Orlando, Florida
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"Orlando" redirects here. For other uses, see Orlando (disambiguation).
Orlando
City
City of Orlando

Top row: Downtown Orlando; 2nd row: Orange County Courthouse, Universal Studios Florida, Walt Disney World; 3rd row: Gatorland, SeaWorld Orlando,Amway Center; 4th row: Lake Eola fountain, The Mall at Millenia, Church Street Station

Flag

Seal

Nickname(s): "The City Beautiful," "O-Town,"[1]"Theme Park Capital of the World"[2][3][4]

Location in Orange County and the state of Florida

Orlando
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 28°24′57″N 81°17′56″WCoordinates: 28°24′57″N 81°17′56″W[5]
Country
United States
State
Florida
County
Orange
Settled
July 31, 1875
Incorporated
1885
Government
• Type
Mayor–Commission
• Mayor
Buddy Dyer (D)
Area[5]
• City
110.7 sq mi (287 km2) • Land
102.4 sq mi (265 km2) • Water
8.3 sq mi (21 km2)
Elevation[6]
82 ft (25 m)
Population (2012)[7] • City
249,562
• Rank
77th US • Density
2,327.3/sq mi (898.6/km2) • Urban
1,510,516 (32nd) • Metro
2,267,846 (26th) • CSA
2,975,658 (17th)
Demonym
Orlandoan
Time zone
EST (UTC-5) • Summer (DST)
EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s)
32801–32899
Area code(s)
321, 407
FIPS code
12-53000
GNIS feature ID
0288240[6]
Website www.cityoforlando.net Orlando /ɔrˈlændoʊ/ is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in Central Florida, it is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Greater Orlandometropolitan area. The Greater Orlando metropolitan area has a population of 2,134,411, making it the 26th largest metro area in the United States, the sixth largest metro area in the Southeastern United States, and the third largest metro area in the state of Florida. According to the 2010 census, Orlando has a city-proper population of 238,300 making it the 77th largest city in the United States, this is mostly attributed to the fact that the majority of area residents live in surrounding suburbs outside of city limits. Orlando is the fifth largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city.
Orlando is nicknamed "The City Beautiful" and its symbol is the fountain at Lake Eola. Orlando is also known as "The Theme Park Capital of the World" and its tourist attractions draw more than 51 million tourists a year, including 3.6 million international guests.[8] The Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the thirteenth busiest airport in the United States and the 29th busiest in the world.[9] Buddy Dyer is Orlando's mayor.
As the most visited American city in 2009,[10] Orlando's famous attractions form the backbone of its tourism industry: Walt Disney World Resort, located approximately 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Downtown Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, opened by the Walt Disney Company in 1971; the Universal Orlando Resort, which consists of the two parks of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure; City Walk; SeaWorld; Gatorland; and Wet 'n Wild Water Park. With the exception of Walt Disney World, most major attractions are located along International Drive. The city is also one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions.
Like other major cities in the Sun Belt, Orlando grew rapidly during the 1980s and into the first decade of the 21st century. Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida, which is the second-largest university campus in the United States in terms of enrollment as of 2012. In 2010, Orlando was listed as a "Gamma−" level of world-city in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory.[11] Orlando ranks as the fourth most popular American city based on where people want to live according to a 2009Pew Research Center study.[12]
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 Pre-European history
1.2 Settlement
1.3 Incorporation
1.4 After Industrial Revolution
1.5 Tourism in history
1.6 Present day
2 Geography and cityscape
2.1 Skyscrapers
2.1.1