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74-699: Give Kids The World Village is an 89-acre nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida that provides critically ill children and their families with week-long wish vacations at no cost. Half of all critically ill children eligible for a wish choose to visit Central Florida and its theme parks. Give Kids The World aims to fulfill that wish, providing children and their families with all-inclusive vacations including transportation, accommodations, food, theme park tickets, and entertainment. Give Kids The World has accommodated nearly 177,000 families from all 50 U.S. states and 76 countries throughout its history, and has been given

148-528: A wildfire hazard exists. During some years, fires have been severe. In 1998, a strong El Niño caused an unusually wet January and February, followed by drought throughout the spring and early summer, causing a record wildfire season that created numerous air-quality alerts in Orlando and severely affected normal daily life, including the postponement of that year's Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in nearby Daytona Beach . Like much of Florida, while hurricanes are

222-752: A 2020 population of 418,404, making it the 100th largest in the United States . 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

296-407: A Give Kids The World wish. More than 250 wish-granting organizations around the world determine the eligibility of each child and work with Give Kids The World to arrange each wish. 28°17′25″N 81°27′27″W  /  28.290324°N 81.457508°W  / 28.290324; -81.457508 Kissimmee, Florida Kissimmee ( / k ɪ ˈ s ɪ m i / kih- SIM -ee )

370-516: A board chair elected at-large . Osceola County has a school board of five members elected from single-member districts. Lake and Seminole counties have school boards of five members elected by county-wide vote from districts in which they must reside. The school districts in the Greater Orlando metro area each have a professional superintendent who manages the day-to-day operations of the district. The superintendent in each of those districts

444-545: A coastal route through Charleston, South Carolina , and Fayetteville, North Carolina , while Silver Star moves inland through Columbia, South Carolina , and Raleigh, North Carolina . Orlando was eastern terminus of the Amtrak Sunset Limited , until damage to train bridges caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 halted service east of New Orleans . As of April 2017 , restoration of Amtrak service from New Orleans to Orlando appears to be unlikely. Orlando

518-498: A day with two paved airport runways—respectively 5,000 and 6,000 feet (1,500 and 1,800 m). 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

592-564: A four-star rating from Charity Navigator for 15 years in a row, a rating in the top 1% of U.S. charities. Give Kids The World was founded by Henri Landwirth . Born in Antwerp, Belgium , Henri spent five years in the Auschwitz and Matthausen concentration camps during World War II . By the war's end, both of his parents had been killed, but Henri and his twin sister, Margot, survived and were reunited. Henri then immigrated to America on

666-610: A freight ship. He was soon drafted into the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War . After his service, Henri used the G.I. Bill to study hotel management while working the night desk at Manhattan's Wellington Hotel. In 1954, he moved to Florida and began managing the 100-room Starlite Motel. This was followed by him opening a franchised Holiday Inn in Orlando. In the 1980s, Henri began offering complimentary hotel rooms to children with life-threatening illnesses who wished to visit Walt Disney World . One day, Henri noticed that

740-408: A full year. Additional colleges and universities in the Greater Orlando area include: The primary major airports of the area are Orlando International Airport , at SR 528 Exit 11/SR 417 Exit 17, and Orlando Sanford International Airport , at SR 417 Exit 49. Orlando International (MCO) is a focus city of JetBlue and Southwest Airlines . AirTran Airways was headquartered in Orlando and had

814-420: 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. Multinational multi-level marketing company Tupperware Brands

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888-411: A major hub in Orlando but it was merged into Southwest. JetBlue also has a training facility known as JetBlue University, and is the main training center for JetBlue's pilots, inflight crew, plus support training for its technical operations and customer service crew. JetBlue also provides general aircraft maintenance and LiveTV installation and maintenance in Orlando. Orlando Sanford International (SFB)

962-528: A major juice flavoring plant in Apopka . Other agricultural pursuits, particularly cattle farming, remain important parts of the Central Florida economy, but are now all located on the outer fringes of the metro area. Orlando is also a major food processing center. Metro Orlando has served as a major military defense and aerospace center since World War II. The most prominent defense contractor in

1036-525: A monument. In March 2013, a paifang was unveiled at the entrance to the Chinatown plaza, "... helping legitimize the plaza as a center for Chinese commerce." The Chinatown features an eclectic blend of Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese and Indian cultures through its numerous pan-Asian businesses. According to an article by the Orlando Weekly, the location of Orlando's Chinatown was once

1110-615: A multi-modal transportation hub between Neptune Road and Monument Street. 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

1184-480: 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: 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

1258-570: 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

1332-629: A reservation for a young girl named Amy, who had leukemia , had been cancelled. While he had donated the accommodations, the other travel arrangements had taken too long, and Amy died before she could make the trip. Heartbroken, Henri vowed to never let a child's wish go unfulfilled. In 1986, with the support of multiple partners and individuals, Henri founded Give Kids The World Village. The Village now encompasses 89 acres, 166 private wish family villas, and an array of accessible rides, attractions and venues. The Village encompasses 166 private storybook villas, four accessible rides and attractions, including

1406-525: A risk, the Orlando metro region's inland location gives the region more protection from storms, than compared to southern and coastal regions of the state. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) inland from the Atlantic and 77 miles (124 km) inland from the Gulf of Mexico . Despite its location, the city does see strong hurricanes, as was seen in the 2004 hurricane season , when the Orlando metro region

1480-499: Is also proposed. A Chinatown ( Chinese : 奥兰多唐人街 ; pinyin : Àolánduō táng rén jiē ) is situated at 5060 West Colonial Drive (located outside city limits) as of 2002. According to the West Orlando News, the Chinatown features a monument of Sun Yat Sen , a donation from his granddaughter Lily Sun who unveiled it on the 87th anniversary of his death in 2012, making this the first commercial location to hold such

1554-544: 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 . 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

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1628-514: 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. 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,

1702-556: Is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the school board. As of 2023, the Orange County Public School District is currently the 8th-largest public school district in the nation. The University of Central Florida is a nationally recognized 4-year public university in the region. As of the Fall 2020 semester, the university's student population was 71,948, making it the largest university in

1776-609: Is based in Kissimmee. According to Kissimmee's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top employers are: 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

1850-491: 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 ). 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

1924-620: Is further listed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as part of the Orlando–Lakeland–Deltona, Florida Combined Statistical Area (CSA). This includes the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach ( Volusia and Flagler counties), Lakeland-Winter Haven ( Polk County ), and Wildwood - The Villages ( Sumter County ) MSAs. As of the 2010 census , the Combined Statistical Area population

1998-569: Is generally served by charter flights from Europe, though it is also a hub for national small-city carrier Allegiant Air and home to Delta Connection Academy, a pilot training school. In the Combined Statistical Area, Daytona Beach International Airport and Leesburg International Airport also serves the area, and is used by many tourists seeking to directly connect to Daytona Beach's many local offerings, such as Daytona Beach Bike Week , Speedweeks and Spring Break . It

2072-758: Is located so its runways cradle Daytona International Speedway , making it convenient for some fans to arrive in Daytona, watch the Daytona 500 or Coke Zero 400 , and then return home the same day. Daytona Beach International also serves as the main airport for pilot training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University . Municipal airports in the region include Orlando Executive Airport , Kissimmee Gateway Airport , Ormond Beach Municipal Airport and DeLand Municipal Airport . Limited-access highways in Greater Orlando include: The Beachline, Central Florida GreeneWay, East-West Expressway and Western Expressway are all run by

2146-651: Is now the location of the Orlando International Airport . Farther north in Sanford, the Orlando Sanford International Airport was originally Naval Air Station Sanford. Metro Orlando's economy has greatly diversified from tourism, and the area is now considered a primary city for the modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) industry. The University of Central Florida is home to more than 60,000 students,

2220-481: Is provided by LYNX . LYNX operates 88 routes as of January 28, 2019. LYNX provides service on local, limited-stop (FastLink), and neighborhood, on-demand circulator routes (NeighborLink). Lynx had express routes into Clermont and Volusia County, but these were eliminated in 2014 due to the opening of SunRail. Volusia County is primarily served locally by Votran and Lake County is primarily served locally by LakeXpress . The SunRail opened for operation in 2014 and

2294-647: Is targeting the biotechnology and life sciences industries, with major new projects clustering in the Lake Nona Medical City . In addition to the UCF College of Medicine, a VA Hospital , a Sanford-Burnham Institute research center and a Nemours Foundation children's hospital are being constructed. Tavistock Group , an investment firm that held 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) of land immediately southeast of Orlando International Airport began formulating new possibilities for its land use after

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2368-566: 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. The climate in this area

2442-529: 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

2516-789: Is usually named as the initial focus of plans for a Florida High Speed Rail system in which the majority of its residents had supported, but 2.4 billion dollars of federal funding for this new system were refused by Governor Rick Scott of Florida after taking office in January 2011. Scott said that Florida taxpayers would be stuck with paying for expected large cost overruns if the rail system were built. Orlando will be served by Brightline at Orlando International Airport's new intermodal terminal. Current service runs from Miami to West Palm Beach , with construction to Orlando to begin in March 2019. In addition, an extension of Brightline to Tampa

2590-521: The Auto Train , which transports people and their vehicles, without intermediate station stops, directly to Washington, D.C., via Lorton, Virginia . The other stations are served by the Silver Meteor and Silver Star , which both travel to New York City. The difference between the two lines is their paths through the states of South Carolina and North Carolina : Silver Meteor takes

2664-566: The 2020 U.S. Census , the population of Greater Orlando is 2,673,376, an increase of nearly 540,000 new residents between 2010 and 2020. By population, it is the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida, the seventh-largest in the southeastern United States , and the 22nd largest in the United States . The MSA encompasses 4,012 square miles (10,400 km ) of total area (both land and water areas). The Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford MSA

2738-780: The Central Florida Expressway Authority . Florida's Turnpike and portions of tollways not inside Orange County are run by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, a special district of the Florida Department of Transportation . Major surface highways include US 17 , US 92 and US 441 (which overlap through Orlando as Orange Blossom Trail ), US 27 (Claude Pepper Highway), US 192 (Irlo Bronson Highway), SR 50 (Colonial Drive and Cheney Highway), John Young Parkway , and International Drive . Bus transportation in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties

2812-517: The Köppen climate classification , Orlando has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ). The two basic seasons in the Orlando area are a hot and rainy season, lasting from May until late October (roughly coinciding with the Atlantic hurricane season ), and a warm and dry season from November through April. The area's relatively low elevation and close proximity to the Tropic of Cancer are what accentuate

2886-571: The heat index to over 110 °F (43 °C). The city's highest recorded temperature is 103 °F (39 °C), set on September 8, 1921. Strong afternoon thunderstorms are common daily during these months, caused by the air mass from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over the region. These storms can be quite powerful, bringing heavy torrential downpours, powerful winds, and even damaging hail . Humidity cools off during

2960-400: The 3.23% Asians living in Kissimmee, 1.1% were Indian and 0.8% were Filipino . 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 inhabitants per square mile (1,106.8/km ). There were 19,642 housing units at an average density of 1,177.6 per square mile (454.7/km ). The racial makeup of the city

3034-721: The Disney Programs division of The Walt Disney Company . The DCP is located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando (another version of the DCP is also featured at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim , California ). The program recruits college students (ages 18 and older) of all majors for a semester-long paid work experience program at either the Orlando or Anaheim resorts, with the option of extending to almost

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3108-768: The Enchanted Carousel, the Jurassic Junction (JJ's) train experience, Kelly's Sunny Swing and Lori's Magical Flight, the Gingerbread House Restaurant, the Serendipity pirate-themed entertainment stage, two wheelchair accessible pools, Jack's Wacky WaterWorks splash pad, horseback riding, a nature trail, gardens and koi pond, Henri's Starlite Scoops, a space-themed accessible ice cream parlor, Jersey Jaxson's Playroom, Julie's Safari Theater, Matthew's Boundless Playground (featuring

3182-698: 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 . Osceola Library System operates the Hart Memorial Central Library in Kissimmee. There are only two hospitals in Kissimmee, AdventHealth Kissimmee and HCA Florida Osceola Hospital . Greater Orlando According to

3256-587: The Orlando area economy, but has declined over the past 100 years. The Christmas 1989 impact freeze proved particularly damaging to commercial citrus farming within Greater Orlando. There are still three major orange juice plants remaining in the area: Cutrale Citrus Juices in Leesburg ; Florida's Natural Growers in Umatilla ; and Silver Springs Citrus in Howey-in-the-Hills . Minute Maid maintains

3330-671: 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

3404-547: The State Board of Governors in 2006. That decision was key to attracting Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute to Central Florida. Tavistock then donated another 50 acres (20 ha) and $ 17.5 million to Sanford-Burnham which allowed Sanford-Burnham's East Coast expansion. In February and March 2007 respectively, Nemours and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs announced Lake Nona as

3478-437: The United States, and provides direct shuttles from Orlando International Airport to the training facility. Only the firm's employees are permitted on the grounds. In Florida, each county has a school district coterminous with the county, distinct from the county government. Each school district is headed by an elected school board . Orange County has a school board with seven members elected from single-member districts plus

3552-500: The Westside Crossing Plaza, which was a Walmart shopping center with a Publix supermarket. In 2003, the old shopping center was converted to house "... 60 pan-Asian businesses and restaurants." Financing for the project came from Chinese investors. The Orlando Sentinel further states that "... by retrofitting the mostly vacant strip center, which includes a former Wal-Mart discount store and Publix supermarket,

3626-494: The addition of four new stations. Church Street Station , once a stop along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , has since been redeveloped as an urban night life center, while the station itself will serve as Downtown Orlando's centerpiece SunRail stop. Amtrak serves stations in the area in Kissimmee , Orlando , Winter Park , Sanford and DeLand . The Sanford station is the southern terminus for

3700-488: The area is Lockheed Martin , which operates both a laboratory and a manufacturing facility in Orlando. Military presence began in the 1940s, with the opening of McCoy Air Force Base and the Orlando Naval Training Center. McCoy AFB was a major hub of B-52 Stratofortress operations. McCoy AFB was split between the city and NTC Orlando in 1974, and NTC Orlando closed in the mid-1990s. McCoy AFB

3774-593: The area was struck by Hurricane Frances , then Hurricane Jeanne three weeks later. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 17.32 square miles (44.9 km ), of which 16.7 square miles (43 km ) is land and 0.6 square miles (2 km ), comprising 3.7%, is water. 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

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3848-450: The area. On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed through Kissimmee with winds in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), 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,

3922-400: 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

3996-407: The city to work. Greater Orlando is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world thanks to the many theme parks in the area. Famous attractions include Walt Disney World , SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando . Millions of tourists visit these and other attractions every year. In 2015, the Orlando area attracted 68 million people. The citrus industry historically dominated

4070-508: 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

4144-410: 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

4218-475: The commitments made by the economic development statements. The study then released new projections for the 10-year period which included 30,000 jobs created and a $ 7.6 billion economic impact. In January 2020, KPMG completed construction of a $ 450 million, 55 acre, state-of-the-art training facility in the Lake Nona region of the Greater Orlando area. The site hosts KPMG professionals for training from across

4292-597: The decline in tourism to the state. Tavistock decided to use part of the land to establish a bio-sciences cluster. In 2005, the state of Florida along with Tavistock Group and the University of Central Florida agreed that Tavistock would donate 50 acres (20 ha) and $ 12.5 million (which the state would match for a total of $ 25 Million) to start the UCF College of Medicine and the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. The UCF College of Medicine won approval from

4366-531: 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 . 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

4440-413: The humidity during the summer months, when temperatures typically reach as high as the low 90s °F (32–34 °C), while low temperatures below the low 70s °F (22–24 °C) are pretty rare. The average window for 90 °F (32 °C) temperatures is April 9 to October 14. The area's humidity acts as a buffer, usually preventing actual temperatures from exceeding 100 °F (38 °C), but also pushing

4514-478: 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

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4588-434: 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 km ) 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

4662-491: The nation by enrollment . The university's 1,415 acre main campus is situated in northeast Orange County. Nearby Winter Park is the home of Rollins College , a private college situated only a few miles from Downtown Orlando . In 2012, it was ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report amongst regional universities in the South. The Disney College Program ( DCP ) is a United States national internship program operated by

4736-507: The second largest public university campus by enrollment , and established the UCF College of Medicine in 2006. The Central Florida Research Park is the seventh largest research park in the United States by number of employees, and fourth largest by number of companies. In addition to having a Lockheed Martin branch, it also hosts other major hi-tech companies such as Oracle Corporation , Electronic Arts , and Siemens . Orlando

4810-659: The second phase expansion into Osceola County opened on July 30, 2018, with terminal stations at Poinciana and DeBary. Studies are being conducted to extend SunRail to Orlando International Airport (OIA) and Deland. SunRail (formerly referred to as Central Florida Commuter Rail) is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida area, linking Poinciana to DeBary through Downtown Orlando. Phase 1 opened in May 2014, and ran between DeBary and Sand Lake Station. Phase II opened in July 2018 and extended to Poinciana through Osceola County with

4884-606: The site of two new hospitals. Other prospective tenants of the Lake Nona Medical City included MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando , the University of Florida research center, and Valencia Community College . It was determined in 2008 from a study done by Arduin, Laffer and Moore Econometrics that the Lake Nona Medical City cluster has in two years reached 80% of the Milken Numbers which were based on

4958-478: The winter months, resulting in more comfortable temperatures. The monthly daily average temperature in January is 60.6 °F (15.9 °C). Temperatures dip below the freezing mark on an average of only 1.6 nights per year and the lowest recorded temperature is 18 °F (−8 °C), set on December 28, 1894 . The annual mean minimum is just above 30 °F (−1 °C) putting Orlando in hardiness zone 10a. There have been some instances of snow accumulation over

5032-615: The world's largest game of Candy Land ), Amberville Train Station, the Happy Harbor Fishing Pond, a chapel, and the Castle of Miracles (where the stars of every child who has visited are displayed on the ceiling). During a typical year, volunteers fill approximately 1,800 volunteer shifts each week. Children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed with a critical illness by a licensed doctor are eligible for

5106-407: The years (despite it being rare), such as in January 1977 (which had also reached Miami ), along with flurries that were observed in 1989 , 2006, and in 2010. The average annual rainfall in Orlando is 51.45 inches (1,307 mm), a majority of which occurs in the period from June to September. October through May are Orlando's dry season. During this period (especially in its later months), often

5180-634: Was 3,447,946, with a 2018 estimate at 4,096,575. The MSA was first defined in 1950 as the Orlando Standard Metropolitan Area, consisting solely of Orange County. Seminole County was added to the MSA in 1959, Osceola County in 1973, and Lake County in 1992. The name was changed to Orlando–Kissimmee MSA in 2004, and to Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford MSA in 2009. Like much of the Southern United States , according to

5254-409: 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

5328-556: 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,

5402-484: Was hit by three hurricanes that year ( Hurricane Charley the worst of the three). The following is a list of the fifteen largest cities in the Orlando metropolitan area as ranked by population. Principal cities (sometimes called primary cities) are defined by the OMB based on population size and employment. In general, a principal city has more non-residents commuting into the city to work than residents commuting out of

5476-450: Was included on President Obama's America's Great Outdoors list. Kissimmee is home to a number of golf courses and mini-golf courses. 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. The School District of Osceola County serves Kissimmee. High schools include: Kissimmee features

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