Orlando, Florida

==History==

{{see also|Timeline of Orlando, Florida}}

===Settlement===

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 the following year and settled near Lake Holden.

[[File:Orlando Mizell-Leu House Hist Dist03.jpg|thumb|Mizell-Leu House (built 1888), a fine example of Florida Vernacular Style Architecture. The home is located in the Mizell-Leu House Historic District.]]

[[Mosquito County]] was renamed Orange County in 1845, with the county seat shortly thereafter relocated to Mellonville, a few miles west of [[Sanford, Florida|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,<ref name=FLhistorical /> consisted of four streets surrounding 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.<ref name="Historic Orange County:The Story of Orlando and Orange County">{{cite book |last=Mosier |first=Tana |date=2009 |title=Historic Orange County:The Story of Orlando and Orange County |url=http://hpnbooks.com/wordpress/?p=1372 |location=Texas |publisher=Mahler Books |page=51 |isbn=9781893619999 }}</ref> Orlando was established as a city in 1885.<ref>[http://www.cityoforlando.net/about_orlando.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314190141/http://www.cityoforlando.net/about_orlando.htm|date=March 14, 2014}}</ref>

The period from 1875 to 1895 is remembered as Orlando's Golden Era, when it became the hub of Florida's [[citrus]] industry. The period ended with the [[Great Freeze|Great Freeze of 1894–95]], which forced many owners to give up their independent citrus [[Grove (nature)|grove]]s, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons", who shifted operations south, primarily around [[Lake Wales, Florida|Lake Wales]] in [[Polk County, Florida|Polk County]].<ref name=travel /> The freeze caused many in Florida, including many Orlandoans, to move elsewhere, mostly to [[Northern United States|the North]], [[California]], or the [[Caribbean]].
[[File:The Wyoming, Orlando, FL.jpg|thumb|right|The Wyoming Hotel, c. 1905]]
Notable homesteaders in the area included the Curry family. Through their property in east Orlando flowed the [[Econlockhatchee River]], which travelers crossed by [[ford (crossing)|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 {{convert|150|acre|km2}} of property homesteaded in 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.

===Post-Industrial Revolution===

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 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 Air Force Base|Orlando Army Air Base]] and nearby [[McCoy Air Force Base|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 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 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 [[Lockheed U-2|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 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 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.

[[File:Lucerne Circle, Orlando, FL.jpg|thumb|right|Lucerne Circle, c. 1905]]
[[File:Lake Eola from East Central Blvd., Orlando, FL.jpg|thumb|right|[[Lake Eola Park|Lake Eola]] in 1911]]

===Tourism in history===

Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando's economy 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 [[hurricane]]s – 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 the Orlando metropolitan area, which now encompasses Orange, [[Seminole County, Florida|Seminole]], [[Osceola County, Florida|Osceola]], and [[Lake County, Florida|Lake]] Counties. As a result, tourism became the centerpiece of the area's economy. Orlando now has more [[theme park]]s and entertainment attractions than anywhere else in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=10 Best Hotels in Orlando for AARP Members in 2017|url=https://www.expedia-aarp.com/Orlando-Hotels.d178294.Travel-Guide-Hotels|website=AARP Travel Center|publisher=Expedia|access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>

Another major factor in Orlando's growth occurred in 1962, when 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 (NA)|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 the former Air Force Base airport code (MCO).

===21st century===
[[File:Orlando downtown 2011.jpg|thumb|View of downtown Orlando (center) and periphery to [[Lake Apopka]] (upper-right); January 2011]]

Today, the historic core of "Old Orlando" resides in [[downtown Orlando]] along Church Street, between Orange Avenue and Garland Avenue.
The urban development and 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 Dune 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 the oldest homes in Orlando.

====2016 mass shooting====

{{main|Orlando nightclub shooting}}
On June 12, 2016, more than 100 people were shot at [[Pulse (nightclub)|Pulse]], a [[gay bar|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 Mateen|Omar Mir Seddique Mateen]], an American security guard. The act of terrorism was both the deadliest [[mass shooting]] in modern United States history at 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/pulse-orlando-nightclub-shooting/os-911-calls-released-orlando-shooting-20170922-story.html|title=Transcripts of 911 calls reveal Pulse shooter's terrorist motives|first=Caitlin|last=Doornbos|date=September 23, 2016 }}</ref> 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 the shooting. The city offered to buy it for $2.25&nbsp;million, but the club's owner declined to sell.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-pulse-nightclub-no-sale-orlando-20161205-story.html|title=Pulse nightclub owner says she won't sell to city|first=Jeff Weiner, Gal Tziperman|last=Lotan}}</ref>