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92-534: Icon Park , originally named I-Drive 360 until 2018, is an entertainment complex in Orlando, Florida , that has been operating since 2015. The complex is on 20 acres (8 ha) and has about 9 feature attractions, including a 400-foot (120 m) observation wheel , a slingshot ride , a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum , and a Sea Life aquarium (not to be confused with SeaWorld Orlando ). The park also has various restaurants, shops, bars, and kiosk vendors. Icon Park

184-526: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

276-486: 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 . Orlando

368-611: A "Play Pass" package that included admission to seven main attractions, an add-on game experience for the Wheel ride, credits for two game areas, and discounts for shopping, restaurants and bars. However, as of March 2024, the Play Pass package was not offered on the park website. On March 24, 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson of St. Louis , Missouri , fell to his death from the Orlando Free Fall ride. Owned and operated by The Slingshot Group,

460-687: A coincidence. In 1823, the Treaty of Moultrie Creek created a Seminole reservation encompassing much of central Florida, including the area that would become Orlando. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 authorized relocation of the Seminole from Florida to Oklahoma, leading to the Second Seminole War. In 1842, white settlement in the area was encouraged by the Armed Occupation Act. The first settler, Mr. Aaron Jernigan of Camden County, Georgia, arrived

552-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

644-514: A courthouse square. The fledgling village suffered greatly during the Union blockade . The Reconstruction Era brought on a population explosion, resulting in the incorporation of the Town of Orlando on July 31, 1875, with 85 residents (22 voters). For a short time in 1879, the town revoked its charter, and was subsequently reincorporated. Orlando was established as a city in 1885. The period from 1875 to 1895

736-481: A large enough opening for him to slide out of the seat. On October 6, 2022, Icon Park confirmed the permanent closure and future removal of the ride. Demolition began on March 7, 2023, and was completed on March 21. In the wake of the accident, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the Tyre Sampson Act into law to improve rider safety. On July 3, 2015, at around 4:00 p.m., a few months after operations began,

828-581: A peace treaty with the Seminoles because it did not reimburse him for the loss of slaves and crops. Rees could have left a pine-bough marker with his name next to the trail; later residents misread "Rees" as "Reeves" and also mistook it as a grave maker. In subsequent years, this story has merged with the Orlando Reeves story (which may have originally incorporated part of Dr. Gatlin's story). On two separate occasions, relatives of Rees claimed their ancestor

920-488: A plant in the city. Orlando AAB and Pinecastle AAF were transferred to the United States Air Force in 1947 when it became a separate service and were redesignated as air force bases (AFB). In 1958, Pinecastle AFB was renamed McCoy Air Force Base after Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy, a former commander of the 320th Bombardment Wing at the installation, killed in the crash of a B-47 Stratojet bomber north of Orlando. In

1012-457: A wide a range of housing in differing class-levels. Neighborhoods in the western side of town include Apoka , Dr. Phillips , MetroWest , Pine Hills , and Windermere . The north side of Orlando, includes a wide range of older and more established neighborhoods, including Eatonville , Fern Park , Maitland , and Winter Park . Finally, the east side of Orlando includes neighborhoods such as Alafaya , Azalea Park , and Union Park . The east side

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1104-554: A worker died after falling from the Orlando StarFlyer while climbing to conduct safety checks. Orlando, Florida Orlando ( / ɔːr ˈ l æ n d oʊ / or- LAN -doh ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida , United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville , Miami , and Tampa and

1196-439: A year in "a stockade that Aaron Jernigan built on the north side of Lake Conway". One of the county's first records, a grand jury 's report, mentions a stockade where it states homesteaders were "driven from their homes and forced to huddle together in hasty defences [sic]." Aaron Jernigan led a local volunteer militia during 1852. A post office opened at Jernigan in 1850. Jernigan appears on an 1855 map of Florida, and by 1856,

1288-462: 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. Because the winter season is dry and freezing temperatures usually occur only after cold fronts (and their accompanying precipitation) have passed, snow

1380-421: 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 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. During these months, strong afternoon thunderstorms occur almost daily. These storms are caused by air masses from

1472-558: Is a major 11.1-mile (17.9 km) thoroughfare in the southwestern section of Orlando, serving a similar purpose to that of the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas , as the core of the tourism area. The northern part of the strip extends into the city limits of and the remainder of the central and southern portions are all located in unincorporated Orange County . An additional extension is known as International Drive South , partly located in

1564-608: Is a major population center and has a considerable hurricane risk, although it is not as high as in South Florida 's urban corridor or other coastal regions. Since the city is located 42 miles (68 km) inland from the Atlantic and 77 miles (124 km) inland from the Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes usually weaken before arriving. Storm surges are not a concern since the region is 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level . Despite its location,

1656-739: Is a residential neighborhood that is also the home of The Mall at Millenia , an upscale super-regional mall. The mall's Macy's store was the first in Central Florida , and it was also one of only seven Macy's stores in Florida that predated the company's merger with Burdines . Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus are also regional firsts and these remain their only locations in the Greater Orlando region. The western side of Orlando includes various neighborhoods (within city limits, incorporated municipalities, and unincorporated within Orange County) with

1748-558: Is also one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions; Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention facility in the United States. Like other major cities in the Sun Belt , Orlando grew rapidly from the 1960s into the first decade of the 21st century. Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida , which became the largest university campus in

1840-582: Is exceptionally rare. The only accumulation ever to occur in the city proper since record keeping began was in 1948, although some accumulation occurred in surrounding areas in a snow event in January 1977 that reached Miami. Flurries have also been observed in 1989 , 2006, and 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

1932-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of

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2024-440: Is less than 250 yards from a nearby Council Oak tree, where Native Americans had traditionally met. King Phillip and Coacoochee frequented this area and the tree was alleged to be the place where the previous 1835 ambush that had killed over 100 soldiers had been planned. When the U.S. military abandoned the fort in 1839, the surrounding community was built up by settlers. Prior to being known by its current name, Orlando

2116-411: Is not owned and operated as a single enterprise like an ordinary enclosed amusement park ; instead, the park is on a 40-acre (16 ha) site together with nearby hotels and restaurants, and the attractions at the site are owned separately and operated by various different companies who lease space and operate as tenants. No tickets are needed for members of the public to enter the park itself or to visit

2208-561: Is remembered as Orlando's Golden Era, when it became the hub of Florida's citrus industry. The period ended with the Great Freeze of 1894–95 , which forced many owners to give up their independent citrus groves , thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons", who shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County . The freeze caused many in Florida, including many Orlandoans, to move elsewhere, mostly to

2300-414: Is the home of the University of Central Florida (UCF). As of fall 2023, the university had a total enrollment of 69,320 students, making it the fourth-largest on-campus student body of any public university in the United States . A list of all major neighborhoods and suburbs: Metro Orlando has a total of 19 completed skyscrapers. The majority are located in downtown Orlando and the rest are located in

2392-680: Is the third-most visited city in the U.S. after New York City and Miami , with over 2.9 million visitors as of 2022. Orlando International Airport is the 7th-busiest airport in the United States and the 18th-busiest in the world . The two largest and most internationally renowned tourist attractions in the Orlando area are the Walt Disney World Resort, opened by the Walt Disney Company in 1971 and located about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of downtown Orlando in Bay Lake , and

2484-506: The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over Central Florida. They are highlighted by spectacular lightning and can also bring heavy rain (sometimes several inches per hour) and powerful winds as well as rare damaging hail . During the winter, humidity is much lower and temperatures are more moderate, and can fluctuate more readily. The monthly daily average temperature in January

2576-551: The Köppen climate classification , Orlando has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) like much of the deep Southern United States. The two basic seasons in Orlando 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 warm and humid climate is caused primarily by its low elevation, its position relatively close to

2668-594: The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute , Nemours Children's Hospital , and University of Florida College of Pharmacy , in addition to the Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center (which began seeing clinical patients in 2015). In the southwestern side of Orlando, is the main tourist strip for the city, along with some residential neighborhoods. International Drive , commonly known as I-Drive ,

2760-560: The Tropic of Cancer , and its location in the center of a peninsula . Many characteristics of its climate are a result of its proximity to the Gulf Stream , which flows around the peninsula of Florida. During the height of Orlando's humid summer season, high temperatures are typically in the low 90s °F (32–34 °C), while low temperatures rarely fall below the low 70s °F (22–24 °C). The average window for 90 °F (32 °C) temperatures

2852-704: The Universal Orlando Resort, opened in 1990 as a major expansion of Universal Studios Florida and the only theme park inside Orlando city limits. With the exception of the theme parks, most major cultural sites like the Orlando Museum of Art and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and nightlife, bars and clubs are located in Downtown Orlando. Other attractions like Orlando Eye at ICON Park are located along International Drive . The city

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2944-582: The 1960s, the base subsequently became home to the 306th Bombardment Wing of the Strategic Air Command , operating B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, in addition to detachment operations by EC-121 and U-2 aircraft. In 1968, Orlando AFB was transferred to the United States Navy and became Naval Training Center Orlando. In addition to boot camp facilities, the NTC Orlando

3036-552: The 1970s and 1980s, though, turned up no record of Orlando Reeves ever existing. Some versions attempt to account for Reeves having no military records by using the name of other people named Orlando that exist in some written records – Orlando Acosta; however, not much is known about Acosta or whether he even existed. Another version of the story has Orlando Reed, supposedly an Englishman and mail carrier between Fort Gatlin and Fort Mellon , allegedly killed while camping with his friends near Fort Gatlin. A second variation also places

3128-473: The 79 of the high-rises in the Greater Orlando region, 46 are located in downtown. It is also the home to many of the city's cultural venues, such as Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts , Kia Center , and Orlando Museum of Art . Southeast of Downtown is the rapidly growing neighborhood of Lake Nona . Along with being home to Lake Nona Golf & Country Club , it is also the health district for

3220-456: The City of Orlando. This also explains Orlando's relatively low city population when compared to its metropolitan population. The city and county are working together in an effort to "round-out" the city limits with Orlando annexing portions of land already bordering the city limits. At the center of the Greater Orlando region is Downtown Orlando , the historic core and central business district of

3312-753: The North , California , or the Caribbean . Notable homesteaders in the area included the Curry family. Through their property in east Orlando flowed the Econlockhatchee River , which travelers crossed by fording . This was commemorated by the street's name, Curry Ford Road. Also, just south of the Orlando International Airport in the Boggy Creek area are 150 acres (0.61 km ) of property homesteaded in

3404-620: The Orlando Eye Ferris Wheel experienced a technical fault with the system that monitors the wheel position, causing the system to automatically shut down and stranding about 66 riders for approximately three hours. On December 31, 2022, the Wheel malfunctioned again and suffered from a power failure around 6:20 p.m. Orange County fire crews had to rescue more than 60 people from the ride. Despite reports of sparks, flames and some smoke, no injuries were reported. The ride remained closed until February 10, 2023. On September 14, 2020,

3496-620: The Orlando Slingshot attraction, but it is not listed as an Icon Park feature attraction and has a separate website and a separate destination address. The park features more than 40 specialty retail kiosks around the Icon Park, as well as an original shop featuring park merchandise. The park features various restaurants including Icon Park began operating in 2015. Tickets for the individual attractions can be purchased separately or in discounted combinations. In 2023, Icon Park began offering

3588-564: The Orlando area is susceptible to sinkholes . Probably the most famous incident involving a sinkhole happened in 1981 in Winter Park, a city immediately north of downtown Orlando, dubbed "The Winter Park Sinkhole ". There are 115 neighborhoods within the city limits and many unincorporated communities. Orlando's city limits resemble a checkerboard, with pockets of unincorporated Orange County surrounded by city limits. Such an arrangement results in some areas being served by both Orange County and

3680-433: The Orlando metropolitan area, which now encompasses Orange, Seminole , Osceola , and Lake Counties. As a result, tourism became the centerpiece of the area's economy. Orlando now has more theme parks and entertainment attractions than anywhere else in the world. Today, the historic core of "Old Orlando" resides in downtown Orlando along Church Street, between Orange Avenue and Garland Avenue. The urban development and

3772-557: The Reeves legend in History of Orlando published in 1949. A memorial beside Lake Eola – originally placed by students of Orlando's Cherokee Junior School in 1939 and updated in 1990 – designates the spot where the city's supposed namesake fell. Conflicting legends exist. One legend has Reeves killed during an extended battle with the Seminoles after being field promoted after his platoon commander fell. An in-depth review of military records in

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3864-462: The United States in terms of enrollment as of 2015. In 2010, Orlando was listed as a "Gamma+" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . Fort Gatlin, as the Orlando area was once known, was established at what is now just south of the city limits by the 4th U.S. Artillery under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander C. W. Fanning on November 9, 1838, during

3956-879: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

4048-484: The area during the Second Seminole War . Several of the stories relay an oral history of the marker for a person named Orlando, and the double entendre , "Here lies Orlando." One variant includes a man named Orlando who was passing by on his way to Tampa with a herd of oxen , died, and was buried in a marked grave. Through a retelling of history, a marker of some sort was believed to have been found by one of

4140-514: The area had become the county seat of Orange County. In 1857, the post office was removed from Jernigan, and opened under the name of Orlando at a new location in present-day downtown Orlando. During the American Civil War , the post office closed, but reopened in 1866. The move is believed to have been sparked, in part, by Aaron Jernigan's fall from grace after he was relieved of his militia command by military officials in 1856. His behavior

4232-469: The area's history, a 1998 outbreak that killed 42 people and a 2007 outbreak that killed 21, both happened in February. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 307,573 people, 113,238 households, and 61,667 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 238,300 people, 97,661 households, and 51,716 families residing in the city. In 2014, the city's population

4324-407: The attraction opened as the tallest free-standing drop tower, and operated for less than 3 months prior to the accident. The ride was immediately closed. Through an investigation and report provided by Quest Engineering and Failure Analysis, Inc., it was discovered that the restraint proximity sensors of the seat Sampson was in had been manually adjusted after they had been initially secured in place by

4416-631: The central business district of downtown have rapidly shaped the downtown skyline during recent history. The present-day historic district is primarily associated with the neighborhoods around Lake Eola but stretches west across the city to Lake Lorna Doone and north into the College Park Neighborhood where you can find century-old oaks line brick streets. These neighborhoods include the "Downtown Business District," "North Quarter," "Parramore," "Callahan," "South Eola Heights, "Lake Eola Heights,"Thornton Park" and "College Park", and contain some of

4508-496: The city does see strong hurricanes. During the notorious 2004 hurricane season , Orlando was hit by three hurricanes that caused significant damage, with Hurricane Charley the worst of these. The city also experienced widespread damage during Hurricane Donna in 1960. Tornadoes are not usually connected with the strong thunderstorms of the humid summer. They are more common during the infrequent cold days of winter, as well as in passing hurricanes. The two worst major outbreaks in

4600-557: The city named after the protagonist in the Shakespeare play As You Like It . In 1975, Judge Donald A. Cheney put forth a new version of the story in an Orlando Sentinel article. Cheney (a local historian and then chairman of the county historical commission ) recounted a story told to him by his father, Judge John Moses Cheney (a major figure in Orlando's history, who arrived in Orlando in 1885). The elder Cheney recounted that another gentleman at that time, James Speer, proposed

4692-401: The city, with Lake Nona Medical City . It features the University of Central Florida 's Health Sciences Campus, which includes the university's College of Medicine , Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences , the University of Central Florida College of Nursing , and the University of Central Florida College of Dental Medicine (along with a teaching hospital ). The medical city also includes

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4784-411: The city. It is bordered by Marks Street in the north, Mills Avenue ( SR 15 ) in the east, Orange Blossom Trail ( US 441 ) in the west, and Kaley Avenue in the south. It is home to many of the region's major banks, skyscrapers, government buildings, and cultural and tourist attractions, along with a large residential population. It is mostly composed of high-rise residential towers and office towers. Among

4876-457: The construction of a series of fortified encampments across Florida during the Second Seminole War . The fort and surrounding area were named for John S. Gatlin, an Army physician who was killed in Dade's Massacre on December 28, 1835. The site of construction for Fort Gatlin, a defensible position with fresh water between three small lakes, was likely chosen because the location was on a main trail and

4968-517: The counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of

5060-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in

5152-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

5244-405: The following year and settled near Lake Holden. Mosquito County was renamed Orange County in 1845, with the county seat shortly thereafter relocated to Mellonville, a few miles west of Sanford . By 1856, settlement had begun in earnest in the interior of the county and a more centrally-located Courthouse was sought. The new town of Orlando, laid out in 1857, consisted of four streets surrounding

5336-631: The former Air Force Base airport code (MCO). Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando's economy, though, occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World . Although Disney had considered the regions of Miami and Tampa for his park, one of the major reasons behind his decision not to locate there was due to hurricanes – Orlando's inland location, although not free from hurricane damage, exposed it to less threat than coastal regions. The vacation resort opened in October 1971, ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for

5428-542: The former McCoy AFB still hosts a Navy Exchange, as well as national guard and reserve units for several branches of service. NTC Orlando was completely closed by the end of 1999 by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission , and converted into the Baldwin Park neighborhood. The Naval Air Warfare Center had moved to Central Florida Research Park near UCF in 1989. A major factor in Orlando's growth occurred in 1962, when

5520-424: The imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of

5612-572: The increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan, the number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan

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5704-611: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

5796-653: The late 19th century by the Ward family. This property is still owned by the Ward family, and can be seen from southbound flights out of Orlando International Airport immediately on the south side of SR 417. Orlando became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish–American War and World War I . In the 1920s, Orlando experienced extensive housing development during the Florida Land Boom , causing land prices to soar. During this period, dozens of neighborhoods in

5888-732: The later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With

5980-506: The name Orlando after the character in As You Like It . According to Cheney, Speer, "was a gentleman of culture and an admirer of William Shakespeare ..." Quoting a letter that Speer wrote, "Orlando was a veritable Forest of Arden , the locale of As You Like It ." Speer's descendants have also confirmed this version of the naming and the legend has continued to grow. This account also has some validity in that, as mentioned above, Speer

6072-470: The new Orlando Jetport, the precursor of the present-day Orlando International Airport, was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base. By 1970, four major airlines ( Delta Air Lines , National Airlines , Eastern Airlines , and Southern Airways ) were providing scheduled flights. McCoy Air Force Base officially closed in 1975, and most of it is now part of the airport. The airport still retains

6164-418: The northern portion of Osceola County , but is not connected to the main stem of this route. Surrounding cross-roads include Sand Lake Road, Kirkman Road, SR 536 , and Universal Boulevard , which runs parallel to the midsection of International Drive. At its northern end, International Drive is home to Orlando International Premium Outlets and Universal Orlando resort, along with being in close proximity to

6256-419: The oldest homes in Orlando. On June 12, 2016, more than 100 people were shot at Pulse , a gay nightclub in Orlando. Fifty (including the gunman) were killed and 60 were wounded. The gunman, whom the police SWAT team shot to death, was identified as 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen , an American security guard. The act of terrorism was both the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history at

6348-464: The original pioneers, but Speer's family has since claimed that Speer simply used the Orlando Reeves legend to help push his plan for naming the settlement after the Shakespearean character from As You Like It , his favorite play. This has become the most common accepted version of how Orlando got its name. Historians agree that likely no soldier was named Orlando Reeves. Folklore is that Reeves

6440-752: The provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized

6532-416: The restaurants and shops on the site; rather, tickets for the individual attractions are sold separately or in bundled packages. In addition to rides, the park features a museum, aquarium, arcade , a "7D" theater and a museum of illusions . The Orlando Starflyer, a 450-foot (140 m) swing ride, is located near Icon Park on the same road and is operated by same Slingshot Group of companies that operates

6624-453: The ride manufacturer. The manual adjustments had been made to accommodate larger riders. Sampson exceeded the weight limit for the ride that was prescribed by its manufacturer. The ride would not operate if the sensors detected that any of the restraints were not sufficiently closed, and the manual adjustment allowed the restraint to be open almost twice as wide as normal without triggering a shutdown. The expanded restraint for Sampson's seat left

6716-407: The shooting. The city offered to buy it for $ 2.25 million, but the club's owner declined to sell. The geography of Orlando is mostly wetlands , consisting of many lakes and swamps. The terrain is generally flat, making the land fairly low and wet. The area is dotted with hundreds of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Apopka . Central Florida's bedrock is mostly limestone and very porous;

6808-764: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

6900-513: The state's most populous inland city. Part of Central Florida , it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area , which had a population of 2.67 million in 2020. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida behind Miami and Tampa Bay . Orlando is one of the most-visited cities in the world primarily due to tourism, major events, and convention traffic. It

6992-440: The stories behind the naming of Orlando) rose in the heat of the argument and said, "This place is often spoken of as 'Orlando's Grave.' Let's drop the word 'grave' and let the county seat be Orlando." The origin of the name is unknown but at least five stories relate how Orlando got its name. The most common stories are that the name Orlando originated from the tale of a man who died in 1835 during an attack by Native Americans in

7084-495: The story in 1835 during the Second Seminole War. This name is taken from a South Carolinian cattle rancher named Orlando Savage Rees. Rees owned a Volusia County sugar mill and plantation , as well as several large estates in Florida and Mississippi . Rees' sugar farms in the area were burned out in the Seminole attacks of 1835 (the year Orlando Reeves supposedly died). Subsequently, Rees led an expedition to recover stolen slaves and cattle. In 1837, Rees also attempted to stop

7176-526: The time and one of the deadliest mass shootings perpetrated by a single person in recorded world history. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during his unsuccessful negotiations with police. After the shooting, the city held numerous vigils. In November 2016, Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer announced the city's intention to acquire the Pulse Nightclub to build a permanent memorial for the 49 victims of

7268-572: The tourist district southwest of downtown. Skyscrapers built in downtown Orlando have not exceeded 441 ft (134 m), since 1988, when the SunTrust Center was completed. The main reason for this is the Orlando Executive Airport , just under 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city center, which does not allow buildings to exceed a certain height without approval from the FAA. According to

7360-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

7452-661: The upcoming Epic Universe theme park (set to open in 2025). Further south on International Drive, it features the Madame Tussauds wax museum, the Orange County Convention Center , Pointe Orlando entertainment complex, SeaWorld Orlando (along with Aquatica , SeaWorld's water park), Fun Spot America , ICON Park (featuring its famous ferris wheel, Orlando Eye ), the World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's , and other tourist ventures. The Millennia neighborhood

7544-607: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

7636-629: The vicinity of downtown were constructed. The boom ended when several hurricanes hit Florida in the late 1920s, along with the Great Depression . During World War II , a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Orlando Army Air Base and nearby Pinecastle Army Air Field . Some of these servicemen stayed in Orlando to settle and raise families. In 1956, the aerospace and defense company Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin ) established

7728-476: Was acting as a sentinel for a company of soldiers that had set up camp for the night on the banks of Sandy Beach Lake . Several different lakes are mentioned in the various versions, as no soldiers were in what is now downtown during 1835. The legend grew throughout the early 1900s, particularly with local historian Olive Brumbaugh (or Kena Fries ) retelling in various writings and on local radio station WDBO in 1929. Another historian, Eldon H. Gore, promoted

7820-491: Was briefly reoccupied by the military for a few weeks during October and November 1849, and subsequently a volunteer militia was left to defend the settlement. A historical marker indicates that by 1850, the Jernigan homestead (or Fort Gatlin in some sources) served as the nucleus of a village named Jernigan. According to an account written years later by his daughter, at that time, about 80 settlers were forced to shelter for about

7912-623: Was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after the Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government

8004-544: Was home of one of two Navy Nuclear Power Schools, and home of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division . When McCoy AFB closed in 1976, its runways and territory to its south and east were imparted to the city to become Orlando International Airport , while a small portion to the northwest was transferred to the Navy as McCoy NTC Annex. That closed in 1995, and became a housing, though

8096-437: Was instrumental in changing the name of the settlement from Jernigan to Orlando, though he may have used the Orlando Reeves legend in lieu of his true intent to use the Shakespearean character. According to yet another version of the story, Orlando may have been the name of one of his employees. One of downtown Orlando 's major streets is named Rosalind Avenue; Rosalind is the heroine of As You Like It , but this could also be

8188-588: Was once known as Jernigan. This name originates from the first European permanent settlers, Isaac and Aaron Jernigan , cattlemen who moved from the state of Georgia and acquired land 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Fort Gatlin along the west end of Lake Holden in July 1843 by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act . Aaron Jernigan became Orange County's first state representative in 1845, but his pleas for additional military protection went unanswered. Fort Gatlin

8280-518: Was so notorious that United States Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wrote, "It is said they [Jernigan's militia] are more dreadful than the Indians." In 1859, Jernigan and his sons were accused of committing a murder at the town's post office. They were then transported to Ocala , but escaped. At a meeting in 1857, debate had grown concerning the name of the town. Pioneer William B. Hull recalled how James Speer (a local resident, and prominent figure in

8372-491: Was spread out, with 12.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 36.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. County seat In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below

8464-562: Was the namesake of the city. F. K. Bull of South Carolina (Rees' great-grandson) told an Orlando reporter of a story in 1955; years later, Charles M. Bull Jr., of Orlando (Rees' great-great-grandson) offered local historians similar information. Unlike Orlando Reeves, who cannot be traced to any historical record, the record is considerable that Orlando Rees did exist and was in Florida during that time. For example, in 1832, John James Audubon met with Rees in his large estate at Spring Garden, about 45 minutes from Orlando. The final variation has

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