricane season occurs), and a warm and dry one from November through April. The region's low elevation, proximity to the Tropic of Cancer, and placement in the middle of a peninsula all contribute to the region's warm and humid climate. The Gulf Stream, which circles the Florida peninsula, is close by, which influences many aspects of its climate. 

Low temperatures rarely drop below the low 70s °F (22-24 °C), while high temperatures in Orlando's humid summer peak in the low 90s °F (32-34 °C). From April 9 to October 14, on average, 90 °F (32 °C) temperatures are expected. Because to the region's high humidity, real temperatures are often kept below 100 °F (38 °C), but the heat index can reach over 110 °F (43 °C). On September 8, 1921, the city experienced its maximum recorded temperature of 103 °F (39 °C). Strong afternoon thunderstorms are practically daily during these months. When air masses from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean collide over Central Florida, storms result. They can also bring damaging hail, tremendous rain (up to several inches per hour), ferocious gusts, and magnificent lightning, among other things. 

Wintertime brings with it lower humidity levels, more moderate temperatures, and greater temperature variability. The average daily temperature for the entire month of January is 60.6 °F (15.9 °C). The lowest temperature ever recorded was 18 °F (8 °C), set on December 28, 1894. On average, just 1.6 nights a year see temperatures below freezing. Snow is extremely uncommon during the winter months because they are dry and freezing temperatures typically don't show up until after a cold front (and its associated precipitation) has passed. Since records have been kept, there has only ever been one accumulation in the city proper; however, there was minor accumulation in the outlying areas during a snow event that reached Miami in January 1977. Observations of flurries were also made in 1989, 2006, and 2010. 

Orlando receives 51.45 inches (1,307 mm) of rain on average per year, the most of which falls between June and September. The dry season in Orlando lasts from October through May. Wildfire danger is present frequently during this time, especially in its later months. Fires have been very bad in some years. Strong El Nio conditions in 1998 resulted in an unusually wet January and February, followed by a drought in the spring and early summer, which led to a record wildfire season. This situation led to numerous air quality alerts in Orlando and had a significant negative impact on everyday life, including the cancellation of the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in nearby Daytona Beach that year. 

Orlando is a significant population center with a significant hurricane danger; however, it is not as high as in the metropolitan corridor of South Florida or other coastal areas. Hurricanes typically weaken before hitting the city because it is situated 77 miles (124 km) inland from the Gulf of Mexico and 42 miles (68 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the area's elevation of 100 feet (30 meters) above mean sea level, storm surges are not a problem. The city does experience powerful hurricanes despite its location. Orlando was slammed by three hurricanes that significantly damaged the city in the infamous 2004 hurricane season, with Hurricane Charley being the worst of them all. The 1960 hurricane Donna caused significant damage around the city. 

Strong thunderstorms in the humid summer are not typically associated with tornadoes. They occur more frequently in passing cyclones and on the infrequently frigid winter days. February saw the two deadliest large-scale epidemics in the region's recorded history: the 1998 outbreak, which claimed 42 lives, and the 2007 outbreak, which claimed 21 lives. 

 

Economy 

Orlando is a significant hub for industry and technology. The metro area is a globally known innovation center in digital media, agricultural technology, aviation, aerospace, and software design, with a $13.4 billion technology industry employing 53,000 people. Metro Orlando is home to more than 150 foreign enterprises from about 20 different nations. 

Central Florida Research Park, located in Orlando, is the seventh-largest research park in the US with more than 1,025 acres (4.15 km2). It is the center of the country's military simulation and training programs, and it is home to more than 120 businesses that employ more than 8,500 people. The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the largest modeling and simulation conference in the world, is held in the Orange County Convention Center toward the end of the year. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard simulation procurement commands are located in Metro Orlando. 

A sizable manufacturing facility for missile systems, aircraft, and related high-tech research is maintained by Lockheed Martin. Numerous United States Air Force facilities, the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Delta Connection Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, General Electric, the Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation, the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), Un, and other renowned engineering companies have offices or labs in Metro Orlando. One of the two locations where nuclear engineers for the United States Navy were taught up until a few years ago was the Naval Training Center. The Baldwin Park subdivision has now been built on the former farmland. Along the Interstate 4 corridor north of Orlando, numerous office complexes for big businesses have sprung up, particularly in Maitland, Lake Mary, and Heathrow. 

Patrick Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Kennedy Space Center are all close enough to Orlando for residents to commute to work from the suburbs. Additionally, it makes it simple to reach the cruise ship terminal at Port Canaveral. 

The headquarters of Darden Restaurants, the parent company of LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden, and the largest operator of casual dining restaurants globally by revenue, are located in Orlando. It relocated to a new corporate office and major distribution site in September 2009. 

Red Lobster, a former Darden Restaurants subsidiary, is headquartered in Downtown Orlando. 

 

Top News Websites 

Orlando Sentinel 

The Orlando Sentinel is the region of Central Florida's most complete news source. Get the most recent news and information on sports, travel, entertainment, and much more by following. 

ClickOrlando 

The most recent local breaking news and headlines from Orlando, Florida are available on ClickOrlando.com, which is powered by News 6. Follow to stay up to date on regional, statewide, and national headlines, videos, and much more. 

 

Population 

Orlando is a city in Florida's Brevard and Orange counties. It serves as Orange County's County seat as well. It will have 328,354 residents in 2023, making it the 60th-largest city in the United States and the fourth-largest city in Florida. Orlando's population has grown by 6.76% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 307,573 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 2.16% yearly. Orlando has a population density of 2,970 persons per square mile and a total length of nearly 119 miles. 

Orlando has a poverty rate of 19.45% and a $75,669 average household income. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. Orlando has a 33.9 year median age, with 33.5-year men and 34.3-year females. 

Orlando is a city in the center of the state of Florida. Orlando, also known as "The City Beautiful" and "The Theme Park Capital of the World," welcomes more than 51 million visitors annually, with about 4 million of them coming from outside. With attractions like Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, Gatorland, and Wet 'n Wild Water Park, it's the most popular city in the nation. 

With 1.5 million residents, the urban area is the 32nd largest in the nation, while the Greater Orlando metropolitan region, with 2.13 million residents, is the 26th largest in the nation, the 6th largest in the Southeastern United States, and the third largest in Florida. Orlando is Florida's fifth-biggest metropolis and its largest inland city.