Central Florida is a great place to buy a home. More and more people are flocking to Central Florida for all it has to offer homeowners.

History of Orlando

Orlando, Florida was founded in 1875 with a population of 85. It was a hot, swampy area, long fought over by the Seminole Indians. The first settlers that came in raised beef and grew cotton.

Orlando was the site of Fort Gatlin, an army post settlement around Lake Eola. The city is said to be named for Orlando Reeves, a sentry in the army who was shot and killed by Indians while trying to warn the fort of an oncoming raid. He is buried near Lake Eola, with just a wooden marker over the grave.

Early agriculture focused on citrus, and there were huge groves of oranges, lemons and grapefruit. In the 1950s, there were 80,000 acres planted of citrus trees; however, the booming aerospace and tourist industry overtook the citrus growers, and now tourism leads the economy, bringing in $17 billion annually.

With the Kennedy Space Center just an hour's drive away, near Cocoa Beach, and a huge Lockheed Martin facility in Orlando, aerospace is here to stay. The University of Central Florida has some of the best computer, simulation, artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering courses in the nation. The Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers at UCF, and the Institute for Simulation and Training, are two of the leading educational facilities in the country in those fields.

Orlando Tourist Attractions

Amidst the technology and aerospace of Florida, Orlando is most famous for Disney World, which was built in 1971. SeaWorld followed in 1973, and Universal Studios came in 1990, as well as the Islands of Adventure in 1999. There are now 90 different tourist attractions in the Orlando area. Daytona International Speedway is only an hour away, as well as spring training baseball camps.

With a population of over 185,000, and millions of tourists annually, you might think that Orlando is stuck with urban sprawl and unimaginitive housing. Nothing could be further from the truth. With 1,200 freshwater lakes in the area, six state parks and over 100 regional parks and state forests, Orlando is a homeowner's dream.

Central Florida Real Estate Zone has information regarding waterfront houses, residential communities on golf courses, homes near or in national forests, and townhomes on quaint brick streets shaded with moss-draped oaks. Suburbs such as Kissimmee have vacation homes right on the water, with docks and cabanas in the back yard. Lake Mary homes for sale are near a major bird refuge, with hikes through lush, subtropical hammocks from your front door.

Central Florida real estate is as varied as its communities. Adult and gated communities are available, as well as executive homes and all types of fully furnished vacation homes, including Disney vacation homes. In Central Florida real estate, you can choose between a lakefront home, a pool and spa, a golf course, boat ramp or dock, or a natural forest setting for your dream home. We set up Central Florida Real Estate Zone to provide you with quality information on the great Florida real estate market. Enjoy!