51 Facts About Orlando Florida

Author: Jason Coles

Updated On:

Updated On:

The sunny city of Orlando is located in central Florida and is the county seat of Orange County and is the largest city in the County by size and population. Orlando offers so much to do and see within this iconic city and is famous for a multitude of different reasons. The city is known universally as an entertainment capital and a hotbed for world-famous theme parks and waterparks alike, creating an abundance of brilliant facts for us to check out.

Interesting Facts About Orlando

Thanks to consistently hot weather, high quality of life, entertainment, and accessibility, Orlando has grown in popularity tremendously over the last few decades, resulting in the city becoming somewhat of an international icon. Despite being a well-known city and having many attractions that catch the attention of millions, there are many facts about Orlando Florida that you probably didn’t know about!

51 Orlando Florida Facts

1. There is nothing official that states how Orlando adopted its name. Most are under the assumption that the iconic city was named after an equally iconic soldier in the Seminole War, Orlando Reeves who unfortunately met his demise by the Seminole Indians in 1835 whilst he was attempting to fire a warning shot to the rest of his soldiers.

2. There are over 100 different lakes within the Orlando area, with the most unique being Lake Eola. Lake Eola is actually a giant sinkhole situated in the middle of the city and is a hotspot for paddle-boating and various other water-based activities. It adds another dimension to an already fascinating city and the deepest point is 80 feet!

3. When considering the facts about Orlando Florida, there is no better place to look than the city‘s main tourist attraction! Walt Disney World in Orlando is not only unique because it is by far the largest Disney park to be built at approximately 27,000 acres, bringing your favorite animated characters to life in a surreal and breathtaking experience, and with new additions being added such as the magic kingdom theme park, the world keeps on expanding. Disney World employs more people than every other Disney Park combined. This has had a tremendously beneficial impact on Orlando‘s economy over the years.

4. Orlando is home to over 100 city parks and 21 community centers. Offering a whole host of activities such as athletics, camps, and social programs.

5. The tallest building in Orlando is the SunTrust Center, standing at 441 feet tall, which is the equivalent of 134 meters! The building also has 32 floors, so taking the stairs is a brave decision!

6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which originally aired in 1984 was partly filmed at Gatorland, which is an Orlando Wildlife Center spanning 110-acres and is also a theme park. The name leaves little to the imagination, yes, there are a lot of alligators, including the rare species of leucistic gators.

7. Walt Disney World is easily the most popular attraction Orlando has to offer, or even Florida in general. With so many people from all over the country and world visiting on a regular basis, it is understandable that since 1971 over 1.65 million pairs of sunglasses have been handed over to the “lost and found” department, and an average of 6,000 cell phones are also handed in each year!

8. Orlando is home to the world’s largest “entertainment McDonald’s, which consists of a 19,000 square-feet McDonald’s restaurant that boasts over 50 arcade games and a children’s play area the height of a male giraffe (22 feet).

9. In 2018, approximately 75 million people visited the city of Orlando, which was more than any other destination in the entire world, these facts about Orlando Florida really do highlight the city’s insane popularity!

10. It is no secret that golf is a major sport within the state of Florida, with statewide golf courses reaching over 1,250, the city of Orlando alone is home to 24 of them. There are also another 39 golf courses within a 20-mile radius of the city, including 27 public, 3 municipal, 1 PL, and 8 private courses.

Interesting facts about Orlando

More Orlando Florida Facts

Orlando Florida facts are in abundance due to the city’s extreme popularity as well as awesome attractions, and great people. Everyone from retirees, families young and old, professionals, and entrepreneurs alike will find exactly what they’re looking for in Orlando. The next set of Orlando Florida facts highlights the city’s notable success stories, achievements, and talent that originated from Orlando.

11. The famous band, “The Backstreet Boys” was officially founded in Orlando, on April 20, 1993. The Backstreet Boys are responsible for creating many famous songs, their most notable being “I want it that way”. The band group actually named themselves after the city’s Backstreet Market, an old flea market where the band used to meet up.

12. Joseph Kittinger, who grew up in the Orlando area became the first hot air balloon pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean. In 1984, Joseph took off in Caribou, Maine, and 86 hours later, arrived in Montenotte, Italy.

13. Another famous American boyband, “O-Town” originates from Orlando. O-Town formed in 2000 through the first season of the MTV-produced reality TV show, “Making the Band”.

14. The American actress and voice actress Kirsten Storms was born in Orlando in 1984, she is best known for her roles as Zenon Kar in the Zenon trilogy, Emily in Johnny Tsunami, and Bonnie Rockwaller in Kim Possible.

15. This list of Orlando Florida facts wouldn’t be complete without the mention of some impressive infrastructures Orlando has become the home of in recent years. Orlando is home to the largest McDonald’s and Disney stores in the entire world! This McDonald’s sports a unique menu, including things such as waffles, oven-baked pizza, and omelets!

16. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter resides in Universal Studios Florida, located in downtown Orlando and is world-famous for its delicious butterbeer, a Hogwarts delicacy. Corporate executive Steven Jayson spent over three years working on the recipe!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

17. Another fun fact – famous movies filmed in Orlando are; “Sharknado 3”, “Sisters”, “Apollo 13”, “The Waterboy”, and “Jurrasic Park III”.

18. A famous scene in Lethal Weapon 3 saw Orlando’s City Hall blown up, the scene featured Danny Glover and Mel Gibson, and even Orlando’s Mayor made it into the movie, featuring as a cameo.

19. The City’s NBA team, “Orlando Magic” was almost named the Orlando Juice, fortunately, there was a contest help to pick the final name of the team in 1987. The final names on the shortlist were, “Heat”, “Tropics”, “Juice” and “Magic”, we all know what happened next!

20. Orlando was once considered to be the United State’s main citrus hub. However, during the 1800s a deep freeze caused farmers to move their citrus crops further south to avoid any detrimental effects on their business.

21. Orlando’s nickname is “The City Beautiful”.

22. Orlando’s motto is “Orlando, Built For Families”.

23. Orlando’s total land area is over 113 square miles.

24. The city’s metropolitan area is home to over 2.6 million people!

25. Orlando’s timezone is Eastern Daylight Time.

26. The maximum speed limit in Orlando is 70 mph. In fact, this applies to the whole state of Florida. If you exceed the maximum speed limit you run the risk of getting a ticket, points, and a fine!

27. Orlando boasts approximately 233 days of sunshine per year.

28. The city was first incorporated on February 4, 1885.

29. Orlando has the 4th largest population out of all Florida cities.

30. Likely to be between 350 and 400 years old, the oldest tree in Orlando can be found at the Big Tree Park on North Thornton Avenue.

31. The first recorded history of the city came from 1838.

Interesting Facts About Orlando

The city of Orlando is constantly increasing in popularity, growing in size by 22.43% between 2010-2020 (World Population Review). With the endless possibilities that are presented by this amazing city, it is no surprise there are so many interesting facts about Orlando we need to take a look at.

32. Dubsdread Golf Course is the oldest public course in the area.

33. Orlando City Hall is home to 2 public art galleries.

34. The road Semoran was named by putting the words Seminole and Orange together.

35. “Showcase of Citrus” is a citrus farm located west of Walt Disney World, and in nearby Lake Wales is Florida’s Natural Growers, which is where Florida’s orange juice is made.

36. After Disneyland opened in California in 1955, Walt Disney began purchasing thousands of acres of swampland near Orlando as he deemed it to be the perfect conditions for building a theme park.

37. The Citrus Bowl hosted 5 1994 World Cup soccer matches, and also the 1996 Olympic soccer’s first and second rounds.

38. SeaWorld Orlando officially opened in 1973 as a marine park with many animal shows.

39. The iconic Universal Studios opened in Orlando in 1990 with Nickelodeon, Back to the Future, E.T., Ghostbusters, and The Bates Hotel.

Universal Studios - Orlando Facts

40. The famous fight between professional golfer Tiger Woods and his ex-wife took place in his mansion, located in a suburb of Orlando named Windermere.

41. The City of Orlando has had 32 mayors, with the first Mayor being William Jackson Brack in 1875.

Economic Facts About Orlando

There is so much to consider when talking about the economic facts about Orlando. The city has been observed by many as being the perfect environment for the growth and development of businesses and for entrepreneurs alike.

Let’s take a look at the facts about Orlando from an economic perspective to see why many consider this city to have one of the top business climates in the United States.

42. The average household income in Orlando is $69,685.

43. The income tax in Orlando is 0%.

44. The sales tax in Orlando is 6.5%.

45. The city’s GDP is over $139 billion, which is higher than Nevada, Kansas, Utah, and many other U.S. states!

46. The median home rental cost in recent years is $1,139 per month, and the median house value is $217,800.

47. Two of the most dominant industries in Orlando are Tourism and Agriculture.

48. There are approximately 1,500 people moving to central Florida each week, with the vast majority either moving to Orlando’s metropolitan area.

49. The unemployment rate in Orlando is 2.9% and the average unemployment rate in the United States is 3.7%.

50. Orlando’s future job growth over the next 10 years is predicted to be 51%, with the US average being 33.5%.

51. The minimum wage in Orlando is $11.00 per hour.

All of these economic facts about Orlando validate the reasons people move to the city for business and work opportunities. Outside of Orlando, Florida also has many interesting facts and economic advantages that you may want to learn more about.

Interesting US State Facts

Florida

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Jason Coles

Jason Coles is the Founder of Foreign USA and its Chief Content Writer and Editor. Recognized as a prolific business plan writer by many prominent immigration attorneys in the U.S. who refer his services to their clients regularly, Jason has written over 1,340 business plans across the past 17+ years for start-up companies and franchises looking to expand their footprint in the United States. Jason is considered a seasoned expert in his field. He creates detailed business plans for his clients that include five-year financial projections, market and industry analysis reports, demographic studies, organizational charts, job descriptions, employee hiring plans, and more.