Orange County (pop. 1,145,956) is north of Osceola County. Its population in 1970 was 344,311; Walt Disney World opened in 1971. It now has the fifth-largest population in Florida.
One of eight Orange counties in the U.S., it was a major producer of citrus fruit before the Great Freeze of 1985.
Most of the tourist attractions are southwest of Orlando.
Orlando (pop. 238,300), the county seat, is the fifth-largest city (and largest inland city) in Florida.
Orange County Courthouse (1997)
Orlando has been called the “Theme Park Capital of the World.” The largest theme parks are Walt Disney World (not actually in Orlando), Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando.
Another Orlando attraction
The 23-acre Lake Eola is in downtown Orlando.
In Lake Eola Park
The Orlando Amtrak station serves the “Silver Meteor” and “Silver Star” trains (between New York City and Miami), as well as the SunRail commuter train, which runs 31 miles north to Volusia County.
Built in 1926
The Orange County Convention Center, 11 miles southwest of downtown Orlando, is the second-largest convention center in the U.S. – after McCormick Place in Chicago.
Opened in 1983
The University of Central Florida, in Orlando, opened in 1968 as Florida Technological University. It has the largest undergraduate enrollment of any U.S. university, with more than 60,000 students.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke was born in Orlando in 1983 and played high school baseball at nearby Apopka High School.
The community of Christmas, east of Orlando, has the “World’s Largest Alligator” at the entrance to Jungle Adventures animal park.
“Swampy”
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