History of the city of Orlando, Florida

Statue of Orlando Reeves

Some historians trace the name of Orlando about 1836, when a soldier named Orlando Reeves allegedly died in the war of the Seminole Indian tribe. It seems that Orlando Reeves operate a sugar factory and plantation about 30 miles north of Spring Garden in Volusia County, and the settlers simply found his name carved in wood and assumed he was a marker for the grave. They are therefore intended to burial in Orlando, and later simply Orlando. During the year, the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Army established Fort Gatlin outpost a few miles south of the center of the modern city in 1838. But it was soon abandoned when the war ended.

The first permanent settler of producer Aaron Jernigan who acquired land along Lake Holden by the terms of the Act of 1842 armed occupation. But until after the Third Seminole War in 1850 most pioneers did not arrive. Most of the early residents made a living from farming. Orlando remained stagnant rural during the American Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Federal ban. Reconstruction was brought a population explosion, which led to the inclusion of the city in 1875.

Orlando became the center of activity of the citrus industry of Florida during the time of year 1875 to 1895 and it was known as the Gilded Era of Orlando. However, due to the great freeze many proprietors abandon their own plantations therefore uniting the properties to the top business kings in which changes operations into Lake Wales, Polk County. During the era between the Spanish-American war and the 1^st world war, Orlando was a famous resort on those years as the greatest inland city of Florida.  

In the economic history of Orlando, the vital event of the city’s economy happened when Walt Disney proclaimed to build Walt Disney World in Orlando during 1965. Although the cities of Tampa and Miami had been viewed by Disney but due to the threat of hurricanes it was not selected. During October 1971 the well-known vacation resort was opened showing the great boom of population and economic growth for the metropolitan area of Orlando which now covers Seminole, Orange, Lake Counties and Osceola. As a result of that, the most important feature of Orlando’s economy is tourism and is ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world. In addition to, the new Orlando International Airport built during 1970 from the air force base and it contributed to the growth of Orlando. There are four airlines scheduled to flight and in 1974 the military based closed and now become part of the airport. The airport has a world class facilities and it is most travelled airports in the world. 

During 1968 the Orlando Naval Training Center has been established. It provides trainings to the recruits and served as a base for chosen post basic training programs. However, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission ordered to close the base during 1993. In December 1998 the based was totally closed for good with their last graduates and that base has been developed into tracts for upscale housing called Baldwin Park. However, due to hurricanes in 2004, Hurricanes Frances, Charley, and Jeanne basted the area of Orlando that caused widespread damage and flooding and halt tourism to the place. In the present time, the historic core of Orlando occupies the Orlando Downtown on Church Street within Garland Avenue and Orange Avenue. During recent history the downtown horizon has been shaped by the urban development and the Central Business District.   

 Today, the historic core of "Old Orlando" is resides in Downtown Orlando along Church Street, between Orange Avenue and Garland Avenue. Urban development and the Central Business District of downtown have rapidly shaped the downtown skyline during recent history. The present-day historic district is primarily associated with the neighborhoods around Lake Eola where century old oaks line brick streets. These neighborhoods, known as "Lake Eola Heights" and "Thornton Park" contain some of the oldest homes in Orlando.