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71-669: CSX Transportation's Valrico Subdivision is a railroad line in Central Florida. It serves as CSX's main route through a region of Central Florida known as the Bone Valley , which contains the largest known deposits of phosphate in the United States. The Valrico Subdivision runs from a junction with CSX's S Line in Valrico east to Mulberry and Bartow before turning south to Fort Meade and Bowling Green for

142-575: A tropical climate . Unlike South Florida, where temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C) practically never occur, Central Florida can see occasional freezing temperatures in the some winters (though brief). Consequently, most of Central Florida cannot accommodate the same tropical plants found in Southern Florida with the exception of coastal areas in the Tampa Bay area , Brevard county , and Indian River county due to maritime influences of

213-405: A detrimental ripple effect on the economy. The hard-packed sand of Volusia County's beaches lent itself to auto races beginning in 1903 before paved roads were common, leading to the area's reputation for cars and racing. Ormond Beach was a popular spot for those who liked fast cars after the turn of the 20th century because the hard-packed beach was ideal for going fast. The same beach had led to

284-540: A high speed rail between Orlando and Miami is currently being developed by Brightline , who plans to extend the rail to Tampa after completion. Florida's public primary and secondary schools are administered by the Florida Department of Education . 28°55′37″N 81°43′17″W  /  28.92694°N 81.72139°W  / 28.92694; -81.72139 Main Line (Seaboard Air Line Railroad) By

355-620: A large swath of peninsular Florida. This area encompassed the interior, including the Orlando metropolitan area , and coastal stretches from the Citrus County south to the Hillsborough County in the west and from Volusia County south to Sebastian in the east. Central Florida is one of Florida's three most common directional regions, the others being North Florida and South Florida . Lamme and Oldakowski note that

426-600: A much lesser extent: Disney's Animal Kingdom and SeaWorld Orlando . Central Florida also has a wide variety of natural attractions including the Bok Tower Gardens , Wekiwa Springs State Park , Blue Spring State Park , Rock Springs Run State Reserve , Canaveral National Seashore , and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge . The region also boasts an extensive network of recreational trails (jogging, biking, equestrian, etc.). While many connections are already in place, construction continues and will link all of

497-497: A number of through freight trains instead ran the Andrews and Charleston Subdivisions between Hamlet, North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia to allow passenger trains to be prioritized on the main line. The Seaboard Air Line installed Centralized traffic control along the main line in the 1940s to improve efficiency. The Seaboard Air Line would also be the first railroad to install a talking hot box detector (the predecessor to

568-740: A threat to the coastal cities as evidenced by the 2004 hurricane season , which brought three major hurricanes to the Central Florida area: Charley , Jeanne , and Frances . Winters are dry and temperate with the average winter high temperature in Orlando being 71 °F (22 °C) and the average winter low temperature being 49 °F (9 °C). Summers are hot and humid with high temperatures averaging 92 °F (33 °C) and low temperatures averaging 75 °F (24 °C). Peak summer heat generally arrives in early June and continues to early October. The combination of high temperatures, high humidity, and opposing sea breezes from both

639-703: A total of 47 miles. Much of the Valrico Subdivision dates back to the early 1900s and was originally operated under the same name by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad , a CSX predecessor. Though track to Bowling Green was previously operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , another CSX predecessor. The Valrico Subdivision is currently CSX's busiest rail line thorough Bone Valley and carries large amounts of phosphate traffic, its main commodity. The line

710-468: Is a large contributor to Central Florida's economy. The area has economically diversified in the past decade. As a high-tech industrial hub, Metro Orlando has the seventh largest research park in the U.S., Central Florida Research Park , the engineering and business school of the University of Central Florida . It has defense companies such as Lockheed Martin and Siemens . Medical research

781-668: Is at milepost AX 882.7 in Bowling Green. Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida . Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Greater Orlando area , though in recent times the Tampa Bay area has often been described as its own region, with "Central Florida" becoming more synonymous with

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852-553: Is being developed in Central Florida. The first of these initiatives, SunRail , is a commuter rail line that runs from DeLand south to Kissimmee . The first phase was completed in 2014 with the full system in place in 2015. Amtrak also serves Central Florida running on CSX Transportation 's A line and stops at the Orlando Amtrak station . The Auto Train stops in Sanford, Florida , north of downtown Orlando. As of 2022,

923-515: Is in Marion County , was included. Although Citrus , Hernando , Hillsborough , Pasco , and Pinellas are also considered to be the Tampa Bay area. Like many vernacular regions, Central Florida's boundaries are not official or consistent, and are defined differently by different sources. A 2007 study of Florida's regions by geographers Ary Lamme and Raymond K. Oldakowski found that Floridians surveyed identified Central Florida as comprising

994-520: Is mostly dispatched by Track Warrant Control , though there is a small Centralized Traffic Control signal system around Mulberry between IMC and Ridgewood. The line serves phosphate facilities operated by The Mosaic Company , which was created in 2004 after the merger of Cargill Inc. and IMC Global . Mosaic's South Fort Meade Mine is located near the end of the Valrico Subdivision between Fort Meade and Bowling Green. The line also serves Mosaic's processing facility at Ridgewood and previously served

1065-507: Is prominent at Tampa's University of South Florida and Orlando's University of Central Florida , as well as the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute biomedical research facility. USF in particular is a national leader in cancer and dementia research. The Tampa Bay area has become a center of high-tech manufacturing and research, while both Orlando and the Tampa Bay area are centers for

1136-563: Is the closest port for tourists and Orlando residents alike to cruise on Disney Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruises . Future plans for the port include a rail and natural gas line running directly to Orlando International Airport. Another major seaport of the region is Port Tampa Bay , which is one of the busiest in the state and is on the verge of a huge expansion which will allow it to compete on an international level. Limited Access Freeways and Expressways : Major Surface Arterials: * U.S. Highway 41 A regional commuter rail network

1207-759: Is the only segment of the S-Line that still carries regular passenger service. From Savannah to the Ogeechee River in Richmond Hill, Georgia , the line was abandoned and consolidated with the A-Line shortly after the 1967 merger. Though, the original S-Line bridge over the Ogeechee River remained with its tracks removed next to the A-Line bridge until 2019. The S-Line was severed as a through route between Savannah and Jacksonville in 1986 when track

1278-603: Is the present day Orlando International Airport ; and Orlando Air Force Base , which was transferred to the Navy in 1968 and renamed Naval Training Center Orlando until its BRAC -directed closure in 1999 and conversion to the present day Baldwin Park neighborhood. The other major U.S. Government installations in Central Florida is the Kennedy Space Center , a NASA facility located adjacent to Cape Canaveral SFS, and

1349-554: The 2000 Presidential election . Central Florida's economy is very similar to that in South Florida. Compared to the more diversified North Florida economy, tourism is by far the most significant industry in Central and South Florida, along with a much smaller but significant agricultural industry. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey also found some cultural indicators that characterize Central Florida. In general, Central Florida

1420-662: The Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . Despite being a continuous line today, the milepost numbers on the Valrico Subdivision are not continuous throughout and remain as they originally were under predecessor companies (the Atlantic Coast Line and

1491-938: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic at Baldwin Park (former Orlando AFB Hospital / former Naval Hospital Orlando) and the VA Hospital at Lake Nona. Central Florida has four major zoos , the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Sanford , the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay animal park, and Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. There are also two theme parks in Orlando featuring animals, albeit to

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1562-563: The Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean . However, winters are still warmer than most other areas of the United States in winter. Central Florida’s typical high temperatures in the winter are around 70 °F (21 °C). The low temperatures near 50 F. At the end of the Civil War, aside from the cattle, cotton, and coastal lands, much of Central Florida was wetlands. It took a major drainage project financed by businessman Hamilton Disston in

1633-576: The Kennedy Space Center . Deltona was developed in 1962 as a planned retirement community. It is now the largest city in Volusia County. The construction of the Walt Disney World Resort was a transforming event for greater Orlando. Walt Disney wanted a location with abundant available land that was more accessible for the residents of the eastern United States to visit. Not only was there ample land in Central Florida, but it

1704-654: The Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad (which is today the Plant City Subdivision), which Seaboard had bought earlier that year. Seaboard extended the line east to Mulberry and Bartow in 1912. At the same time, Seaboard also built track from Edison Junction southeast to Bradley Junction to connect with the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway . The Valrico Subdivision crossed the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad 's Bone Valley Branch (now

1775-745: The South , people in the southern part of Central Florida did not typically identify their area as part of " Dixie ", while people in northern Central Florida did. People from Central Florida usually did not consider their region part of the Bible Belt . Politically, while North Florida overwhelmingly was considered conservative and South Florida was considered more liberal, the majority of Central Florida residents (52%) considered their area moderate; 41% considered it conservative, and 7% liberal. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey tracks with Barney Warf and Cynthia Waddell's studies of Florida's political geography during

1846-890: The St. Johns River , the Halifax River , the Ocklawaha River and the Econlockhatchee River . Major lakes include Lake Apopka , Lake Tohopekaliga , East Lake Tohopekaliga , Lake Louisa , Lake Monroe , Lake Jessup , and the Butler Chain of Lakes. There are over 100 miles (160 km) of coastline in Central Florida along the Atlantic Coast. Major beaches include Canaveral National Seashore , New Smyrna Beach , Daytona Beach , Cocoa Beach , and Indialantic Beach near Melbourne . Hurricanes are

1917-572: The Wildwood Subdivision from Baldwin to Owensboro . A short section of the S-Line from Owensboro to Zephyrhills via Dade City was abandoned by the Seaboard Coast Line shortly after the 1967 merger in favor of the ex-ACL line which circumnavigated the towns instead of going right through them. The Hardy Trail was built on some of the former right of way near Dade City in 2019. From Zephyrhills to Gary in Tampa

1988-658: The trails and greenways . Major trails include the Cady Way , Cross Seminole and West Orange Trails . Many of the top ranked beaches in the United States are located in Central Florida. Major international airports include: Port Canaveral , located in Cape Canaveral 45 minutes east of Orlando, is a cruise, cargo, and naval port. It is one of the busiest ports in Florida and is economically tied to Orlando. Locally perceived to be Orlando's seaport , Port Canaveral

2059-663: The 1880s to make these wetland areas available for settlement. Sanford was incorporated in 1877 as a port city at the Lake Monroe intersection and the St. Johns River. It was envisioned as a transportation center; the city's founder, Henry S. Sanford, nicknamed it "the Gate City of South Florida". It became a hub for shipping agricultural products, which earned the city another nickname, "Celery City". Kissimmee, originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J.H. Allen, who operated

2130-648: The Bone Valley Subdivision) in Mulberry. The junction of these two lines is today located in the median of State Road 37 and the lines are connected through Mulberry Yard. The line also connected to the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway (now the Achan Subdivision) in Mulberry which at the time went as far as Port Boca Grande where a vast majority of phosphate was shipped in the early 20th century. By 1916, Seaboard would extend

2201-465: The Bone Valley Subdivision) to be sent via rail throughout the country. The 47 miles of track that are today the Valrico Subdivision were built incrementally from the late 1800s and early 20th century as the phosphate industry in Bone Valley began expanding. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad built the segment of the line from Welcome Junction to Nichols around 1905. It was built as an extension of

Valrico Subdivision - Misplaced Pages Continue

2272-459: The Bonnie Mine just southeast of Mulberry. Both raw and processed phosphate from these facilities (as well as facilities on CSX's Brewster Subdivision and Bone Valley Subdivision ) are transported on the line to Valrico, where they continue on the S Line west to Tampa and then transferred to ships at Rockport Yard in Tampa. Phosphate is also sent north from Mulberry to Winston Yard (on

2343-503: The Gulf and Atlantic coasts, results in significant thunderstorm activity from June to September for the interior counties. Central Florida records more lightning strikes per area than any other region in Florida, and Florida records more lightning strikes than any other state in the US. As a result, Florida, and more specifically, Central Florida, is often referred to as the "Thunderstorm capital of

2414-828: The Navy Pinecastle Impact (Bombing) Range, and the Avon Park Air Force Range located inland. These are augmented by major commands that are tenant activities at these installations, such as the headquarters for United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) and the headquarters for United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill AFB , the Naval Ordnance Test Unit and Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral at Cape Canaveral SFS , and other Active, Reserve, Army National Guard , and Air National Guard activities that are located as either stand-alone facilities or as tenants on

2485-477: The Orlando area (most notably, this is what the local news channels in each respective metro area call their region). It is one of Florida's three directional regions, along with North Florida and South Florida . Under the previously mentioned "usual" definition, it includes the following 13 counties: Brevard , Citrus , Hernando , Hillsborough , Lake , Orange , Osceola , Pasco , Pinellas , Polk , Seminole , Sumter , and Volusia . Sometimes Ocala, which

2556-438: The S-Line in the mid 2000s and are both owned by Genesee & Wyoming . South of Yulee to Panama Park near Jacksonville is now CSX's Kingsland Subdivision . The S-Line Urban Greenway is now on the former right of way in northeast Jacksonville. The S-Line in Florida is CSX's primary freight route through the peninsula. From Jacksonville to Baldwin, the S-Line runs through CSX's Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision and runs on

2627-629: The Seaboard Air Line). The segment from Valrico to Welcome Junction (the Valrico Cutoff) is numbered independently from the rest of the line since that was the last track segment to be built. It is numbered SZ 0.0 through SZ 11.8. From Welcome Junction east to Bartow, the mileposts are numbered SV 834.2 through SV 851.1 (numbering which continues from the Plant City Subdivision ). When the line turns south on to

2698-543: The Seaboard's Miami Subdivision in West Lake Wales (which was also completed in the 1920s). The Cross Florida Limited would also have passenger stops in Mulberry and Bartow. The Mulberry depot still stands and is now a phosphate museum. The oldest trackage of the current Varico Subdivision is its south-easternmost trackage from Homeland (just south of Bartow) to Fort Meade and Bowling Green . This segment

2769-509: The Seaboard's passenger trains included the Florida and Metropolitan Limited , Atlanta Special , Suwanee River Special , Orange Blossom Special , Southern States Special , Cotton Blossom , Palmland , Silver Meteor , Silver Comet , Silver Star , Sunland , and Tidewater. Seaboard also had a number of fast, high-priority freight trains called Red Ball freights between various points on its system. However, from 1918 to 1966,

2840-507: The USA", or "Lightning Alley." These severe thunderstorms often make Central Florida prone to many tornadoes. However, they are usually small, short lived, and almost always rated as EF0 or EF1 size storms. According to the Köppen climate classification , Central Florida has a subtropical climate. A climate that is typical for the majority of the state, except for South Florida, which has

2911-454: The active duty installations. Additional former facilities that have since been closed and converted to civilian use include Hillsborough Army Air Field , a World War II training range which is now part of a neighborhood, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay , and the University of South Florida ; Naval Air Station Sanford , which closed in 1968 and is the present day Orlando-Sanford International Airport ; McCoy Air Force Base , which closed in 1975 and

Valrico Subdivision - Misplaced Pages Continue

2982-493: The agency and other state and outside entities, including the Florida Department of Transportation . This definition covers much of the same area as in Lamme and Oldakowski's survey, with some exceptions. The central region includes the Orlando metropolitan area ( Orange , Lake , Osceola , and Seminole Counties), and Sumter , Polk counties in the interior, Citrus , Hernando , Hillsborough , Pasco , and Pinellas counties on

3053-466: The development of a tourist resort by Henry Flagler. It later attracted Flagler's former business partner John D. Rockefeller, who had a winter home in Ormond. During and after World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces (U.S. Air Force after 1947) and the U.S. Navy established several training facilities and operational bases in the region, mainly for aviation activities, followed by space exploration sites. In

3124-572: The directional region is more commonly used in the interior areas rather than on the coast. In fact, while coastal areas often have their own regional vernacular identities such as the Space Coast and the Nature Coast , no vernacular regions were reported on the interior of the state other than Central Florida. Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development agency , identifies "Central Florida" as one of eight economic regions used by

3195-550: The distance from Mulberry to Tampa . Seaboard designated the line as the Valrico Subdivision. The Valrico Cutoff also crossed Seaboard's Sarasota Subdivision at Durant which also shortened the distance from Tampa to Sarasota . Passenger service would also operate on the Valrico Subdivision. Seaboard would operate the Cross Florida Limited over the line, which was one of the first rail services to connect Tampa and Miami directly. Trains accessed Miami through

3266-525: The financial industry, especially insurers and back-end operations for large banking companies. Active military installations in the region include Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station located on the Atlantic coast; MacDill Air Force Base , Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast; and Naval Support Activity Orlando ,

3337-473: The first cargo steamboat on the Kissimmee River, boomed in the 1880s. It was the headquarters of Hamilton Disston's drainage company. The city was an important regional steamship port, owing that status to its location on Lake Tohopekaliga. Expanding the railroads into Central Florida eliminated the need for Kissimmee's steamship industry. The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 ruined citrus crops, which had

3408-618: The formation of the Seaboard System Railroad , which merged all of the railroads owned by SCLI into one. In 1986, Seaboard System renamed themselves CSX Transportation (CSXT), and by August 1987, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway -the final remaining railroad under the Chessie System brand- was merged into CSXT. As of 2023, much of the line is still in service, though it has been abandoned in some places. At

3479-504: The former Seaboard Pembroke Mine spur in Bartow, the numbering continues with the prefix SVE since the SV prefix continued along the former east continuation to West Lake Wales. In Homeland, where the line transitions to the former Atlantic Coast Line track, the mileposts abruptly change at approximately SVE 857.3 to AX 870.8 reflecting the Atlantic Coast Line numbering. The end of the line today

3550-466: The late 1940s, the U.S. military established a missile testing facility on Merritt Island near Cape Canaveral. The land was largely undeveloped and the agreeable climate allowed for year-round operations. When NASA later searched for a long-term base in the 1960s to launch spacecraft, it chose the Merritt Island site next to Cape Canaveral for its access to the testing facility and nearby communities. NASA purchased over 100,000 acres (400 km ) of land for

3621-452: The late 1980s. The Atlantic Coast Line's former passenger depot in Fort Meade still stands along the line, and the Bowling Green depot stands about a hundred yards south of the end of the track. The Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads merged in 1967 to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which brought all of the track under a single owner. In the Seaboard Coast Line era, the Valrico Subdivision designation continued to cover

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3692-437: The line east from Bartow to Lake Wales , Alcoma, Hesperides, and Walinwa . At Walinwa, the line connected to the Kissimmee River Railway which continued east to Nalaca where it served a turpentine mill. Track from just east of Bartow (at a point known historically as Pembroke Junction) south to Homeland was part of a Seaboard spur built in 1914 to the now-defunct Coronet Pembroke Mine . Track east of Bartow to Lake Wales

3763-554: The line for high-speed passenger service as part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor . Virginia has since bought its portion of the line, and, as December 2023, North Carolina is negotiating a deal to buy the portion in their state. The S-Line is still in service from Norlina, North Carolina to Savannah, Georgia . This segment is now CSX's Norlina Subdivision , Aberdeen Subdivision , Hamlet Subdivision , Columbia Subdivision , and Savannah Subdivision . Amtrak still operates on this segment from Raleigh to Savannah. This

3834-432: The line from Valrico east through Bartow and West Lake Wales , which was still in service at the time. Track east of West Lake Wales was redesignated as the Lake Wales Subdivision . Track was removed between Bartow and West Lake Wales by 1982. Remaining track east of West Lake Wales is now operated by the Florida Midland Railroad . The track from Homeland to Bowling Green (which still ran from Lakeland to Fort Myers in

3905-422: The main line north of Camden, South Carolina . At this time, the company had leased the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad (FC&P) network which expanded the system through Georgia and Florida. The Seaboard Air Line would fully not own the FC&P network until 1903. The Seaboard Air Line would run many historic passenger services over its main line, many of which ran from New York to Florida. Some of

3976-402: The merger was complete, the company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL), who largely retained both main lines in the combined network. To differentiate the two main lines, the Seaboard Coast Line designated the SAL’s main line as the S-Line and the ACL’s main line as the A-Line. The letter S was added as a prefix to the mileposts on the S-Line (S was also added to the beginning of

4047-473: The modern defect detector ). This first talking hot box detector was installed on the main line in Riceboro, Georgia . In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with their long-time rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The ACL also had a main line running from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida that was roughly parallel to the SAL’s main line. The two main lines crossed each other in Chester , Savannah , Jacksonville , and Plant City . After

4118-412: The north end, CSX still operates the line from Richmond to just north of Chester, which is now CSX's Bellwood Subdivision . The short segment of the S-Line from Centralia (just north of Chester, Virginia ) to Collier Yard (just south of Petersburg, Virginia ) was abandoned by the Seaboard Coast Line shortly after the 1967 merger. The remaining track was connected to the A-Line in an effort to consolidate

4189-433: The past thirty years. As of 2007 there were 70,000 Asians in Central Florida according to the U.S. Census . There were almost 1,900 Japanese persons, making up 3% of the Asians. Selected cities in Central Florida arranged by population: Agriculture has occupied a large portion of Central Florida's economy, with winter strawberries, citrus, timber, vegetables, and aquaculture all making major contributions. Tourism

4260-405: The pre-existing letter prefixes on the SAL’s branch lines). In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company, Seaboard Coast Line Industries (SCLI), merged with the Chessie System , creating CSX Corporation . CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and SCLI Systems separately, however in 1982 they began the process of consolidating the railroads of both holding companies. This began with

4331-412: The time the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (known as the Seaboard Air Line Railway before 1946) was officially created, track that would make up its main line had already been built by the company's predecessors. The main line was built in the late 1800s by the following companies: By 1900, the Seaboard Air Line Railway was incorporated, which brought together the predecessor companies together and created

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4402-405: The two lines on to the A-Line though Petersburg. Some of the supports that once held the S-Line's bridge over the Appomattox River are still standing on the northwest side of Petersburg. CSX abandoned the S-Line from Collier Yard to Norlina, North Carolina in 1987. CSX sold the right of way to the states of Virginia and North Carolina in 2019. The states are doing preliminary work to rebuild

4473-441: The west coast and Volusia and Brevard Counties on the east coast. The central cities of both metropolitan areas ( Orlando and Tampa ) are in close proximity (85 miles (137 km)), and as a result, their two metropolitan areas blend together in the area of Lakeland to make up a larger contiguous population center often referred to as the I-4 corridor . This is a population concentration that stretches from Tampa Bay on

4544-486: The west coast to Daytona Beach and Cape Canaveral on the east coast of the state. With the exception of hill terrain in Mount Dora , southern Lake County, Polk County ( Lake Wales Ridge ) Pasco County, and Hernando County (Brooksville Ridge). Central Florida is mostly flatland with significant amounts of open space and over 1,500 lakes and ponds. There is a mixture of wetlands, Cypress, Oak, Maple and Pine forests, pastures, prairies and coastline. Major rivers include

4615-408: The years after the merger) was part of the Fort Myers Subdivision. When the Fort Myers Subdivision was abandoned north of Homeland and south of Bowling Green in the late 1980s, the remaining track was annexed to the Valrico Subdivision (CSX's CH Spur and the Seminole Gulf Railway south of Arcadia are discontinuous segments of this line). In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with

4686-416: Was abandoned between Riceboro and Bladen, Georgia . Additional track was abandoned between Bladen and Seals, Georgia four years later. The shortline Riceboro Southern Railway now operates from Richmond Hill to Riceboro, and the First Coast Railroad operates from Seals, Georgia to Yulee, Florida . Both the First Coast Railroad and the Riceboro Southern Railway took over their respective sections of

4757-417: Was abandoned in the early 1980s (the junction where the Plant City Subdivision meets the CSX S Line in Plant City is still known today as Lake Wales Junction because of this extension). Seaboard built the Valrico Cutoff in 1925 which connected the Seaboard main line (CSX's S Line ) at Valrico with the track at Welcome Junction. This is today the westernmost trackage of the line and it was built to shorten

4828-412: Was built in 1886 by the Florida Southern Railway as their Charlotte Harbor Division (which later became the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad 's Lakeland–Fort Myers Line). Today, this segment of the Valrico Subdivision ends less than a mile south of the Polk / Hardee County line in Bowling Green (just south of the South Fort Meade Mine). The line was abandoned north of Homeland and south of Bowling Green in

4899-416: Was inexpensive, and the inland location offered some protection from hurricanes. Plans were announced in 1965, and the theme park opened to the public in 1971. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey identifies several demographic, political, and cultural elements that characterize Central Florida and distinguish it from other areas of the state. While people from all parts of the state associated their area as part of

4970-436: Was less popular in Central and North Florida, and more so in South Florida. In 2009, the estimated total population of the Central Florida, including the populations of Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, and Lake Counties region was 3.3 million people. If the populations of Polk and Sumter counties were included, the estimated population would be 3.969 million people. Exponential growth has fueled Central Florida for

5041-471: Was similar to North Florida and differed from South Florida in these measures. In Central and North Florida, American cuisine was the most popular food, in contrast to South Florida where ethnic foods were equally popular. Additionally, while there was little geographical variation for most styles of music, there was regional variation for both country and Latin music. Country was popular in Central and North Florida, and less so in South Florida, while Latin

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