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John Young Parkway

John Young Parkway

John Young Parkway is a four- and six-lane surface road from near Campbell, Florida through Kissimmee, Florida to northwestern Orlando, Florida. It serves as an alternate to the parallel Orange Blossom Trail. The original section of John Young Parkway was built by the Florida Department of Transportation in the early 1970s, from Colonial Drive (SR 50) west of downtown Orlando north to Orange Blossom Trail (US 441 (SR 500)) at Lee Road. It was assigned the number SR 423 and named after John Young, an astronaut from the Orlando area. Over the years, extensions to the south have been built, some by Orange County and some by the state. Additionally, Osceola County extended it south to meet the existing Bermuda Avenue in Kissimmee. Around 2000, Bermuda Avenue and Orange Blossom Trail in Kissimmee were renamed to John Young Parkway. Now John Young Parkway ends at the Kissimmee city limits, a bit north of the intersection with Pleasant Hill Road, where the older Orange Blossom Trail name continues. Category:Orange County, Florida Category:Osceola County, Florida Category:Transportation in Florida

Campbell, Florida

Campbell is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community located in Osceola County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 2,677.

Geography

2000 Campbell is located at 28°15'38" North, 81°27'1" West (28.260657, -81.450300). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²). 4.8 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.58% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,677 people, 1,352 households, and 686 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 552.7/km² (1,429.0/mi²). There are 1,853 housing units at an average density of 382.6/km² (989.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 94.55% White, 0.93% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 4.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 1,352 households out of which 11.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% are married couples living together, 7.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 49.2% are non-families. 46.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 39.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 1.87 and the average family size is 2.58. In the CDP the population is spread out with 13.3% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 52.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 67 years. For every 100 females there are 71.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 65.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP is $26,373, and the median income for a family is $34,063. Males have a median income of $26,250 versus $24,609 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $18,721. 13.5% of the population and 12.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 34.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

Category:Osceola County, Florida Category:Unincorporated communities in Florida Category:Census-designated places in Florida

Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee is a city located in Osceola County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 47,814. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 56,153 [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-04-12.xls]. It is the county seat of Osceola County.

History

Kissimmee (pronounced kiss-SIM-mee, with the accent on the second syllable), on the northwest shore of Lake Tohopokeliga (locally called "Lake Toho") was founded in the mid-19th Century as Allendale. The name was changed when the city was incorporated in 1883. Cattle ranching was an important part of the economy and large cattle ranches remain nearby. After the opening of nearby Walt Disney World in 1971, Kissimmee and its neighbouring city of Saint Cloud grew rapidly. On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley went through Kissimmee bringing winds of greater than 100 miles per hour. Even though hurricane winds only affected the city for less than an hour, it damaged many buildings, knocked down trees, and left much of the city without power for a week or longer.

Geography

hurricane Kissimmee is located at 28°18'14" North, 81°24'46" West (28.303988, -81.412867). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.9 km² (17.3 mi²). 43.2 km² (16.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.70% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 47,814 people, 17,121 households, and 11,813 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,106.8/km² (2,866.6/mi²). There are 19,642 housing units at an average density of 454.7/km² (1,177.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.22% White, 9.99% African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 14.15% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. 41.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 17,121 households out of which 37.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% are married couples living together, 15.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% are non-families. 20.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.77 and the average family size is 3.21. In the city the population is spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the city is $33,949, and the median income for a family is $36,361. Males have a median income of $25,851 versus $21,025 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,071. 15.4% of the population and 12.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.0% of those under the age of 18 and 10.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links


- [http://www.floridakiss.com/ Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau]
- [http://www.kissimmee.org/ City of Kissimmee website]
- [http://www.kua.com/ Kissimmee Utility Authority] Kissimmee Municipal Utility site Category:Cities in Florida Category:Osceola County, Florida

Orlando, Florida

] The city of Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 185,951 (metropolitan area 1,644,561). A 2004 U.S. Census Estimates population count gave the city had a total population of 205,648 (metropolitan area nearly 1.8 million). It is the sixth-largest city in Florida, and its largest inland city. It is also at the head of the state's third-largest metropolitan area, behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Tampa-St. Petersburg. Additionally, Orlando is home to the second largest university in Florida, the University of Central Florida. The city is best known for the tourist attractions in the area, particularly the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, which is in the Reedy Creek Improvement District . Other area attractions include SeaWorld, Universal Orlando Resort and also the World's Largest McDonald's. Despite being far from the main tourist attractions, downtown Orlando has recently seen much redevelopment, with many more projects currently under construction or planned. One of the oldest attractions in this area is Gatorland. Orlando sees an estimated 52 million tourists a year, during its peak seasons. The city's nickname is "The City Beautiful", and its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola. The current mayor is Buddy Dyer. (See a complete listing of the Mayors of Orlando.)

History

Some historians date Orlando's name to around 1836 when a soldier named Orlando Reeves allegedly died in the area, during the war against the Seminole Indian tribe. It seems, however, that Orlando Reeves (sometimes Rees) operated a sugar mill and plantation about 30 miles (50 km) to the north at Spring Garden in Volusia County, and pioneer settlers simply found his name carved into a tree and assumed it was a marker for a grave site. They thus referred to the area as "Orlando's grave" and later simply "Orlando." During the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Army established an outpost at Fort Gatlin, a few miles south of the modern downtown, in 1838. But, it was quickly abandoned when the war came to an end. The first permanent settler was cattleman Aaron Jernigan, who acquired land along Lake Holden by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. But, most pioneers did not arrive until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. Orlando remained a rural backwater during the Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Federal Blockade. And, most of the early residents made their living by cattle ranching. But, the Reconstruction Era brought a population explosion. This led to the city's incorporation in 1875. The period from 1875 to 1895 is remembered as Orlando's "Gilded Era," when it became the hub of Florida's citrus industry. But, a great freeze in the latter year forced many owners to give up their independent groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons" which shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County. The years between the Spanish-American War and World War I saw Orlando become a popular resort, as Florida's largest inland city. During World War II, a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Pine Castle AAF, now the site of Orlando International Airport. Some of these servicemen stayed in Orlando to settle and raise families. In 1956 the aerospace/defense company Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) established a plant in Orlando. In addition, Orlando is close enough to Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Kennedy Space Center for residents to commute to work from the city's suburbs. It also allows easy access to Port Canaveral, an important cruise ship terminal. Because of its proximity to the innovative "Space Coast", many high-tech companies have shifted to the Orlando area. The most critical event for Orlando's economy occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced the plans for Walt Disney World. The famous vacation resort opened in October, 1971, ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for 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. In the hurricane season of 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne battered the Orlando area, causing widespread damage and flooding and impeding tourism to the area.

Geography

flooding Orlando is located at 28°32'1" North, 81°22'33" West (28.533513, -81.375789). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 261.5 km² (100.9 mi²). 242.2 km² (93.5 mi²) of it is land and 19.3 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.39% water. Orlando is rivaled only by the Twin Cities in the number of natural lakes to be found in its metropolitan area. The region Orlando occupies is generally low-lying, the only exception being minor sand hills formed by wave action in earlier geological eras when sea level was higher. These are found primarily in the western sections of the metropolitan area, especially in Lake County. The Orlando area is home to 100+ lakes, the largest of which are Lake Apopka, Eustis, Griffin, Harney, Harris, Jesup, Monroe, Sand Lake, Conway, and Tohopekaliga. The area is also very prone to sink-holes due to the large number of underground limestone caverns that are located in the area. Many of the lakes started as sink holes in recent geologic history.

Neighborhoods

The city of Orlando has 115 neighborhoods in the city limits, some of which are:

- Airport North
- Azalea Park (east portion is in unincorporated Orange County)
- Baldwin Park
- Callahan
- Central Business District
- College Park
- Colonialtown North
- Colonialtown South
- Conway (south portion is in unincorporated Orange County)
- Crescent Park
- Delaney Park
- Lake Davis / Greenwood
- Lake Eola Heights
- Metro North
- Metrowest
- Millenia
- North Orange
- Park Central
- Park Lake Highland
- Roosevelt Park
- Southwest
- Thornton Park
- West Colonial

Metropolitan area

In the Orlando area, like most metropolitan areas in Florida, the majority of the population lives outside the city proper. Orlando is the center of the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne metropolitan area. Nearby suburbs extend into the surrounding counties. Oviedo, in Seminole County, has been listed as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Clermont (Lake County) and Poinciana (Osceola) have also seen explosive growth. Deltona, in Volusia County, has grown so fast that, between 1990 and 2000, it became the largest city in that county. Cities such as Melbourne and Palm Bay on the Space Coast have also seen tremendous growth.

Climate

Orlando is considered to be in a subtropical climate zone. Summer high temperatures average in the low-to-mid 90s °F (mid-30s °C). Its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean in particular allows the Sea Breeze to cool it, but also keeping humidity high, keeping temperatures stable and making temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) very rare. Its all-time record high temperature is 102 °F (39 °C), last achieved on May 31, 1945. 100 °F (38 °C) was last reached in 1998 for several days and peaking at 101 °F (38.3 °C) on July 2. Winter temperatures are typically mild, with the jet stream bringing in frequent cold fronts. High temperatures typically fluctuate anywhere from 55 °F (18 °C) to 80 °F (27 °C). Below-freezing temperatures are uncommon, with snow almost a generational event. Orlando's all-time record low is 19 °F (-7 °C), last achieved on January 20, 1985. The last recorded snow event was on December 23, 1989, when light snow and sleet fell and the high temperature only reached 37 °F (2.5 °C) on Christmas Day. January is the only month in which a temperature of 90°F (32°C) has not been recorded. The average annual rainfall for Orlando is 48.35 in (1198 mm). June through September is its "rainy season", accounted for by its location at the center of the Florida Peninsula, with the Gulf Breeze off the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea Breeze off the Atlantic Ocean colliding over the city in the summer, creating "pop-up" thunderstorms. December through May is considered Orlando's "dry season", with wildfires a danger particularly in May. While hurricanes are common in the area, they are often weaker and somewhat less destructive in Orlando than in coastal areas.

Economy

To no surprise, a large part of the Orlando area economy is involved in the tourist industry. Tourism surrounding Orlando is worth billions of dollars to the area's economy. Over 48 million visitors came to the Orlando region in 2004. The convention industry is also critical to the region's economy, due partly to the multitude of attractions available for all age ranges in the area. The Orange County Convention Center, expanded in 2004 to over two million square feet (200,000 m²) of exhibition space, is now the second-largest convention complex in the United States. The Orlando International Airport is a world-class facility, and one of the most heavily travelled airports in the world. The area's economy also has other industries apart from tourism, such as the presence of manufacturing in the region. Lockheed-Martin has a large manufacturing facility for aeronautical crafts and related high tech research due to Orlando's proximity to the NASA Kennedy Space Center. The area is also home to many computer software and hardware firms that located here in the 1970's and 1980's such as IBM. Another sector that is developing is the film, television, and electronic gaming industries, aided by the presence of Universal Studios, Disney-MGM Studios, Electronic Arts, Full Sail School, and other entertainment companies and schools. Numerous office complexes for large corporations have popped up along the Interstate 4 corridor north of Orlando, especially in Maitland, Lake Mary and Heathrow. The U.S. modeling, simulation, and training (MST) industry is centered around the Orlando region as well, with a particularly strong presence in the UCF Research Park. The diversifying economy has led to an incredibly low unemployment rate in Greater Orlando of 3.4% as of September 2005. (Source: [http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/metro.pdf U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics], August 2005) The result is explosive growth that has led to urban sprawl in the surrounding area and skyrocketing housing prices. Housing prices in Greater Orlando have gone up 34% in one year, from an average of $182,000 in August 2004 to $245,000 in August 2005. (Source: [http://www.orlrealtor.com/Files/PDF/Housingtrendssummary.pdf Orlando Regional Realtor Association]) Companies that have a their corporate headquarters or a major presence in the area:
- Adventist Healthcare System
- AirTran
- Cendant Timeshare Resort Group/Fairfield Resorts
- CNL Financial Group
- Commerical Net Lease Realty
- Darden Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Bahama Breeze
- Electronic Arts
- Gaylord Entertainment
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Hilton Grand Vacations Club
- Hughes Supply Incorporated
- Lockheed-Martin
- Loews Hotels
- Luctor International, parent company of Van Gogh Vodka and Van Gogh Gin
- Marriott Vacation Club International
- NBC Universal
- Planet Hollywood
- Siemens AG, Siemens Westinghouse
- Starwood Vacation Ownership
- SunTrust Bank
- Tavistock Group
- T.G. Lee Dairy
- Trustreet Properties
- Tupperware Corp.
- The Walt Disney Company

Transportation

Air

Orlando is served primarily by Orlando International Airport, though nearby Orlando Sanford International Airport also serves the area. Orlando Executive Airport is used for charter flights and General Aviation.

Roads

Its major freeway is Interstate 4, which crosses Florida's Turnpike southwest of Downtown Orlando. It is also served by the toll roads of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, particularly the East-West Expressway (SR 408), which crosses I-4 downtown. The East West Expressway (SR 408) is undergoing major construction with the addition of lanes, concrete barrier walls, sound walls, and a better scenic view. This project begun in 2005 and is not yet complete as of right now.

Rail

The Orlando area is served by one through railroad, CSX's A line (formerly the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's main line), and some spurs, mostly operated by the Florida Central Railroad. Amtrak passenger service runs along the CSX A line. See also a map of these railroads. In 2005 Federal and state funding was granted for the establishment of a commuter rail service to operate on the CSX A line tracks between Deltona and Poinciana, passing through the downtown area and surrounding urban neighborhoods along the way. The service is expected to substantially reduce traffic congestion along the I-4 corridor, especially between downtown Orlando and the suburban communities in Seminole and Volusia Counties. The Federal and state funds would cover approximately 80% of the estimated $400 million cost for track modifications and construction of stations along the route. Pending approval by the county governments (Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola) involved and the set aside of matching funds, the line is projected to begin operations in 2009. The following major railroad stations have existed in Orlando:
- Amtrak Orlando station (originally built by ACL to replace Church Street Station, the only one still in use)
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Orlando station (now Church Street Station, a tourist attraction)
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Orlando station (Central Avenue Station)

Buses

Orlando is served by Lynx, which runs bus service in the tri-county area (Osceola-Orange-Seminole).

Education

Public Education is handled by Orange County Public Schools. Some of the larger private schools include Trinity Preparatory School, Lake Highland Preparatory School, Bishop Moore High School, New School of Orlando, Orlando Christian Academy, and Forest Lake Academy.

Area institutions of higher education


- Barry University's law school
- Brevard Community College (in nearby Brevard County)
- DeVry University, Orlando campus
- Florida A&M University's law school
- Florida Institute of Technology, Orlando campus
- Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences
- Florida Metropolitan University, Orlando campus
- Full Sail Real World Education (in Winter Park)
- International Academy of Design and Technology
- Nova Southeastern University, Orlando campus
- Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando campus
- Rollins College (in Winter Park)
- Seminole Community College (in Sanford)
- Stetson University (in Deland)
- University of Central Florida
- University of Phoenix, Orlando campus
- Valencia Community College

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 185,951 people, 80,883 households, and 42,382 families residing in the city. The population density is 767.9/km² (1,988.9/mi²). There are 88,486 housing units at an average density of 365.4/km² (946.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 53.10% White, 18.85% African American, 2.68% Asian, 0.34% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.41% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. 31.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The city has large Puerto Rican, Dominican and Venezuelan communities. There are 80,883 households out of which 24.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% are married couples living together, 15.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% are non-families. 35.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.25 and the average family size is 2.97. In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the city is $35,732, and the median income for a family is $40,648. Males have a median income of $30,866 versus $25,267 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,216. 15.9% of the population and 13.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.0% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Area attractions

For more tourist information, see the Wikitravel article. Also contact:
- Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. 8723 International Drive. (800) 972-3304. The official sales and marketing organization for the Orlando and Orange County area. http://www.orlandoinfo.com. The Orlando area is home to a wide variety of tourist attractions, including the Walt Disney World resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and Universal Orlando Resort. The Walt Disney World resort is the area's largest attraction with its many facets such as the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. SeaWorld Orlando is a large adventure park that features numerous zoological displays and marine animals alongside an amusement park with roller coasters and water park. Universal Orlando, like Walt Disney World, is a multi-faceted resort comprised of Universal Studios Florida, CityWalk, and Islands of Adventure theme park. Other attractions in the Orlando area includes:
- Arboretum of the University of Central Florida
- Blue Spring State Park, which is the winter home of large numbers of Florida Manatees that come upstream from the St. Johns River to bask in the warm 72 °F (22 °C) waters of the springs. Canoeing, swimming and fishing are popular activities at Blue Springs.
- Central Florida Zoological Park, located in Sanford on Lake Monroe. This 100 acre (400,000 m²) zoo is home to a butterfly garden, herpetarium, and numerous tropical animals. This zoo originally started as a collection in the Sanford Fire Department, but grew into a regional zoo in 1975. It is currently in the planning stages of expansion and renaming the facility to "Zoo Orlando at Sanford".
- Church Street Station, a multi-level shopping mall and entertainment center that features specialty shops, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars.
- Cirque du Soleil, in Downtown Disney West Side, features its renowned blend of acrobatics and special effects with more than 70 artists from around the globe performing in a custom-designed, 1,671-seat theater.
- Cornell Fine Arts Museum, which is situated on the campus of Rollins College, this free museum features significant loans, recent acquisitions, and items from the Cornell's renowned permanent collection.
- Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
- Discovery Cove, part of the SeaWorld Adventure Park complex. This attraction features tropical fish in a coral reef, snorkeling with stingrays, and interacting with birds in an aviary, as well as swimming and playing with dolphins during a half-hour dolphin encounter.
- Gatorland is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles. A few of Gatorland's residents have made wrangling appearances in movies, television shows and commercial spots. The 54 year old park combines a petting zoo, bird sanctuary, mini-water park, eco-tour and outdoor entertainment, including daily alligator wrestling.
- Hard Rock Live & Hotel is the Hard Rock Café chain's featured location in Orlando. It features a concert venue and large restaurant with typical rock style memorabilia. The Hard Rock Hotel is a featured resort hotel with a California-style restaurant called The Kitchen.
- International Trolley and Train Museum features 14 model railroad trains with sound and lighting traveling through an indoor garden with 12 foot (4 m) high mountains, waterfalls, and more than 30 trestles and tunnels. Also on display are toy trains from the 1920s to the present. Visitors can catch a ride in a California Victorian Style half open/half closed trolley or the 5/8 replica of an 1880 locomotive (a Mason Bogey) with its passenger cars.
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is 45 minutes from Orlando and south of Daytona Beach. Visitors can tour launch areas, see giant rockets, "train" in spaceflight simulators, and much more. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is open every day except Christmas and certain launch days. Apart from the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Space Center bus tours run every 15 minutes with stops at an observation gantry and the Apollo / Saturn V Center. Other guided tours include NASA Up Close, Cape Canaveral: Then and Now, and Lunch With An Astronaut. Combo tickets offer maximum access admission, plus one guided tour.
- Jack Kerouac residence
- Harry P. Leu Gardens, which is an inner city oasis covering 50 acres (20,000 m²) and features colorful annuals, palms, an orchid house, a floral clock and a butterfly garden.
- World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's® & PlayPlace, located on the corner of Sand Lake Rd. & International Dr. This unique McDonald's looks like a fry box from the exterior. The interior features an arcade with 60+ games with prize redemption, a 1950's room, a waterfall and a gift shop. Also, try the Bistro Gourmet at McDonald's chef prepared food, like Panini & Deli sandwiches, pasta, soup, desserts, hand-dipped ice cream, plus all your McDonald's favorites.
- Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, located in Kissimmee, Florida. Six brave knights on horseback compete in tournament games, jousting, and sword fighting while guest dine on a medieval banquet.
- Morse Museum of American Art, which houses a permanent Tiffany collection featuring an impressive array of Tiffany glass, an exhibit on the Tiffany home, and American paintings from the 19th century.
- Old Town features 8 restaurants, 15 amusement park rides and 75 shops along its brick-lined streets. Classic car shows every Friday and Saturday feature hundreds of vintage automobiles. Admission and parking are free.
- Orange County Regional History Center
- Orlando Museum of Art, which has ongoing exhibitions of American portraits and landscapes, American impressionist works, and art of the ancient Americas.
- Orlando Science Center, a 207,000 square foot (19,000 m²) hands-on learning center with hundreds of interactive exhibits for visitors of all ages. Images surround visitors on the giant screen of the Dr. Phillips CineDome. Other attractions include the Body Zone, teaching health and fitness, as well as an observatory.
- Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium is located in a building artfully constructed to appear as if it were collapsing to one side, along with a sly reference to central Florida's infamous sinkholes. Explore artifacts, collections, weird art/hobbies and interactive exhibits in 16 odd galleries. For more than 40 years, Robert Ripley traveled the globe collecting the unbelievable, inexplicable, and one-of-a-kind. His collections are housed in 27 museums in 10 countries.
- Wekiwa Springs State Park, which comprises around 700 acres (2.8 km²) of wild Florida. The springs pump out 42 million gallons of crystal clear water a day. Popular activities at the park include canoeing, swimming, picnicking and fishing.
- World of Orchids, featuring thousands of blooms in an enclosed tropical rainforest. World of Orchids is a working greenhouse shipping orchids and other plants nationwide. A greenhouse covers nearly an acre (4,000 m²), and in this controlled climate of warm, humid air some 1,000 orchids are displayed in a natural jungle setting, with streams, waterfalls, and squawking parrots. World of Orchids also has a 1,000 foot (300 m) long boardwalk meandering off into nearby wetlands. Admission is free.

Sports

World of Orchids team based in Orlando.]] Orlando is home to the Orlando Magic, an NBA pro basketball franchise that plays at the TD Waterhouse Centre in downtown Orlando. The team made it to the NBA Finals in 1995. The Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League also play at the TD Waterhouse Centre. Since joining the league in 1991, they have become one of the legendary franchises in the young league, having a historic rivalry with the Tampa Bay Storm, two ArenaBowl titles (1998 and 2000), and several historic moments including the league's only shutout to date and a procession called the Miracle Minute where they scored two touchdowns with two-point conversions and forced a safety to come from behind in the final minute of a game to win. Orlando was a stronghold of minor-league ice hockey throughout the 1990's, being home of the Orlando Solar Bears of the now-defunct International Hockey League. Historically successful, they won the Turner Cup championship in 2001 to end the IHL's final season. In 2002, the Atlantic Coast Hockey League formed with Orlando forming one of the charter franchises, the Orlando Seals, which won their Commissioner's Cup in 2003. They moved to the World Hockey Association 2 in 2003, then the Southern Professional Hockey League in 2004. The City of Orlando revoked their lease for the TD Waterhouse Centre, forcing them to sit out the 2004-05 season. They moved to Kissimmee and became the Florida Seals in November 2004. The Citrus Bowl is the home of the Capital One Bowl (formerly the Florida Citrus Bowl) and the Champs Sports Bowl (formerly the Tangerine Bowl). It also hosts regular-season football games for the University of Central Florida (NCAA Division I-A) and Jones High School, as well as the annual Florida Classic played between the NCAA Division I-AA Football teams from Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman College. It hosted soccer games for the FIFA World Cup '94 and the 1996 Summer Olympics when each were hosted by the United States. The Orlando Renegades were a USFL team playing at the Citrus Bowl in 1985. They folded with the league in 1986. The Orlando Thunder were a charter team in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. They lost the World Bowl to the Sacramento Surge in 1992. Like all other American teams, it was dropped in the World League reorganization of 1995. The Orlando Rage were a member of the XFL that played at the Citrus Bowl, and only played in 2001. That team has since been revived in the minor-league Southern States Football League (SSFL). The Orlando Sundogs were a minor-league soccer team in the A-League that played in the Citrus Bowl. They were disbanded in 1997 after only playing one year. Presently, two lower-division soccer teams call Orlando home: the Premier Development League's (PDL) Central Florida Kraze, and Ajax Orlando. The Kraze won the PDL Championship in 2004, while Ajax (pronounced EYE-acks) is the only Amercian subsidiary of global soccer power Ajax Amsterdam of the Dutch Eredivisie (professional soccer league). Tinker Field, named for baseball hall-of-famer Joe Tinker, is a historic baseball stadium next to the Citrus Bowl, currently out of use. It was formerly the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins (and the Washington Nationals/Senators before them) and AA Southern League affiliates of the Twins, Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Other

Trivial facts


- ZIP codes for Orlando are in the range from 32801 to 32899.

Famous people

Among the famous people and groups connected to Orlando are:

- Michelle Akers
- Michael Andrew
- Chucky Atkins
- Backstreet Boys
- Wayne Brady
- Malcolm Bricklin
- Delta Burke
- Lee Corso
- Creed
- Daunte Culpepper
- Johnny Damon
- Chris DiMarco
- Marquis Daniels
- Buddy Ebsen
- John Frame
- Zack Greinke
- Cheryl Hines
- Billy Howerdel
- Zora Neale Hurston
- Davey Johnson
- Tracy McGrady
- Mandy Moore
- Marilyn Manson
- Matchbox Twenty
- Shaquille O'Neal
- Tari Phillips
- Orlando Reeves
- Warren Sapp
- R. C. Sproul
- Seven Mary Three
- Kirsten Storms
- NSYNC
- Wesley Snipes
- Amare Stoudemire
- Joe Tinker
- Trivium
- Tiger Woods

- John W. Young

External links


- [http://www.cityoforlando.net/ City of Orlando]
- [http://www.eola.net/ Eola.net] Orlando's community site
- [http://www.orlando-villa-guide.com/ Orlando City Guide]
- [http://www.theorlandoguide.com/ Orlando Guide]

Category:Cities in Florida Category:Orange County, Florida
- ja:オーランド simple:Orlando, Florida

Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation, or FDOT, is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida.

Achievements

In 1974, FDOT completed Florida's Turnpike, a 450-mile system of limited access toll highways. The turnpike is part of an initiative to finance transportation with user fees. In 2004, FDOT reopened the I-10 Escambia bridge 17 days after Hurricane Ivan ripped it apart .

Structure

Each of FDOT's seven semi-autonomous districts is managed by a District Secretary. The FDOT Secretary is responsible for coordinating the Department as a whole. The Florida Transportation Commission, made up of nine commissioners chosen by Florida's Governor and Legislature, provides oversight for FDOT. On March 5, 2003, Governor Jeb Bush appointed José Abreu, P.E., as Secretary of FDOT.

See also


- Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
- Florida State Roads

References

# # # # # Transportation

External links


- [http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ Florida Department of Transportation]

Florida State Road 50

Florida State Road 50 runs across the center of Florida through Orlando, with its termini at SR 55 (US 19) at Weeki Wachee and SR 5 (US 1) in Indian River City. SR 50 is signed east-west.

Major roads intersected


- SR 55/CR 550 (US 19) at Weeki Wachee
- SR 589 (Suncoast Parkway)
- SR 50A/CR 485 in Brooksville
- SR 45/SR 700 (US 41) in Brooksville begin SR 700 concurrency
- SR 50A (US 98) in Brooksville
- CR 541 at Rolling Acres
- SR 93 (Interstate 75)
- SR 700 (US 98) end SR 700 concurrency
- SR 35 (US 301) at Ridge Manor
- CR 575
- SR 471 at Tarrytown
- CR 469 east of Mabel
- CR 33 in Mascotte begin SR 33 concurrency
- SR 19 in Groveland
- SR 33 in Groveland end SR 33 concurrency
- SR 25 (US 27) in Clermont
- SR 91 (Florida's Turnpike) in Oakland
- CR 545 south of Tildenville in Winter Garden
- CR 535 in Winter Garden
- SR 537 in Winter Garden
- SR 429 (Western Expressway) in Winter Garden and Ocoee
- SR 91 (Florida's Turnpike) in Ocoee connector ramp without a crossing
- former SR 439 (Bluford Avenue) at Minorville in Ocoee
- SR 408 (East-West Expressway) in Ocoee
- SR 435 (Kirkman Road)
- SR 423 (John Young Parkway) in Orlando
- SR 500/SR 600 (US 17/US 92/US 441) (Orange Blossom Trail) in Orlando begin SR 600 concurrency
- SR 400 (Interstate 4) in Orlando
- SR 527 (Orange Avenue/Magnolia Avenue) in Orlando
- SR 15/SR 600 (US 17/US 92) (Mills Avenue) in Orlando end SR 600 concurrency
- SR 436 (Semoran Boulevard)
- SR 551 (Goldenrod Road)
- SR 417 (Central Florida GreeneWay) at Union Park
- SR 434 (Alafaya Trail)
- SR 408 (East-West Expressway)
- SR 520 east of Bithlo
- SR 9 (Interstate 95)
- SR 405
- SR 5 (US 1) in Indian River City

History

Prior to the 1945 renumbering, the route that became SR 50 had the following numbers:
- SR 15 from Weeki Wachee to Brooksville
- SR 34 from Brooksville to Rolling Acres
- SR 51 from Brooksville to Tildenville
- SR 210 from east of Ridge Manor to east of Mabel
- SR 22 from east of Mabel to Tildenville
- SR 2 from Mascotte to Groveland
- SR 208 from Tildenville south 1/4 mile
- SR 434 from south of Tildenville to Minorville
- SR 22 from Minorville to Indian River City
- SR 51 from Minorville to Orlando
- SR 322 from near Gotha to Orlando SR 50 was defined in the 1945 renumbering as:
- From Weekiwachee Springs on SR 55 Northeasterly via Wiscon and Spring Hill to a junction with SR 45 in Brooksville and East along SR 45 to intersection with Main St. then South on Main St. to a point near the South City Limits of Brooksville. Then East and Southeasterly via Rita to Richloam thence Northeasterly via Riverland - Tarrytown and Mable to a junction with SR 33 in Mascotte and along SR 33 to intersection with SR 459 at Groveland. Thence in an Easterly direction via Minneola - Oakland - Minorville and Orlovista to a junction with SR 500 in Orlando and North along SR 500 to Colonial Drive then East along Colonial Drive and Easterly via Bithlo - Ft. Christmas to junction with SR 5 at Indian River City in Brevard County.
- Also from intersection of SR 50 and Massachusetts St. in Mascotte North along Massachusetts St. to intersection with SR 33. Since then, the following changes have been made:
- SR 50 was extended west from its west end to Bayport, on the Gulf of Mexico. Later it was given back to Hernando County as CR 50 (now CR 550).
- A new alignment for SR 50 was built east of Brooksville, Florida, removing the section on Main Street (which may have become SR 581) and a part east of Main Street.
- Later, SR 50 was realigned around Brooksville, and the old road through downtown became SR 50A.
- The spur in Mascotte is no longer state-maintained.
- A whole new alignment was built from east of Groveland to south of Tildenville, via Clermont. The old road became, in order from west to east, SR 565A (now CR 565A), SR 561A (now CR 561), SR 561 (now partly abandoned and partly maintained by Clermont), an unknown number (now CR Old 50), and SR 438 (now CR 438). The short north-south connector at Tildenville became an extension of SR 545 (now CR 545).
- A whole new alignment was built from Minorville to west of downtown Orlando, Florida. The old road became an extension of SR 526 (now CR 526), and the concurrency with SR 500/SR 600 was removed.
- Several minor realignments were built in 1948 (at least the eastern two) at SR 436 and west of and at Bithlo. The old roads are now Old Cheney Highway. 050

U.S. Highway 441

U.S. Highway 441 is a spur route of U.S. Highway 41. It currently runs for 939 miles (1,511 km) from Lake City, Tennessee at the west branch of U.S. Highway 25, to Miami, Florida. It passes through the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. It goes through the cities of Knoxville, Tennessee, Athens, Georgia, Gainesville, Florida, Ocala, Florida, Orlando, Florida, and Miami, Florida. It also goes across the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where it meets the southwestern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and where no trucks or other commercial traffic are allowed. In Florida, where signs for U.S. Highways formerly had different colors for each highway (until they were forced by the federal government to conform to standards that required consistent black-and-white signs), the "shield" for US 441 was brown.

Trivia

US 441 is mentioned in Tom Petty's song American Girl. Petty grew up in Gainesville, Florida, and 441 runs through the middle of town bordering the east side of the University of Florida.

See also


- List of United States Highways 441 441

Florida State Road 500

US 192 is a U.S. Highway in central Florida.

Current route

US 192 runs for 75.04 miles (120.77 km) from U.S. Highway 27 (SR 25) west of the Walt Disney World Resort to SR A1A one block from the Atlantic Ocean in Indialantic, via Kissimmee. The entire road is in Florida. It is signed east-west. For most of its alignment, US 192 is referred to as Irlo W. Bronson Memorial Highway, named after former congressman and cattleman Irlo W. Bronson. It is also known as Space Coast Parkway (in Kissimmee), Vine Street (also in Kissimmee), 13th Street (in St. Cloud), New Haven Avenue (in Melbourne), Strawbridge Avenue (in downtown Melbourne), and Fifth Avenue (in Indialantic). Its bridge over the Indian River is Melbourne Causeway. US 192 uses the following unsigned state roads:
- SR 530 from its west end to Kissimmee
- SR 600 from John Young Parkway to Main Street in Kissimmee
- SR 500 from Kissimmee to Indialantic US 192 is a major tourist strip in the area around the Walt Disney World Resort, including "mile markers" (with a variable distance between each) to help tourists locate businesses. In the late 1990s, the Osceola Parkway was built as a bypass for it around Kissimmee.

Intersections with other U.S. and Interstate Highways


- US 27 west of the Walt Disney World Resort
- I-4 at the Walt Disney World Resort
- US 17/US 92 (John Young Parkway) in Kissimmee begin US 17/US 92 concurrency
- US 17/US 92/US 441 (Main Street) in Kissimmee end US 17/US 92 concurrency; begin US 441 concurrency
- US 441 at Holopaw end US 441 concurrency
- I-95 in West Melbourne
- US 1 in Melbourne
- east end of US 192 in Indialantic

History

Indialantic US 192 was created from the Kissimmee-Melbourne Highway, built in 1918, through the land of George W. Hopkins. US 192 was in the original 1926 plan as a spur from US 92 in Kissimmee to US 1 in Melbourne; previously it had been the Dixie Highway Central Florida Connector. It followed SR 24 until the 1945 Florida State Road renumbering, after which it used SR 500. US 192 was extended east along SR 516 (now part of SR 500) across the Intracoastal Waterway to SR A1A in the late 1960s. It was extended west along SR 530 to the new U.S. Highway 27 to serve the newly-opened Walt Disney World Resort in 1972. US 192 was realigned in the mid-1930s between Deer Park and St. Cloud in Osceola County (shown to the right). The western end of this alignment exists as Old Melbourne Highway. Old Melbourne Highway's eastern terminus is next to Mercury's former Lake X landing strip. The rest of the alignment is on private property owned mostly by Deseret Ranch. The old road eventually crossed the current road, and intersected a southern extension of CR 419 approximately 1/2 mile (800 m) south of the current alignment of US 192 in Deer Park. From there, the old alignment headed straight east back to the current road, passing the Kempfer Sawmill, and an old alignment of the Union Cypress Railroad. This old alignment of US 192 was once designated SR 500A.

Related U.S. Highways


- U.S. Highway 92
- List of U.S. Highways

External links


- [http://www.us-highways.com/ U.S. Highways: from US 1 to (US 830)] (Robert V. Droz)
- [http://kissimmeetouristinformationbureau.com/kissimmee_192map.htm Kissimmee Tourist Information Bureau - map with "mile markers"]

References


- Brevard County: a history to 1955. John M. Eriksen. Florida Historical Society Press. 1994. ISBN 188610400X 192 192

Astronaut

An astronaut, cosmonaut, spationaut or taikonaut (taikongren, 太空人) is a person who travels into space, or who makes a career of doing so. The criteria for determining who has achieved human spaceflight vary (see edge of space). In the United States, people who travel above an altitude of 50 miles (approximately 80 kilometers) are designated as astronauts. The FAI defines spaceflight as over 100 km (approximately 62 miles). As of October 12, 2005, a total of 448 humans have reached space according to the U.S. definition, 442 people qualify under the FAI definition, while 438 people have reached Earth orbit or beyond. These individuals have spent over 28,000 crew-days (or a cumulative total of 76.7 years) in space including over 100 crew-days of spacewalks. A person who has traveled in space is said to hold astronaut wings. Astronauts from at least 34 countries have gone into space.

International variations

By convention, a space traveller employed by the Russian Aviation and Space Agency or its Soviet predecessor is called a cosmonaut. "Cosmonaut" is an anglicisation of the Russian word космонавт (kosmonavt), which in turn derives from the Greek words kosmos, meaning "universe" and nautes, "sailor". In the USA, a space traveller is called an astronaut. The term derives from the Greek words ástron ("star") and nautes, ("sailor"). For the most part, "cosmonaut" and "astronaut" are synonyms in all languages, and the usage of choice is often dictated by political reasons. However in the United States, the term "astronaut" is typically applied to the individual as soon as training begins, while in Russia, an individual is not labeled a cosmonaut until successful space flight. The first known use of the term was by Neil R. Jones in his short story The Death's Head Meteor in 1930. On March 14, 1995 astronaut Norman Thagard became the first American to ride to space on-board a Russian launch vehicle, arguably becoming the first American cosmonaut in the process. European (outside of the UK) space travellers are sometimes, especially in French-speaking countries, called spationauts (a hybrid word formed from the Latin spatium, "space", and Greek nautes, "sailor"). Apart from the Soviet Union, Europe has not yet produced manned spacecraft, but has sent men and women into space in cooperation with Russia and to a lesser extent with the United States of America. Taikonaut is sometimes used in English for astronauts from China by Western news media. The term was coined in May 1998 by Chiew Lee Yih (赵里昱) from Malaysia, who used it first in newsgroups. Almost simultaneously, Chen Lan coined it for use in the Western media based on the term tàikōng (太空), Chinese for "space". In Chinese itself, however, a single term yǔháng yuán (宇航員, "universe navigator") has long been used for astronauts. The closest term using taikong is a colloquialism tàikōng rén (太空人, "space human"), which refers to people who have actually been in space. Official English texts issued by the Chinese government use astronaut ().

Space milestones

colloquialism The first attempt ever in human history to use rocket for a spaceflight was done in the 16th century by a Chinese Ming dynasty official, a skilled stargazer named Wan Hu.[http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/09/30/china.wanhu/index.html] The first cosmonaut was Yuri Gagarin, who was launched into space on April 12 1961 aboard Vostok 1. The first woman cosmonaut was Valentina Tereshkova, launched into space in June 1963 aboard Vostok 6. Alan Shepard became the first American in space in May 1961. Vladimir Remek became the first non-Soviet European in space in 1978 on a Russian Soyuz rocket. On July 23 1980 Pham Tuan of Vietnam became the first Asian in space when he flew aboard Soyuz 37. In June 1985 Shannon Lucid became the first Chinese born person in space. On October 15 2003 Yang Liwei became China's first astronaut on the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. The first mission to orbit the moon was Apollo 8 which included William Anders - who was born in Hong Kong making him the first Asian-born astronaut in 1968. The youngest person to fly in space is Gherman Titov, who was roughly 26 years old when he flew Vostok 2, and the oldest is John Glenn who was 77 when he flew on STS-95. The longest stay in space was 438 days by Valeri Polyakov. As of 2005, the most spaceflights by an individual astronaut was seven, a record held by both Jerry L. Ross and Franklin Chang-Diaz. The furthest distance from Earth an astronaut has traveled was 401,056 km (during the Apollo 13 emergency). The first non-governmental astronaut was Christa McAuliffe, who was killed during the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. The first astronaut to fly a privately-funded mission was Mike Melvill, on SpaceShipOne flight 15P. This should be contrasted with the various millionaire space tourists, who have flown as passengers, or minor crew members, on publicly funded flights (generally Russian resupply flights to the ISS). The first space tourist was Dennis Tito on April 28, 2001. In the United States, persons selected as astronaut candidates receive silver Astronaut wings. Once they have flown in space they receive gold Astronaut wings. The United States Air Force also presents Astronaut wings to its pilots who exceed 50 miles in altitude.

International astronauts

United States Air Force Up until the end of the 1970s only Americans and Soviets were active astronauts. In 1976 the Soviets started the Intercosmos program with a first group of 6 cosmonauts from fellow socialist countries, a second group started training in 1978. At about the same time in 1978 the European Space Agency selected 4 astronauts to train for the first Spacelab mission on board of the Space Shuttle. In 1980 France started their own selection of astronauts, followed in 1982 by Germany, in 1983 by the Canadian space program, in 1985 by Japan and Italy in 1988. Several more international payload specialist were selected for the Space Shuttle, and also later for international Soyuz missions of Russia. In 1998 the European Space Agency formed a single astronaut corps of 18 by dissolving the former national corps of France, Germany and Italy.

Astronaut training

The first astronauts, both in the USA and USSR, tended to be jet fighter pilots, often test pilots, from military backgrounds. U.S. military astronauts receive a special qualification badge, known as the Astronaut Badge upon completion of Astronaut training and participation in a space flight.

Astronaut deaths

Astronaut Badge To date, eighteen astronauts have been killed on space missions, and at least ten more have been killed in ground-based training accidents. See also: space disaster.

See also


- List of astronauts by name
- List of astronauts by selection
- Timeline of astronauts by nationality
- List of human spaceflights: 1961-1986, 1987-1999, 2000-present.
- List of spacewalks and moonwalks
- X-15
- Spaceflight records
- Shirley Thomas, author of Men of Space series (1960-1968)

External links


- [http://www.astronautix.com Encyclopedia Astronautica]
- [http://www.astronautix.com/astrogrp/phaonaut.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica: Phantom cosmonauts]
- Category:Transportation and material moving occupations Category:Transportation occupations Category:Science occupations ja:宇宙飛行士 simple:Astronaut th:นักบินอวกาศ

Osceola County, Florida

Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 172,493. Its county seat is Kissimmee, Florida.6

History

Osceola County was created in 1887. It was named for the Indian leader Osceola, whose name means "Singer of the Black Drink." On July 21, 1821, Florida was divided into two counties, named Escambia County to the west and St. John's County to the east. In 1824, the southern part of St. John's County became Mosquito County, with Enterprise as the county seat. When Florida became a state in 1845, Mosquito County was renamed Orange County. In 1844, Brevard County was carved out from Mosquito County. On May 12, 1887, Osceola was named a county, having been created from both Orange and Brevard Counties. Osceola County reached all the way down to Lake Okeechobee until 1917.

Government

Osceola County is a Charter County, and an administrative subdivision of the State of Florida. Voters approved the County Charter in March 1992, and it took effect on October 1, 1992. The structure of County government under the charter does not depart dramatically from the structure of a County government outlined in the Florida Statutes. Osceola County Government is governed by three sets of elected officials, each of which independently directs separate branches of County Government. These include: the five-member County Commission, five separate Constitutional Officers, and a number of Judicial Officers. Under State law, the County Commission is responsible for funding the budgets of all Osceola County Government, including the independently elected Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers, as well as the Commission's own departments. Each independent officer has discretion to administer his or her own programs. The County Commission exercises oversight only over its own departments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,901 km² (1,506 mi²). 3,424 km² (1,322 mi²) of it is land and 478 km² (184 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.24% water.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 172,493 people, 60,977 households, and 45,062 families residing in the county. The population density is 50/km² (130/mi²). There are 72,293 housing units at an average density of 21/km² (55/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 77.20% White, 7.36% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.06% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. 29.41% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 60,977 households out of which 36.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% are married couples living together, 12.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% are non-families. 19.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.79 and the average family size is 3.18. In the county the population is spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.20 males. The median income for a household in the county is $38,214, and the median income for a family is $42,061. Males have a median income of $29,034 versus $21,746 for females. The per capita income for the county is $17,022. 11.50% of the population and 9.10% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.70% of those under the age of 18 and 8.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns

Incorporated


- Kissimmee
- St. Cloud

Unincorporated


- Buenaventura Lakes
- Campbell
- Celebration
- Deer Park
- Harmony
- Holopaw
- Kenansville
- Poinciana
- Reedy Creek Improvement District (special taxing district)
- Yeehaw Junction

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices


- [http://www.osceola.org Osceola County Government / Board of County Commissioners]
- [http://www.oscelections.org Osceola County Supervisor of Elections]
- [http://www.property-appraiser.org Osceola County Property Appraiser]
- [http://www.osceola.org/index.cfm?lsFuses=department/Sheriff Osceola County Sheriff's Office]
- [http://www.osceolataxcollector.com Osceola County Tax Collector]

Special Districts


- [http://www.osceola.k12.fl.us School District of Osceola County]
- [http://www.sfwmd.gov South Florida Water Management District]
- [http://www.sjrwmd.com St. Johns River Water Management District]

Judicial branch


- [http://www.osceolaclerk.com/ Osceola County Clerk of Courts]
- [http://pd.circuit9.org/ Public Defender, 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida] serving Orange and Osceola Counties
- [http://www.ninja9.org/ Circuit and County Court for the 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida]

Tourism links


- [http://www.floridakiss.com/ Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau]
- [http://www.kissimmeechamber.com/ Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce]
- [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/osceola/orl-otourtax1405oct14,0,7195474.story Tourism shows sign of slowdown] Category:Florida countiesCategory:Charter counties in Florida

2000

This article is about the year 2000. For other uses of 2000, see 2000 (number) or 2000 (breakdancing move). 2000 (MM) is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. Popular culture also holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. By strict interpretation of the Gregorian Calendar, however, this distinction falls to the year 2001. This is due to the fact that the first century began with the year 1, and there does not exist a year zero. The first century (or first 100 years AD) was from January 1, in the year one (1 AD) through December 31, in the year one-hundred (100 AD). The second century began on January 1, in the year one-hundred and one (101 AD). The year 2000 is also marked as:
- The International Year for a Culture of Peace.
- The World Mathematical Year. See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.

Events

January


- January 1 - Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world. Y2K passes without the serious, widespread computer failures and malfunctions that had been predicted.
- January 5-January 8 - The 2000 al-Qaida Summit
- January 6 - The last remaining Pyrenean Ibex is found dead.
- January 10 - America On-line announces an agreement to buy Time Warner for $162 billion. This is the largest-ever corporate merger.
- January 11 - the armed wing of Islamic Salvation Front concludes its negotiations with the government for an amnesty and disbands in Algeria.
- January 11 - The trawler Solway Harvester sinks off the Isle of Man.
- January 14 - A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Bosnian Muslims in a Bosnian village.
- January 16 - In Sacramento, California a commercial truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the state capitol building killing the driver.
- January 24 - God's Army, Karen militia group led by twins Johnny and Luther Htoo, take 700 hostages at a Thai hospital near the Burmese border.
- January 30 - St. Louis Rams 23 defeat the Tennessee Titans 16 to win the Super_Bowl_XXXIV
- January 30 - Off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169. Within a day, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes off the California coast into the Pacific Ocean, killing 88.
- January 31 - Dr. Harold Shipman in sentenced to life in prison for murder of at least 15 of his patients out of 365 suspected victims.

February


- February 4 - German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with sabotage of German railway lines.
- February 6 - Tarja Halonen is elected the first Finnish female president.
- February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published.
- February 14 - The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker entered orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.

March


- March 1 - The Constitution of Finland is rewritten.
- March 2 - Hans Blix assumes the position of Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC.
- March 8 - Tokyo train disaster.
- March 9 - FBI arrests suspected purveyor of art forgeries, Ely Sakhai, in New York City.
- March 10 - The NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5048. ([http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/IndexChart.asp?symbol=IXIC&desc=NASDAQ+Composite&sec=nasdaq&site=nasdaq&months=84])
- March 18 - 2000 Taiwanese presidential election: Chen Shui-bian is elected President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
- March 20 - Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther, is captured after gun battle that left a sheriff's deputy dead.
- March 21 - Pope John Paul II began the first office visit by a Roman Catholic pontiff to Israel.
- March 21 - US Supreme Court ruled the goverment lacked authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug, throwing out the Clinton administration's main anti-smoking initiative.
- March 26 - Presidential elections in Russia: Vladimir Putin elected President.
- March 30 - America's Cup 2000 retained by Team New Zealand near Auckland. Prada Challenge 2000 lost 0-5 in a "best-of-9".

April

April.]]
- April 1 - Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi suffers a stroke and falls into a coma.
- April 3 - United States v. Microsoft: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.
- April 5 - Yoshiro Mori replaces Obuchi as prime minister of Japan.
- April 7 - Attack submarine ex-Trepang completes being recycled.
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, Raja of Perlis dies after a reign of 55 years. He was the longest reigning monarch in the world since the death of Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein.
- April 17 - Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin