"The City Beautiful" and "The Theme Park Capital of the World" are the nemaes used to describe Orlando, a city situtated in the U.S. state of Florida and a popular tourist destination. The city's theme parks attracts over 51 million people annually and its Orlando International Airport is the thirteenth busiest airport in the United States. But how did the city come to being?
"The City Beautiful" and "The Theme Park Capital of the World" are the nemaes used to describe Orlando, a city situtated in the U.S. state of Florida and a popular tourist destination. The city's theme parks attracts over 51 million people annually and its Orlando International Airport is the thirteenth busiest airport in the United States. But how did the city come to being?
Before 1536, not much is none about the city of Orlando, but there are some archaeological sites that suggests that it was inhabited by the native Americans. They would later be pushed out of their villages by the European farmers. The first European recorded to have settled in the city is Aaron Jernigan, a cattleman who acquired land on the shores of Lake Holden through the provisions of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842.
The name 'Orlando'
There a re many conflicting stories as to where the name Orlando came from, but the most credible one comes from the historians of the city. It is said that during the Second Seminole War, the US Army established a military camp at a place they named Fort Gatlin but in 1836, the camp was abandoned after the war.
Most pioneers of the citywould not arrive until the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. After the war, the settlers earned their living through cattle ranching. One of these people was called Orlando Savage Rees. His descedants would later tell historians that their Great Grand father was an influential man who owned thousands of acres of land on which the city is built and thus, it is named after him.
The following steps illustrate the development of the city thereafter:
1. 1845 - Mosquito County was divided
2. 1856 - Orlando became the county seat of the new Orange County.
3. during the Civil War, the city remained largely rural and even suffered the Blockade.
4. July 31, 1875 - This was the reconstruction era during which the city was registered as a town
5. 1885 - Orlando was registered as a city.
6. 1875 to 1895 - This period is considered the golden era of the city of Orlando. Most of the grove farmers consolidated their holdings bringing forth the 'citrus barons' who shifted the operations south to Lake Wales in Polk County
Today
1. The city is home to Walt Disney World Resort, which consists of the two parks of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure such as City Walk, SeaWorld, Gatorland, and Wet 'n Wild Water Par.
2. It is also home to University of Central Florida, the second largest university in the United states by enrolment.
3. The city was listed as a "Gamma−" level of world-city according to World Cities Study Group’s inventory.
4. It is is also the fourth most popular city to live according to a study done in 2009 by Pew Research Center
