This article is about the city in the state of Florida. For other meanings, see Orlando (disambiguation).
Orlando is a city in the center of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County. It contains 307,573 people as of 2020. It is number four among cities in Florida by number of people. The current mayor, or leader, of Orlando is Buddy Dyer.
History
Orlando was created in 1836 when someone found a tree where the name "Orlando Reeves" was carved. Thinking it was a place of burial, they named the site "Orlando's grave". It was cut to Orlando later.
Before the American Civil War, Orlando was a center of trade in cattle. After the war, many people came to the town. Orlando became a city in 1875. Before 1900, Orlando was a center of orange farming. After 1900, it became a popular place for visitors.
Orlando was an important base for the military during World War II, as home of Pinecastle Army Air Field. Lockheed Martin (once Martin Marietta) opened a manufacturing site in Orlando in 1956.
In 1971, after Walt Disney World opened, Orlando is now very popular as a tourism city, attracting millions of visitors each year from every place in the world.
Three hurricanes moved over Orlando in 2004, causing billions of U.S. dollars of damage.
A major road in Orlando is Interstate 4. Another major road is State Road 408. They meet downtown. Florida's Turnpike also meets Interstate 4 southwest of the city.
There are also numerous transportation services offering private car and limo services in the Orlando area, catering to theme park transportation needs for destinations such as Disney World, Universal Studios, and nearby resorts.