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Winter Park, Florida

Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Winter Park was founded as a resort community by northern business magnates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its main street, called Park Avenue, is located in the middle of town. It includes civic buildings, retail, art galleries, a private liberal arts college (Rollins College), museums, a park, a train station, a golf course country club, a historic cemetery, and a beach and boat launch.

History
The Winter Park area's first human residents were migrant Muscogee people who had earlier intermingled with the Choctaw and other indigenous people. In a process of ethnogenesis, the Native Americans formed a new culture which they called "Seminole", a derivative of the Mvskoke' (a Creek language) word simano-li, an adaptation of the Spanish cimarrón which means "wild" (in their case, "wild men"), or "runaway" [men]. The site was first inhabited by Europeans in 1858, when David Mizell Jr. bought an 8-acre (32,000 m2) homestead between Lakes Virginia, Mizell, and Berry. A settlement, called "Lake View" by the inhabitants, grew up around Mizell's plot. It got a post office and a new name—"Osceola"—in 1870.

The area did not develop rapidly until 1880, when a South Florida Railroad track connecting Orlando and Sanford was laid a few miles west of Osceola. Shortly afterwards, Loring Chase came to Orange County from Chicago to recuperate from a lung disease. In his travels, he discovered the pretty group of lakes just east of the railbed. He enlisted a wealthy New Englander, Oliver E. Chapman, and they assembled a very large tract of land for $13,000 on July 4, 1881. They planned the town of Winter Park on this piece of land. Over the next four years they plotted the town, opened streets, built a town hall and a store, planted orange trees, and required all buildings to meet stylistic and architectural standards. Winter Park was a heavily planned city, something that is still evident in its streets’ grid-like organization. The town was then promoted heavily, especially to snow birds in the north looking for a place to hibernate in the winter. During this founding time, the Winter Park Post Office opened, and the railroad constructed a depot, connected to Osceola by a dirt road.

In 1885, a group of businessmen started the Winter Park Company and incorporated it with the Florida Legislature; Chase and Chapman sold the town to the new company. In a land bubble characteristic of Florida history, land prices soared from less than $2 per acre to over $200, with at least one sale recorded at $300 per acre. This land bubble concept would never go away, with towns and counties directly surrounding the area with exponentially cheaper land prices.

In 1885, the Congregational Assembly of Florida started Rollins College, the state's first four-year college. Rollins College today remains one of the hallmarks of Winter Park, an integral part of Winter Park's history and culture. It is the second most expensive college in the state, as of the 2023-2024 academic year the tuition at Rollins is $58,300 per year. Rollins is a relatively good liberal arts school, with a smaller student population, counted as roughly just over 2,000 students. The school also features an MBA program, at the Crummer Graduate School of Business. Back in 1886, the Seminole Hotel on Lake Osceola opened. This was a resort complete with the luxuries of the day: gas lights, steam heating, a string orchestra, a formal dining room, a bowling alley, and long covered porches. This street is now a cul de sac called Kiwi Circle that is part of one of the nicest neighborhoods in the town. On October 21, 1887, it was officially incorporated as the "Town of Winter Park", and in 1925, reincorporated as the "City of Winter Park".

Presidential visits
The first president to visit was Chester A. Arthur, who reported that Winter Park was "the prettiest place I have seen in Florida",. President Grover Cleveland visited the area and was given a huge reception at the Seminole Hotel on February 23, 1888. He enjoyed the Bounding Horse Cart ride and stated that it was the most pleasant diversion of his Florida trip. The New York Times reported on his visit that "The Philadelphian and Bostonian founders had done a good job with the town."

The following four years both hotel and the town became a fashionable winter resort for northern visitors. The next president to visit the area was Franklin D. Roosevelt in March 1936. He was conferred an honorary degree in literature at Rollins College.

President Barack Obama visited Rollins College on August 2, 2012, to give a speech that was part of his re-election campaign. An interesting note on recent Presidential elections is that Orange County, the county Winter Park is in, was one of the bluest counties in Florida. Although Winter Park is a large mix of both conservative and liberal constituents. However, this mix is evident in US Congressional District 7's last two representatives. Former Republican Congressman John Mica lost reelection in 2016 to newcomer and Democrat Stephanie Murphy. Both have had a lot of support from both sides of the aisle and Murphy is credited with being one of the most centrist representatives in Congress today.

Winter Park Public Library
The Winter Park Public Library was historically located at 460 E. New England Avenue in the heart of Winter Park. Its origins date back to 1885, when nine women organized to create a lending library for their small community, which was still in its infancy at the time. The Winter Park Public Library underwent major changes and moved to a new site. It opened in late 2021 on a new world-class campus designed by world-renowned architect Sir David Adjaye.

Peacocks
In 1904, Charles Hosmer Morse became the biggest landowner in Winter Park. His patronage continued in the 1920s, when he purchased a 200-acre parcel between lakes Virginia, Berry, and Mizell. In 1945, Morse's granddaughter Jeannette and her husband Hugh McKean moved to the land, and soon after they added peacocks. Now, the land is a nature preserve that houses an orange grove and over 30 peacocks. Winter Park locals consider the peacock to be a pet to the entire community. The peacock is on the official Winter Park seal, is featured in a number of official city documents, and is protected by the community. Peacocks often roam around in neighborhoods, especially throughout the community of Windsong, where residents are often seen taking care of them.

The Winter Park Sinkhole

In 1972, Henry Swanson, an agricultural agent and "resident layman expert on Central Florida water," wrote a letter to the editor warning Orange County mayors of the sinkhole danger that could be posed by overdevelopment and excessive groundwater use. Swanson predicted that the west Winter Park area would be especially at risk. In May 1981, during a period of record-low water levels in Florida's limestone aquifer, a massive sinkhole opened near the corner of Denning Drive and Fairbanks Avenue.

The sinkhole first appeared on the evening of May 8, 1981, near the house of Winter Park resident Mae Rose Williams. Within a few hours, a 40-year-old sycamore tree near her house had fallen into the sinkhole. The next morning, the hole expanded to nearly 40 ft wide. In a story in the Orlando Sentinel, she said that as the sun rose, she heard a noise "like giant beavers chewing" as the hole began to devour more of her land. The hole was collapsing rapidly. By noon, as she realized that her home was slipping into the expanding hole, she and the family evacuated and removed their belongings. That afternoon her house fell into the sinkhole, and within a few hours the house was irrevocably on its way into the sinkhole's center, headed to unknown depths.

The hole eventually widened to 320 ft and to a depth of 90 ft. The following fell into the sinkhole: five Porsches at a repair shop, a pickup truck with camper top, the Winter Park municipal pool, and large portions of Denning Drive. By May 9, nearly 250000 yd3 of earth had fallen into the sinkhole. Damage was estimated at $2 million to $4 million. On May 9, 1981, the sinkhole grew to a record size, gulping down 250,000 cubic yards of soil and taking with it the deep end of an Olympic-size swimming pool, chunks of two streets and Williams' three-bedroom home and yard. Florida engineers have described the event as "the largest sinkhole event witnessed by man as a result of natural geological reasons or conditions." They based their statements on his study of 2,000 sinkholes over more than 40 years. That opinion was echoed by Ardaman & Associates, a local engineering consulting firm.

The sinkhole drew national attention and became a popular tourist attraction during the summer of 1981. A carnival-like atmosphere arose around the area, with vendors selling food, balloons, and T-shirts to visitors. The city of Winter Park sold sinkhole photographs for promotional and educational purposes. On July 9, 1981, Winter Park began selling sinkhole photographs to educate the community about sinkholes and to promote tourism. The sinkhole began to fill with water that summer, but on July 19, the water level suddenly dropped by a reported 15 to 20 ft.

As the novelty wore off, the city worked to repair the damage. Workers were able to recover four of the six vehicles that fell into the sinkhole, including the travel trailer, whose owner drove it away, and three of the five Porsches. The other two remain at the bottom of the lake with Mae Rose Owens' home. Engineers filled in the bottom with dirt and concrete. Diver reports from 2009 suggest that the lake has since been used to dispose of unwanted vehicles. Besides a 1987 incident in which the bottom of the lake suddenly dropped 20 ft, causing erosion on the southern rim, the stabilized sinkhole has been generally quiet.

The Langford Resort Hotel
The Langford Hotel served as a gateway to "Old Florida" attractions in Central Florida and a community social hub for decades.

Famous guests included Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Larry King, Hugh Hefner, John Denver, Langford winter resident Lady Bird Johnson, and President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan, who celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary there. Reagan gave a campaign speech at Rollins College and stayed at the Langford in 1976.

The Langford was celebrated in a party in late 1999, closed, and was demolished. A portion of the former Langford property (as of mid-2009) has been developed into luxury mid-rise condominiums. The remaining parcel was redeveloped and in 2014, a boutique hotel named the Alfond Inn, owned and operated by Rollins College opened at the site of the original Langford Hotel. The Alfond Inn was built with a $12.5 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation. Net operating income from the Inn is directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund, the College's premier scholarship fund.

The Temple Grove
An orange grove, known as the Temple Grove, stood on the south side of Palmer Avenue just east of Temple Drive. The temple orange was grown on the old Wyeth grove on Palmer Avenue (later Temple Grove) owned at the time by Louis A. Hakes, whose son was the first to notify Temple of the different quality of the new orange. The orange was introduced and cataloged by Buckeye Nursery in 1917, the year W. C. Temple died. Myron E. Gillett and his son D. Collins Gillett later went on to plant the largest orange grove in the world in the 1920s (5000 acre) in Temple Terrace, Florida.

The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is one of the nation's oldest, largest juried outdoor art festivals, rated among the top shows by Sunshine Artist and American Style magazines. In 2012, about 1,200 artists from around the world applied for entry, and an independent panel of judges selected 225 national and international artists to attend the show. The National Endowment for the Arts, the White House, Congress, and many others have lauded the Festival for promoting art and art education in Central Florida. An all-volunteer board of directors runs the annual festival.

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the City of Winter Park is located at 28.59611°N, -81.34667°W. The city is northeast of, and adjacent to Orlando. Elevation ranges between 66 and 97 ft above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.3 km2, of which 22.5 km2 is land and 3.9 km2 (14.62%) is water. It is nestled among the Winter Park Chain of Lakes, a series of lakes interconnected by a series of navigable canals, which were originally created for flood control and to run logs to a sawmill on present-day Lake Virginia. The lakes are popular for boating, watersports, fishing and swimming.

The city is traversed by the old East Florida and Atlantic Railroad ("Dinky Line") railroad bed, which until the 1960s had a stop at Lake Virginia/Rollins College at the city park now known as Dinky Dock. Much of this right of way has been converted to a rail-trail pedestrian/biking path in the form of the Cady Way Trail, which leads from Cady Way Park toward the Baldwin Park neighborhood and downtown Orlando, and in the opposite direction to Oviedo and beyond (via the Florida Trail), due to a new pedestrian bridge spanning Semoran Boulevard (SR 436) in Orange County.

SunRail operates a rail line through Winter Park on the former Atlantic Coast Line, with an Amtrak and SunRail commuter rail station in downtown's historic Central Park.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Winter Park has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,795 people, 13,072 households, and 7,055 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2020, the population density was 3,401.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,283.97/km2). There were 14,073 housing units at an average density of 1,606.5 per square mile (620.3/km2).

In 2020, there were 13,072 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 33.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 7.3% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.96.

In 2020, in the city the population was spread out, with 3.5% under the age of 5, 17.3% under the age of 18, 82.7% aged 18 years and over, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.3 years.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 27,852 people, 11,995 households, and 6,419 families residing in the city.

Personal income
As of 2020, the median income for a household in the city was $80,500, and the median income for a family was $130,120. Males had a median income of $83,738 versus $58,277 for females. The per capita income for the city was $65,481. About 7.0% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

However, also in 2020, these incomes are very divided based on where you live within Winter Park. The area to the northeast of Park Ave is the most affluent part with an average household income of $44,000. There are still houses with significant higher incomes within these parts. The “Via” streets are one of the most affluent neighborhoods. This area includes the Isle of Sicily, a private drive that juts out into Lake Maitland with extremely expensive houses and residents such as Doc Rivers and Carrot Top. To the east of Park Ave, the area is slightly less affluent with an average household income of $32,000. Many of these are still very expensive lakefront properties. The lowest income area is to the west of Park Ave with an average household income of $23,000. Many of these houses include those built by the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity. There is no local middle or elementary school for this area.

Tourism
Scenic Olde Winter Park area is punctuated by small, winding brick streets, and a canopy of old southern live oak and camphor trees, draped with Spanish moss. There are hundreds of thousands of visitors to annual festivals including the Bach Festival, the nationally ranked Sidewalk Art Festival, and the Winter Park Concours d'Elegance. Winter Park is often seen as a popular tourist destination for those visiting Orlando that want an escape from the typical tourist scene of the Orlando theme parks. There is a quaint, local feel to the town even though there are a lot of tourists, especially during the winter months and holidays.

Within the city is the Mead Botanical Garden which is a 47.6 acre park that encompasses several ecosystems. It has an amphitheater, butterfly garden, discovery barn and a recreation center. Many structures are more than 100 years old.

Industry
Bonnier Corporation is based in Winter Park. D100 Radio was founded here and is still present in Winter Park.

According to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Education

Winter Park is served by Orange County Public Schools.

Elementary schools

 * Aloma Elementary School
 * Brookshire Elementary School
 * Lakemont Elementary School

Middle school

 * Glenridge Middle School

High schools

 * Lake Howell High School
 * Winter Park High School

Private schools

 * Chesterton Academy of Orlando
 * St. Margaret Mary Catholic School (K-8)
 * The Geneva School (K-12)
 * The Parke House Academy
 * Trinity Preparatory School

Higher learning

 * Crealde School of Art
 * Fortis College, Winter Park Campus
 * Full Sail University
 * Rollins College
 * Valencia College, Winter Park Campus
 * Winter Park Tech

Public Transit

 * Lynx
 * Winter Park station (SunRail/Amtrak)

Sites of interest

 * Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens
 * All Saints Episcopal Church
 * Annie Russell Theatre
 * Casa Feliz Historic House Museum
 * Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
 * Comstock-Harris House
 * D100 Studio One (closed to the public)
 * Downtown Winter Park Historic District
 * Edward Hill Brewer House
 * Hannibal Square
 * Hannibal Square Heritage Center
 * Knowles Memorial Chapel
 * Kraft Azalea Park
 * Lake Baldwin Park
 * Mead Botanical Garden
 * Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church
 * Rollins Museum of Art
 * Scenic Boat Tours off East Morse Boulevard
 * Winter Park Historical Museum
 * Winter Park Farmers' Market
 * Winter Park Public Library
 * Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
 * Woman's Club of Winter Park

Notable people

 * Dorothy Deming, nurse and author.
 * George Eddy, US-French basketball player and basketball commentator.
 * Theodore Miller Edison, youngest son of inventor Thomas Edison.
 * Samuel Gibbs French, Confederate Major General.
 * Logan Gilbert, professional MLB baseball player.
 * Bruce Magruder, US Army major general.
 * Chris McKay, American film director.
 * Helen Monsch, Cornell University professor, died in Winter Park
 * Stephanie Murphy, congressperson
 * Moshe Reuven, Hasidic Billboard charting music artist and 30 Under 30 Tech entrepreneur
 * Fred Rogers, television host and children's entertainer. Rogers graduated from Winter Park's Rollins College, where he also met his future wife, Joanne. In later years, they spent most winters in the town.
 * Austin Russell, billionaire tech CEO.
 * Willie Snead, professional NFL wide receiver
 * Forrest Wall, professional MLB baseball player

title: Winter Park, Florida


text:
Zellwood, Florida

Zellwood is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,817 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Zellwood is located at 28.72389°N, -81.59333°W (28.723839, −81.593219).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.5 km$2$ (4.1 mi2), of which 10.1 km$2$ (3.9 mi2) is land and 0.5 km$2$ (0.2 mi2) (4.42%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,540 people, 1,239 households, and 795 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 252.1/km$2$ (653.3/mi2). There were 1,409 housing units at an average density of 139.9/km$2$ (362.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.62% White, 2.83% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 2.09% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.09% of the population.

There were 1,239 households, out of which 9.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.43.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 11.1% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 15.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 48.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 64 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $29,300, and the median income for a family was $34,468. Males had a median income of $24,091 versus $20,378 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,683. About 6.6% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

History
Zellwood is named after T. Ellwood Zell, who started spending winters in the area in 1876. The Zellwood Post Office opened in 1877

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Zellwood, Florida


text:
Campbell, Florida

Campbell (often referred to locally as Campbell City) is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Osceola County, Florida, United States. Campbell City was named after Alfred Sidney Campbell who opened and operated the general store in the settlement. The population was 2,479 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Campbell is north of a predominantly Hispanic community known as Poinciana. Campbell has many cattle ranches and has a high school, a middle school and an elementary school.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,677 people, 1,352 households, and 686 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,429.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,853 housing units at an average density of 989.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.55% White, 0.93% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.45% of the population.

The ancestors of the population were German (18.2%), Irish (12.3%), English (10.9%), United States (5.4%), Swedish (3.2%), Italian (3.2%).

There were 1,352 households, out of which 11.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.2% were non-families. 46.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 39.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87 and the average family size was 2.58.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 13.3% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 52.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 67 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,373, and the median income for a family was $34,063. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $24,609 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,721. About 12.9% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

In 2010 Campbell had a population of 2,479. There were 1,189 households with 93.7% of the population living in households. The population's ethnic and racial composition was 79.4% non-Hispanic white, 2.3% black alone with another 0.6% of the population reporting being black as well as other races, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% of Pacific Islander descent, 0.2% non-Hispanic reporting some other race and 2.3% reporting two or more races. 15.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino with 9.4% of the total population being Puerto Rican.

title: Campbell, Florida


text:
Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2020 population of 2,673,376. The Census Bureau defines an urban area with Kissimmee as the principal city, which is separated from the Orlando urban area. The Kissimmee–St. Cloud, FL urban area had a 2020 population of 418,404, making it the 100th largest in the United States.

History
The area was originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J. H. Allen, who operated the first cargo steamboat along the Kissimmee River—the Mary Belle. It was renamed Kissimmee when incorporated as a city in 1883. The modern town, the county seat of Osceola County, was founded before the Civil War by the Bass, Johnson and Overstreet families. The etymology of the name Kissimmee is debated, apart from general agreement that it is Native American in origin. Its growth can be credited to Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia, who based his four-million acre (8,000 km2) drainage operation out of the town. Disston had contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to drain its southern lands, for which he would own half of all he successfully drained. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the United States.

Disston's dredging and land speculation required a small steamboat industry to transport people and goods along the new waterway. The Kissimmee shipyard was responsible for building most of these large steamships, which were just one jump ahead of civilization—with Kissimmee as the jumping off point. Concurrently, the South Florida Railroad was growing and extended the end of its line from Sanford down to Kissimmee, making the town on Lake Tohopekaliga a transportation hub for Central Florida. On February 12, 1885, the Florida Legislature incorporated the Kissimmee City Street Railway.

But Kissimmee's heyday was short-lived. Expanding railroads began to challenge the steamships for carrying freight and passengers. By 1884, the South Florida Railroad, now part of the Plant System, had extended its tracks to Tampa. The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression the U.S. had experienced up to that time, crushing land speculation and unsound debt. Disston closed his Kissimmee land operation. Consecutive freezes in 1894 and 1895 wiped out the citrus industry. The freezes, combined with South Florida's growth and the relocation of steamship operations to Lake Okeechobee, left Kissimmee dependent on open range cattle ranching.

Kissimmee had a population of 4,310 in 1950. At that point there was some citrus packing as well as ranching.

Ranching remained an important part of the local economy until Walt Disney World opened nearby in 1971. After that, tourism and development supplanted cattle ranching to a large measure. But even though the Disney facility took over much of the open range cattle lands, cattle ranches still operate nearby, particularly in southern Osceola County.

The 1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak killed dozens of people in the area. On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed through Kissimmee with winds in excess of 100 mph, damaging homes and buildings, toppling trees and cutting electrical power to the entire city. Kissimmee Utility Authority restored power to 54 percent of the residents in the first 72 hours and to 85 percent within one week. Service was restored to all customers on August 28. Three weeks after Hurricane Charley, the area was struck by Hurricane Frances, then Hurricane Jeanne three weeks later.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 17.32 sqmi, of which 16.7 sqmi is land and 0.6 sqmi is water (3.7%). Kissimmee and St. Cloud are the county's only incorporated settlements. They are in proximity to each other along U.S. Highways 192 and 441.

A large geographical area of unincorporated Osceola County is also referred to as Kissimmee. This includes most of the 192 corridor west of the city border to Highway 27, areas north of the city to Hunters Creek, and areas south of the city to Poinciana.

The city is mostly built on deep sand which is poorly drained in its natural state. The most common soil series is Myakka.

City water resources
Drained by the Kissimmee River, the city is on the northwest shore of Lake Tohopekaliga (locally called Lake Toho, West Lake Toho, or simply West Lake) in central Florida. Shingle Creek, largely considered the headwaters of the Everglades, also runs through the city, and features a canoe/kayak trail that runs from Steffe Landing on US 192 and ends in Lake Tohopekaliga.

Downtown
The downtown area lies near the intersection of U.S. Highway 17/92 and U.S. Highway 192. Downtown Kissimmee has no skyscrapers; most of the buildings are two or three stories high. The biggest and the tallest building downtown is the Osceola County courthouse. The main thoroughfare follows Highway 17/Highway 92 through the city's center and is a combination of three streets: Main Street, Broadway Street, and Emmett Street. The downtown area consists largely of restaurants, small shops, and historic residences. The University of Central Florida has a business incubator in the area that is an important part of the economic engine downtown.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild, dry, and sunny winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kissimmee has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 79,226 people, 22,836 households, and 15,732 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 59,682 people, 22,040 households, and 15,812 families residing in the city.

Out of Kissimmee's 58.93% Hispanic or Latino residents in the 2010 US census, 33.1% were Puerto Rican, 5.1% Dominican, 4.0% Colombian, 3.9% Mexican, 2.6% Cuban, 1.4% Venezuelan, 0.9% Ecuadorian, 0.7% Salvadoran, 0.7% Peruvian, 0.6% Honduran, and 0.6% were Nicaraguan. Also in 2010, out of the 9.59% non-Hispanic African American or Black residents, there was an additional 2.8% of people who were Afro-Latino or Black Hispanic. The 2010 census also showed that from the 3.23% Asians living in Kissimmee, 1.1% were Indian and 0.8% were Filipino.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 47,814 people, 17,121 households, and 11,813 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,866.6 PD/sqmi. There were 19,642 housing units at an average density of 1,177.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 67.22% White, 9.99% African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 14.15% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 41.73% of the population. The majority of Hispanics residing in the city are Puerto Ricans. There are also small Colombian, Cuban and Dominican communities residing in and/or around the city.

In 2000, there were 17,121 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.21.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $33,949, and the median income for a family was $36,361. Males had a median income of $25,851 versus $21,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,071. About 12.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Multinational multi-level marketing company Tupperware Brands is based in Kissimmee.

Top employers
According to Kissimmee's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top employers are:

Sites of interest

 * Colonial Estate
 * First United Methodist Church
 * Grass Island
 * Kissimmee Historic District
 * The Loop
 * Monument of States
 * Old Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
 * Old Osceola Courthouse – oldest continually operating courthouse in the state
 * Old Town
 * Orange World – World's Largest Orange
 * Osceola Arts (formally Osceola Center for the Arts)
 * Osceola County Courthouse
 * Osceola County Welcome Center and History Museum
 * Makinson Island
 * Margaritaville Resort Orlando
 * Pine Island
 * Plaza del Sol
 * Wat Florida Dhammaram

Former sites of interest

 * Jungleland
 * Splendid China (defunct in 2003)
 * Water Mania
 * Xanadu – House of the Future Xanadu Houses (demolished in 2005)

Sports
From 1985 to 2016, the Houston Astros conducted spring training in Kissimmee, at Osceola County Stadium. The stadium also hosts numerous amateur baseball events throughout the year in conjunction with USSSA, Triple Crown Sports, World Baseball Federation and Promotion Sports. The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring has also called Osceola County Stadium home since 1994.

Austin-Tindall Regional Park is an athletic facility in the area that hosts a variety of annual events.

The city is also home to the annual NCCAA men's soccer National Championship Tournament.

Parks and recreation
Osceola Heritage Park is an event facility featuring a concert arena (Silver Spurs Arena) and professional sports stadium (Osceola County Stadium). The Silver Spurs Arena has hosted many acts, from Hilary Duff and Bob Dylan to an annual rodeo. Jehovah's Witnesses use Silver Spurs Arena for their annual district conventions. In 2008, a number of English and Spanish conventions were held by the Witnesses, bringing thousands of delegates to the Kissimmee area for the three-day events.

Kissimmee has a number of public parks, including:

 * Kissimmee Lakefront Park – a $20 million public works project
 * Makinson Island Park
 * Babb Park at Shingle Creek
 * Steffe Landing at Shingle Creek
 * Twin Oaks Conservation Area – a popular place with locals for sunset
 * Scotty's Landing – a canoe launch/landing featuring an educational area and exercise trail
 * Bob Makinson Aquatic Center

Biking
The Shingle Creek Regional Trail (SCRT) is an inter-governmental project that is planned to connect Kissimmee to Orlando through a 32-mile bicycle trail. It runs along the environmentally sensitive Shingle Creek, and was included on President Obama's America's Great Outdoors list.

Golfing
Kissimmee is home to a number of golf courses and mini-golf courses.

Nearby
Kissimmee is near Orlando, home to Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando, and Lake Buena Vista/Bay Lake, home to Walt Disney World Resort, allowing tourists to access the parks through the city.

Public schools
The School District of Osceola County serves Kissimmee. High schools include:

 * Celebration High School
 * Gateway High School
 * Harmony High School
 * Liberty High School
 * Osceola County School for the Arts (6–12)
 * Osceola High School
 * Poinciana High School
 * Saint Cloud High School
 * Technical Education Center Osceola
 * Tohopekaliga High School
 * Neocity Academy

Private schools

 * City of Life, founded 1994
 * Freedomland Christian Academy
 * Heritage Christian School
 * Holy Redeemer Catholic School
 * North Kissimmee Christian School, founded 1995
 * Osceola Adventist Christian School
 * Osceola Christian Preparatory School
 * Peace Lutheran School
 * Poinciana Academy
 * Shady Oaks Private School, founded 1969
 * Southland Christian School
 * Trinity Lutheran School
 * Reborn Christian Academy

State colleges

 * University of Central Florida, Osceola Campus
 * Valencia College, Osceola Campus

Private universities, colleges, and others

 * Johnson University Florida, formerly Florida Christian College

Transportation
Kissimmee features a multi-modal transportation hub between Neptune Road and Monument Streets. It includes the Amtrak train station, which is a stop on the SunRail commuter rail system. There is a Greyhound bus station. The hub also has a bus terminal providing service by the Lynx network.

Kissimmee Gateway Airport has four fixed-base operators that provide service to the area. Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) accommodates general aviation air service 24 hours a day with two paved airport runways—respectively 5,000 and 6,000 feet. There are also two flight training schools and a museum at the airport. Orlando International Airport can be reached from Kissimmee in 40 minutes by car.

The major roads in the Kissimmee area are Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 4, Osceola Parkway, and US 192. Among other important routes are US 17/92 that join with US 441 into the Orange Blossom Trail (OBT) and the John Young Parkway.

The city of Kissimmee also runs a service named Freebee Kissimmee which is a cab that provides transportation around Downtown Kissimmee, Advent Health, and Valencia College.

Public libraries
Osceola Library System operates the Hart Memorial Central Library in Kissimmee.

Notable people

 * Irlo Bronson, Sr., politician and rancher
 * Vassar Clements, bluegrass musician
 * Dewayne Douglas, professional football player
 * Buddy Dyer, mayor of Orlando
 * Tonga Fifita, professional wrestler and actor
 * Brent Fullwood, football player
 * Justin Gatlin, Olympic and world championship gold medalist sprinter
 * Kristina Janolo, Miss Florida 2011
 * George Frederic Kribbs, congressman
 * Ray Lloyd, professional wrestler and martial artist
 * AJ McLean, singer from the Grammy-nominated Backstreet Boys
 * James Mitchell, professional wrestling manager
 * Joe Nasco, professional footballer
 * Tito Paul, football player
 * John Quiñones, attorney and former politician
 * Henry L. Reaves, Georgia politician from Kissimmee pioneer ranching family
 * Edwin Rios, professional baseball player, 2020 World Series Champion
 * William J. Sears, congressman
 * Kissy Simmons, actor
 * John Milton Bryan Simpson, judge
 * Bobby Sippio, football player
 * Justin Smith, professional poker player
 * Charlee Soto, professional baseball pitcher
 * Jonathan Summerton, race car driver
 * Colt Terry, army special forces
 * Momo Thomas, American football player
 * Dan White, actor in vaudeville, theater, radio, film, and television
 * Brett Williams, football player
 * Brownie Wise, businesswoman, Tupperware
 * Richard Young, actor

title: Kissimmee, Florida


text:
St. Cloud, Florida

St. Cloud or Saint Cloud is a city in northern Osceola County, Florida, United States. It is on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Central Florida, about 26 mi southeast of Orlando. The population was 35,183 in the 2010 census, and 58,964 in the 2020 census. The city is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford metropolitan area.

St. Cloud was founded as a retirement community for Civil War union veterans, and gained the nickname "The Friendly Soldier City".

History
During the 1870s, Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia took an interest in developing the region while on fishing trips with Henry Shelton Sanford, founder of the city of Sanford. Disston contracted with the Florida Internal Improvement Fund, then in receivership, to pay $1 million to offset its Civil War and Reconstruction debt. In exchange, Disston was awarded half the land he drained from the state's swamps. He dug canals and, in 1886–1887, established St. Cloud sugarcane plantation, named after St. Cloud, Minnesota, although many longtime locals claim the town was named after Saint-Cloud, France.

Disston opened the Sugar Belt Railway to the South Florida Railroad in 1888 to carry his product to market. But the Panic of 1893 dropped land values, and the Great Freeze of 1894–1895 ruined the plantation. Disston returned to Philadelphia, where he died in 1896. The Sugar Belt Railway merged into the South Florida Railroad. An attempt to cultivate rice in the area failed, and for several years the land remained fallow. Then in 1909, the Seminole Land & Investment Company acquired 35,000 acre as the site for a Grand Army of the Republic veterans' colony. St. Cloud was selected because of its "health, climate and productiveness of soil." It was first permanently settled in 1909 by William G. King, a real estate manager from Alachua County who had been given the responsibility "to plan, locate and develop a town."

On April 16, 1909, the Kissimmee Valley Gazette announced the "New Town of St. Cloud", a "Soldiers Colony" near Kissimmee. The newspaper called the Seminole Land and Investment Company's purchase "one of the most important real estate deals ever made in the State of Florida." It was reported that the company had searched all over Florida for the perfect site for a veterans' colony, particularly one suited for "health, climate, and productiveness of the soil". It is believed that many of the streets were named for states from which the Civil War veterans had served, but the street names were already assigned to the platted land before settlement occurred.

Early St. Cloud is believed to have history as a Sundown Town with a plot of land outside the city reserved for black residents officially dubbed “Colored Quarter.” This name is still active on official land records as the title of this section of land. Early newspaper records support the history of being a “Sundown Town” with firsthand accounts of local residents making attempts “to keep the colored folks in their own quarters outside the town.”

On June 1, 1915, the Florida Legislature incorporated St. Cloud as a city. Its downtown features landmark buildings by the Orlando architectural firm Ryan & Roberts, a partnership consisting of two women. The buildings by Ryan and Roberts and others downtown are predominantly Spanish Revival.

St. Cloud has tried to separate itself from neighboring cities, and particularly the theme parks, by promoting an image of small-town life, and by attempting to make itself economically less dependent on Kissimmee. On March 6, 2006, St. Cloud introduced the CyberSpot program, becoming the first city in the United States to give residents free high-speed wireless Internet access, but the program ended in 2009.

Water tower cross controversy
In the late 1960s, the city of St. Cloud was gifted a Latin cross during the Christmas season. The twelve-foot tall cross, which was illuminated at night, stood atop the city’s water tower off U.S. Route 192 for nearly twenty years without issue.

By November 1986, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed its first lawsuit against the city of St. Cloud to have the cross removed. Four months later, in March 1987, private citizen Ronald Mendelson filed a similar lawsuit that the cross violated the U.S. Constitution’s mandate of separation of church and state. Mendelson, a Jewish resident who lived east of St. Cloud, decided to sue because of the city’s implicit endorsement of Christianity atop the water tower and the inconvenience Mendelson felt due to the “shadow of the cross.” In defense of its presence, residents cited the cross as a local landmark and directional marker for boaters, drivers, and pilots commuting within St. Cloud.

On August 16, 1989, a U.S. District judge ruled in favor of Mendelson to have the Latin cross removed off the water tower. The judge, however, suggested in his ruling that the city replace the Latin cross with a Greek cross, distinguished for representing a plus-sign, to identify St. Cloud as a crossroad city. The ACLU quickly filed an additional lawsuit, claiming that the new Greek cross still violated the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to evade the judge’s original ruling.

Eventually, the city of St. Cloud agreed to remove the cross in 1990, primarily due to the mounting legal costs incurred by the ACLU. Local support through the city council to reinstate the Latin cross on private property within St. Cloud was proposed. Ultimately, those discussions fell through due to the 35-foot height restriction that the cross would have exceeded on a structure within city limits.

The original Latin cross has since been moved atop a 60-foot tower on private property in nearby Intercession City, where it has remained since 1995.

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the City of St. Cloud is located at 28.23056°N, -81.28528°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 sqmi, of which 0.11% is water. St. Cloud is on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga, an exceptionally clear lake, with good visibility to depths of 7 to 9 ft. East Lake is nearly circular in shape and covers approximately 12000 acre.

The major highway is U.S. Route 192 running in tandem with U.S. Route 441 east and west. This six-lane road is intersected by avenues running north and south. Many have names of US states in no particular order.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of St. Cloud has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 58,964 people, 15,986 households, and 11,496 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 35,183 people, 12,776 households, and 9,206 families residing in the city.

In 2010, the population of the Hispanic or Latino was 29.22%. Out of that percentage, 18.7% were Puerto Ricans who were by far the largest Hispanic or Latino group. The median age of St. Cloud's population was 36.8 years. 7.8% of the population was 65 or older. There were 12,565 households with 9,145 of them constituting families.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,074 people, 6,716 households, and 5,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,190.8 PD/sqmi. There were 8,602 housing units at an average density of 938.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 90.27% White, 2.07% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.10% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.36% of the population.

In 2000, there were 7,716 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $36,467, and the median income for a family was $41,211. Males had a median income of $30,955 versus $22,414 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,031. About 6.2% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education
All of the public schools in St. Cloud are served by the School District of Osceola County, Florida.

Elementary Schools
 * Canoe Creek K–8 (formerly Canoe Creek Charter)
 * Harmony Elementary School (HCES)
 * Hickory Tree Elementary School (HTE)
 * Lakeview Elementary School (LVES)
 * Michigan Avenue Elementary School (MES)
 * Narcoossee Elementary School (NCES)
 * Neptune Elementary School
 * St. Cloud Elementary School

Middle Schools
 * Harmony Middle School (HCMS)
 * Narcoossee Middle School (NCMS)
 * Neptune Middle School (NMS)
 * St. Cloud Middle School (SCMS)

High Schools
 * Harmony High School (HHS) (Although HHS is not within the city limits (about 15 miles east), students in the eastern part of city limits along with 1/3 of the south portion of the city attend this school)
 * St. Cloud High School (SCHS)

Parochial Schools
 * St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School (Pre-K–8)

Charter Schools
 * American Classical Charter Academy (K–8) (closed as of 2022)
 * BridgePrep Academy (K–8)
 * Creative Inspiration Journey School (K–5)
 * Mater Academy (K–8)
 * St. Cloud Preparatory Academy (K–9) (closed as of 2022)

Private Schools
 * City Of Life Christian Academy (Pre-K–12)
 * St. Cloud Christian Preparatory School (K–12)

Public library
The Veteran's Memorial St. Cloud Library is home to the city of St. Cloud. The branch library is in a remodeled SunTrust Bank, five blocks away from historic downtown St. Cloud. Its hours are Monday-Saturday from 9am to 6pm. The branch offers many programs, such as LIVE storytimes, virtual bookclubs and over 50,000 volumes.

History of Veterans Memorial Library
The first form of a library in St. Cloud was in 1910, when the new woman's club set up a traveling library and a table at the train station with reading materials for locals. By 1911, there was a reading room that was purchased on Pennsylvania Avenue that the ladies of the town worked to make comfortable and stocked with things to read. Within the next couple of years the collection had outgrown the reading room and moved to the People's Bank and then City Hall. In 1915, the town began fundraising to build a proper building. These efforts were put on hold temporarily while war efforts were made a priority. When 1922 rolled around, it was decided that there was enough money to pay an architect to begin planning and building. The contract price was for $4,506.20. The building was extremely well-built and designed with many updated features, including electricity. On February 17, 1923, the new library was dedicated and named "Veteran's Memorial Library" which remains today.

From 1923 to 1968, Veteran's Memorial Library was operated and taken care of by the Woman's Club of St. Cloud. It was in 1968 that it officially became part of the Osceola County Library System. From 1972 to 1974, the location of the library collection moved into a former bank on the corner of New York Avenue and 10th Street. At this point, the original building became a thrift store to benefit the Red Cross and other groups. In 2001, the building was purchased by The City of St. Cloud, and with the help of other organizations was planned to become a museum. The grand opening of The St. Cloud Heritage Museum (pictured below) was held on February 17, 2005.

While the St. Cloud Heritage Museum still proudly boasts the name "Veteran's Memorial Library", the branch location was moved to a former SunTrust bank building on 13th Street and Indiana Avenue in 1995, where it still operates today as part of the Osceola County Library System.

Sites of interest

 * Lakefront Park
 * Reptile World Serpentarium
 * St. Cloud Depot
 * St. Cloud Heritage Museum
 * Theatre in the Cloud
 * Wild Florida

Notable people

 * Dave Cianelli, former NFL football player and former lobbyist
 * Sam Riggs, country music singer-songwriter
 * The Supervillains, five-piece ska band

Music

 * The album Saint Cloud (2020), by Waxahatchee gets its name from the city.

Play (and film) based in St. Cloud

 * Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), by Tennessee Williams

Films shot in St. Cloud

 * Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, starring Connie Mason and William Kerwin
 * Barracuda (1978), starring Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, and William Kerwin
 * The Waterboy (1998), starring Adam Sandler, Henry Winkler, and Kathy Bates

title: St. Cloud, Florida


text:
Yeehaw Junction, Florida

Yeehaw Junction is a census-designated place (CDP) in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 240. The area was confused with Buenaventura Lakes CDP in the 2000 census, and the correct data for the area was not recorded.

Yeehaw Junction is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Destiny development was planned nearby.

Geography
Yeehaw Junction is located at the intersection of US 441/SR 15, SR 60 and Florida's Turnpike (SR 91), approximately 30 mi west of Vero Beach and 30 miles north of Lake Okeechobee. The location was named after the Yeehaw station on the Florida East Coast Railway's Kissimmee Valley Line, which passed through Yeehaw Junction from 1915 to 1947.

History
Some say the community's name comes from the fact locals would yell "Yeehaw!", while others believe the name is derived from the Creek language word meaning "wolf". According to town historians and several original newspaper articles that are displayed at the Desert Inn and Restaurant, the town was originally named "Jackass Junction" or "Jackass Crossing". This name was given to the four-corner site back in the early 1930s, when local ranchers rode on burros to visit the Desert Inn (then the local brothel). As the 1950s approached, the Florida legislature felt that a name change was due in light of the construction of Florida's Turnpike through the center of the community in 1957, resulting in renaming the town to its present-day name.

Biological warfare experiment
In late 1968 the Deseret Test Center conducted a biological warfare experiment at Yeehaw Junction. The experiment was part of Project 112 and was labelled DTC Test 69–75. Stem rust, referred to as "Agent TX", was tested to determine its effectiveness against a wheat crop in time of war. The tests were conducted over a period of one month from October 31 to December 1, 1968. Live agent was sprayed by a U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom fighter jet on seven occasions and dead agent, consisting of spores that were killed by a gaseous mixture of ethylene oxide, was sprayed on four occasions. The stated objective of Deseret Test Center (DTC) Test 69-75 was to investigate the effectiveness of the F-4/A/B and 45Y-2/TX weapon systems to reduce Soviet wheat crop yields in selected geographic areas. The objective was subdivided into other tasks: determine the downwind travel of Agent TX released from the A/B 45Y-2 spray tank, estimate the yield reduction and loss of wheat crops attacked by the weapon system, study the effectiveness of killed TX as a simulant for Agent TX, and evaluate the adequacy to predict downwind dosages of Agent TX. The tests were unknown to local residents and officials until October 2002 when U.S. senator Bill Nelson demanded details of the tests from the U.S. Department of Defense after knowledge of the test was eventually revealed during a larger congressional inquiry of potential effects on participating veterans of chemical and biological testing. Eglin Air Force Base, Avon Park Air Force Range, Panama City, Belle Glade, and Fort Pierce, were additional sites in Florida of biological agent production and testing.

Demographics
In 2010 Yeehaw Junction had a population of 240. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 89.2% non-Hispanic white, 1.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian (one person), 2.9% reporting two or more races and 6.3% Hispanic or Latino.

Present day
The Yeehaw Junction exit on Florida's Turnpike is still active. It was once known as a major stopping point for tourists to purchase conditional discount tickets for various tourist attractions in the Orlando area, but Yeehaw Junction's ticket booth has since closed down. The Turnpike exit links with State Road 60, an important traffic route going from Vero Beach on the Atlantic to Tampa and Clearwater Beach on the Gulf Coast. The Turnpike exit at Yeehaw Junction is notable for being the only exit on a nearly 90-mile stretch of the Turnpike. It is located at the southern end of the longest stretch of limited-access highway without an exit in the United States (the next interchange to the north being 48.9 miles away at Kissimmee/St. Cloud) and the northern end of the second-longest such stretch (the next exit to the south being 40.5 miles away at Fort Pierce).

Since the population is not large enough to support its own schools, children in the community can choose to attend Osceola County School District, which may be over an hour's bus ride for students (the nearest public school is located in St. Cloud), or be bused to closer schools in Indian River County or Okeechobee County.

The Desert Inn closed temporarily in June 2018. There are plans to reopen it as a museum, restaurant and motel after restorations. The Desert Inn was largely destroyed on December 22, 2019, when an 18-wheeler lost control on a nearby road and crashed into the building at highway speeds. Recently, the owners have been able to save what was not destroyed and are planning on restoring the site.

title: Yeehaw Junction, Florida


text:
Atlantis, Florida

Atlantis is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,142.

History
The modern history of what became known as the city of Atlantis originates in a ranch called Mulberry Farms, owned by Philip D. Lewis, a former Florida state senator. Lewis's Mission Company raised Brahman cattle on the land. In 1958, real estate developers Nathan Hunt and Paul Kintz purchased the land, and began the construction of what became a gated golf and country club community. The residential development, combined with a small amount of adjacent land for commercial use, was incorporated on June 19, 1959. Its first council was appointed, consisting of James Kintz as mayor, Nathan Hunt as vice mayor, and councilmen Paul Kintz, Marjorie Hunt and William Blakeslee.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 sqmi, of which 1.4 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (2.84%) is water. It 834 acre borders the Lake Worth Drainage (L-14) Canal on the north, Lantana Road to the south, Military Trail to the west and Congress Avenue to the east.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,142 people, 845 households, and 517 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,005 people, 898 households, and 576 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,005 people, 1,024 households, and 677 families residing in the city. The population density was 565.1 /km2. There were 1,140 housing units at an average density of 321.3 /km2. The racial makeup of the city was 97.11% White (94.6% were Non-Hispanic), 0.50% African American, 2.00% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.59% of the population.

As of 2000, there were 1,024 households out of which 8.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.36.

In 2000, in the city the population was spread out with 8.6% under the age of 18, 2.4% from 18 to 24, 10.8% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 51.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 66 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $71,019, and the median income for a family was $82,807. Males had a median income of $38,906 versus $47,188 for females. The per capita income for the city was $47,614. About 4.8% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 97.94% of all residents, while Spanish was the mother tongue of 2.05% of the population.

As of 2000, Atlantis had the 126th highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 1.70% of the populace. It had the sixteenth highest percentage of Syrian residents in the US, at 1.20% of the city's population, and the tenth highest percentage of Australian residents in the US, at 1.10% of its population (tied with Mad River, Ohio, Lebanon, Maine and Gilmer, Illinois).

Economy
Atlantis is home to JFK Medical Center, site of the first reported case that turned out to be part of the 2001 anthrax attacks. It is the largest employer in Atlantis.

title: Atlantis, Florida


text:
Belle Glade, Florida

Belle Glade is a city in south-central Florida and it is the far western part of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 16,698, down from 17,467 in the 2010 census.

Belle Glade (and the surrounding area) is sometimes referred to as "Muck City" due to the large quantity of muck, in which sugarcane grows, found in the area. Despite being located in the South Florida region of the state, Belle Glade is culturally more associated with the Florida Heartland.

For a time during the early to mid 1980s, the city had the highest rate of AIDS infection per capita (37 cases in a population of roughly 19,000) in the United States. According to the FBI, in 2003, the city had the second highest violent crime rate in the country at 298 per 10,000 residents. In 2010, the Palm Beach County sheriff's office estimated that half of the young men in Belle Glade between the ages of 18 and 25 had felony convictions.

Pre-historic
The Belle Glade or Okeechobee culture was an archaeological culture that extended around Lake Okeechobee and included the lower Kissimmee River valley. It existed from as early as 1000 BCE until about 1700 CE. The culture is named for the Belle Glade site, which was excavated in the mid-1930s as part of a Civil Works Administration project. The Belle Glade site included a midden and a burial mound.

Settlement
The town of Belle Glade was founded during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. During that period, there were a series of efforts made to put in place drainage systems to reclaim dry land from the Everglades, including land around Lake Okeechobee. It was hoped that the reclaimed acreage could be put to better use, including agriculture. In 1921 the Florida legislature established an agricultural research station at Belle Glade to study methods of growing crops on reclaimed Everglades land. At that time, there were already 16 settlements on and around Lake Okeechobee, inhabited by around 2,000 people.

A settlement, originally named Hillsboro, was built at what is now Belle Glade in 1925. In 1926 the Florida East Coast Railway extended its system to Belle Glade, which helped the town's development.

1928 hurricane
A powerful hurricane struck the area on September 16, 1928. The storm winds caused Lake Okeechobee to overflow its banks, inundating towns around the lake and causing widespread damage in Belle Glade. According to figures compiled by the Florida Department of Health, the storm killed 611 people in Belle Glade alone, and a total of over 1,800 statewide. Contemporary accounts stated that most of the dead were Black migrant farmworkers, a "large percentage" of whom were believed to be from the Bahamas. Belle Glade was rebuilt, and a large dike was erected to protect towns around the lake from storm-driven overflows.

World War II
German prisoners of war were confined in camps located at Belle Glade and nearby Clewiston during World War II.

HIV/AIDS
In the early 1980s, researchers began to notice a large number of people with AIDS in Belle Glade. The disease had first been identified by doctors in New York and California in 1981, and it was largely associated with communities of gay men in and around large cities. In Belle Glade, however, people with AIDS mainly identified as heterosexual, and around half were women. Some researchers, and notably Dr. Mark Whiteside and Dr. Carolyn MacLeod of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, in Miami, hypothesized that AIDS in Belle Glade might be connected to poverty and poor living conditions in the city's "colored town," where many people diagnosed with the disease also lived. Their theory, along with the very high per capita AIDS rate in Belle Glade, brought notoriety to the town as the "AIDS capital of the world." Whiteside and MacLeod's theory turned out to be incorrect, but subsequent research conducted in Belle Glade shaped scientific knowledge about the transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, through heterosexual sex.

In recent years
Today, the area around Lake Okeechobee is fertile and farming is an important industry. Sugar cane and vegetables are grown.

Migrant farmworkers are an important part of the labor force. Belle Glade received national attention when a 1960 CBS television documentary, Harvest of Shame, graphically depicted the local migrant farmerworkers' daily existence and working conditions. Men and women still gather around 5 a.m. in the same lot you see at the beginning of Harvest of Shame, waiting for buses to take them to the fields. The "loading ramp," as it's called, is a bleak, empty lot, surrounded by some small buildings with bars on the windows and a boarded up storefront. As of May 2014 the city has plans "to demolish the loading ramp and turn it into a park."

The town is known for its football tradition, and together with nearby Pahokee has "sent at least 60 players to the National Football League".

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 sqmi, of which 4.7 sqmi are land and 0.21% is water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,698 people, 6,324 households, and 4,052 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 17,467 people, 5,832 households, and 3,879 families residing in the city.

2000 census
In 2000, 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.62.

In 2000, the population was spread out, with 33.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $22,715, and the median income for a family was $26,756. Males had a median income of $26,232 versus $21,410 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,159. About 28.5% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.1% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 61.03% of all residents, while Spanish as a mother tongue consisted of 26.87%, Haitian Creole comprised 11.00%, and French made up 1.07% of the population.

As of 2000, Belle Glade had the tenth highest percentage of Haitian residents in the United States, at 11.50% of the populace. It also had the sixtieth highest percentage of Cuban residents nationally, at 5.98% of the population.

Economy

The cane sugar mill of the "Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative" (SCGC) is located at Belle Glade. During the crop season the factory employs 550 people.

As of Feb. 2013, the official unemployment rate was about 15%; however, the town's mayor suggested the actual unemployment rate was closer to 40%. The number of jobs available locally dropped as local agriculture shifted from vegetables to sugarcane, a more highly mechanized crop.

The United States Postal Service operates the Belle Glade Post Office.

The Florida Department of Corrections operated the Glades Correctional Institution in an unincorporated area in Palm Beach County near Belle Glade. It was founded in 1932, employed about 350, had a capacity of 918 inmates and was scheduled for closure in December 2011.

Parks and recreation

The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail runs through Belle Glade.

Education
School District of Palm Beach County operates public schools.

Elementary schools

 * Gove Elementary
 * Belle Glade Elementary
 * Glade View Elementary
 * Pioneer Park Elementary
 * Sellew Belle Glade Excel Charter School

Middle schools

 * Lake Shore Middle School

High schools

 * Glades Central High School

Private schools

 * Glades Day School
 * Lakeside Academy

College

 * Palm Beach State College – Belle Glade Campus

Notable people

 * Reidel Anthony, former NFL wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Brad Banks, CFL quarterback, Winnipeg Blue Bombers; 2002 Heisman Trophy first runner-up for the University of Iowa
 * Kelvin Benjamin, NFL wide receiver
 * Travis Benjamin, NFL wide receiver and punt returner
 * Rashaad Duncan, Former NFL Defensive Tackle for Tampa Bay, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins
 * Jessie Hester, former NFL wide receiver, Los Angeles Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams
 * Santonio Holmes, NFL wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears; Super Bowl XLIII MVP
 * James Lee, NFL offensive lineman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Barkevious Mingo, NFL linebacker, Arizona Cardinals
 * Jimmy Moreland, NFL cornerback, Washington Football Team
 * Louis Oliver, former NFL safety, Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals
 * Fred Taylor, former NFL running back, Jacksonville Jaguars
 * Deonte Thompson, NFL wide receiver
 * Andre Waters, former NFL safety, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals
 * Rhondy Weston, former NFL defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns

In popular culture
In CBS Reports' 1960 program Harvest of Shame, Belle Glade plays a prominent role as a source of migrant agricultural labor.

The final scenes of the crime novel Pretty Little Things by Jilliane Hoffman take place in a sugarcane plantation near Belle Glade.

The high school football culture of Belle Glade is the subject of the non-fiction book, Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town by author Bryan Mealer.

The psychedelic pop band of Montreal released a track titled, "Belle Glade Missionaries" on their 2013 album, Lousy with Sylvianbriar.

In Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, characters Janie and Tea Cake join other African American migrant workers in picking beans in Belle Glade.

title: Belle Glade, Florida


text:
Belle Glade Camp, Florida

Belle Glade Camp was a former census-designated place (CDP) and current unincorporated place in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,141 at the 2000 census.

Geography
Belle Glade Camp is located at 26.65972°N, -80.6825°W (26.659764, -80.682615).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.2 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,141 people, 284 households, and 232 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 917.8 /km2. There were 294 housing units at an average density of 236.5 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 13.15% White (1.4% Non-Hispanic White), 69.59% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 10.60% from other races, and 6.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.66% of the population.

In 2000, there were 284 households, out of which 54.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 29.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 14.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.02 and the average family size was 4.35.

In 2000, in the former CDP, the population was spread out, with 46.3% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $20,278, and the median income for a family was $17,656. Males had a median income of $22,574 versus $15,455 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $4,995. About 57.1% of families and 62.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 70.1% of those under age 18 and 74.1% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, English as a first language was spoken by 59.21% of all residents, while French Creole accounted for 25.84% and Spanish was the mother tongue for 14.94% of the population.

Schools

 * Crestwood Middle School
 * Glades Central High School

title: Belle Glade Camp, Florida


text:
Boca Del Mar, Florida

Boca Del Mar was a former census-designated place (CDP) and current unincorporated place near Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,832 at the 2000 census. While it is not officially in the City of Boca Raton, the community is often classified under its umbrella term.

The development was first planned in 1969 as "Boca Granada" by the Behring Development Company, who previously developed Tamarac Lakes, and Woodmont and The Woodlands in the Fort Lauderdale area. The name was changed to its current moniker to avoid confusion of a nearby condominium complex, and the first approval for a planned unit development was granted in 1971. Behring was sold to Cerro Corporation in 1972 and Leadership Housing, Incorporated was formed, a joint-venture between Cerro and the real estate development arm of another conglomerate Texaco Industries, who had previously developed Anaheim Hills. Leadership Housing would develop other upscale communities in the area, and construction progressed significantly in the 1980s.

Geography
Boca Del Mar is located at 26.345°N, -80.14667°W (26.344957, -80.146590), or approximately three miles southwest of Boca Raton.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.4 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,832 people, 10,911 households, and 5,662 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,096.9 /km2. There were 12,009 housing units at an average density of 1,153.4 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.43% White (87.7% were Non-Hispanic White), 1.23% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.16% of the population.

In 2000, there were 10,911 households, out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.1% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.60.

In 2000, in the former CDP, the population was spread out, with 14.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $52,335, and the median income for a family was $69,531. Males had a median income of $49,013 versus $35,485 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $36,983. About 1.7% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, English as a first language accounted for 83.16% of all residents, and Spanish accounted for 8.46%, French was spoken by 1.14%, both Hebrew and Portuguese totaled at 1.12%, Italian made up 0.99%, German was at 0.89%, Yiddish at 0.84%, both Chinese and Russian were at 0.59%, and French Creole was 0.44% of the population.

As of 2000, Boca Del Mar west of Powerline Road, as well as Boca Grove Plantation and the Estancias of Via Verde to the north, are notable for their significant concentration of Orthodox Jewish communities primarily including the Montoya and Del Prado Circle areas. There are a number of sizable synagogues, kosher restaurants, markets, and other establishments catering to these communities located in the area.

title: Boca Del Mar, Florida


text:
Boca Pointe, Florida

Boca Pointe was a former census-designated place (CDP) and current unincorporated place near Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,302 at the 2000 census. The CDP was not included in the 2010 census. While it is not officially in the City of Boca Raton, the community is frequently classified under its umbrella term.

Geography
Boca Pointe was located at 26.33615°N, -80.16111°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 3.0 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,302 people, 1,824 households, and 1,136 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,108.6 /km2. There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of 701.4 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.64% White (95.6% were Non-Hispanic White,) 0.39% African American, 0.61% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.36% of the population.

In 2000, there were 1,824 households, out of which 5.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 2.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.21.

In 2000, in the former CDP, the population was spread out, with 4.6% under the age of 18, 1.5% from 18 to 24, 9.3% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 52.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 66 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $90,476, and the median income for a family was $104,601. Males had a median income of $81,611 versus $37,143 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $66,797. None of the families and 2.0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 2.2% of those over 64.

As of 2000, English as a first language accounted for 94.11% of all residents, while Spanish made up 4.87%, and French was the mother tongue for 1.00% of the population.

title: Boca Pointe, Florida