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Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Greater Orlando, though in recent times the Tampa Bay area has often been described as its own region, with "Central Florida" becoming more synonymous with the Orlando area (most notably, this is what the local news channels in each respective metro area call their region).
Between July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024, the Orlando metropolitan statistical area, which lies in Central Florida, grew by 2.7%, adding about 75,969 new residents. This made it the fastest-growing large metro region in the United States by percentage during that year.
It is one of Florida's three directional regions, along with North Florida and South Florida. Under the previously mentioned "usual" definition, it includes the following 13 counties: Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Pasco County, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia. Sometimes Ocala, which is in Marion County, was included. Although Citrus County, Hernando County, Hillsborough, Pasco County, and Pinellas County are also considered to be the Tampa Bay area.
Central Florida is one of Florida's three most common directional regions, the others being North Florida and South Florida. Lamme and Oldakowski note that the directional region is more commonly used in the interior areas rather than on the coast.Lamme & Oldakowski, p. 335. In fact, while coastal areas often have their own regional vernacular identities such as the Space Coast and the Nature Coast, no vernacular regions were reported on the interior of the state other than Central Florida.
Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development agency, identifies "Central Florida" as one of eight economic regions used by the agency and other state and outside entities, including the Florida Department of Transportation. This definition covers much of the same area as in Lamme and Oldakowski's survey, with some exceptions. The central region includes the Orlando metropolitan area (Orange, Lake, Osceola, and Seminole Counties), and Sumter, Polk counties in the interior, Citrus County, Hernando County, Hillsborough, Pasco County, and Pinellas County counties on the west coast and Volusia and Brevard Counties on the east coast. Charting the Course, p. 2.
The central cities of both metropolitan areas (Orlando and Tampa) are in close proximity (), and as a result, their two metropolitan areas blend together in the area of Lakeland to make up a larger contiguous population center often referred to as the I-4 corridor. This is a population concentration that stretches from Tampa Bay on the west coast to Daytona Beach and Cape Canaveral on the east coast of the state.
With the exception of hill terrain in Mount Dora, southern Lake County, Polk County (Lake Wales Ridge) Pasco County, and Hernando County (Brooksville Ridge). Central Florida is mostly flatland with significant amounts of open space and over 1,500 lakes and ponds. There is a mixture of wetlands, Cypress, Oak, Maple and Pine forests, pastures, prairies and coastline.[1]
Major include the St. Johns River, the Halifax River, the Ocklawaha River and the Econlockhatchee River. Major include Lake Apopka, Lake Tohopekaliga, East Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Louisa, Lake Monroe, Lake Jessup, and the Butler Chain of Lakes. There are over of coastline in Central Florida along the Atlantic Coast. Major beaches include Canaveral National Seashore, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, and Indialantic Beach near Melbourne.
The combination of high temperatures, high humidity, and opposing sea breezes from both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, results in significant thunderstorm activity from June to September for the interior counties. Central Florida records more lightning strikes per area than any other region in Florida, and Florida records more lightning strikes than any other state in the US. As a result, Florida, and more specifically, Central Florida, is often referred to as the "Thunderstorm capital of the USA", or "Lightning Alley."
These severe thunderstorms often make Central Florida prone to many tornadoes. However, they are usually small, short lived, and almost always rated as EF0 or EF1 size storms.
According to the Köppen climate classification, Central Florida has a subtropical climate. A climate that is typical for the majority of the state, except for South Florida, which has a tropical climate. Unlike South Florida, where temperatures below practically never occur, Central Florida can see occasional freezing temperatures in the some winters (though brief). Consequently, most of Central Florida cannot accommodate the same tropical plants found in Southern Florida with the exception of coastal areas in the Tampa Bay area, Brevard county, and Indian River county due to maritime influences of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. However, winters are still warmer than most other areas of the United States in winter. Central Florida’s typical high temperatures in the winter are around . The low temperatures near 50 F.
Sanford was incorporated in 1877 as a port city at the Lake Monroe intersection and the St. Johns River. It was envisioned as a transportation center; the city's founder, Henry S. Sanford, nicknamed it "the Gate City of South Florida". It became a hub for shipping agricultural products, which earned the city another nickname, "Celery City".
Kissimmee, originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J.H. Allen, who operated the first cargo steamboat on the Kissimmee River, boomed in the 1880s. It was the headquarters of Hamilton Disston's drainage company. The city was an important regional steamship port, owing that status to its location on Lake Tohopekaliga. Expanding the railroads into Central Florida eliminated the need for Kissimmee's steamship industry.
The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 ruined citrus crops, which had a detrimental ripple effect on the economy. Type Studies from the Geography of the United States by Charles Alexander McMurry, Macmillan & Company, 1908, page 81.
The hard-packed sand of Volusia County's beaches lent itself to auto races beginning in 1903 before paved roads were common, leading to the area's reputation for cars and racing. Ormond Beach was a popular spot for those who liked fast cars after the turn of the 20th century because the hard-packed beach was ideal for going fast. The same beach had led to the development of a tourist resort by Henry Flagler. It later attracted Flagler's former business partner John D. Rockefeller, who had a winter home in Ormond.
During and after World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces (U.S. Air Force after 1947) and the U.S. Navy established several training facilities and operational bases in the region, mainly for aviation activities, followed by space exploration sites. In the late 1940s, the U.S. military established a missile testing facility on Merritt Island near Cape Canaveral. The land was largely undeveloped and the agreeable climate allowed for year-round operations. When NASA later searched for a long-term base in the 1960s to launch spacecraft, it chose the Merritt Island site next to Cape Canaveral for its access to the testing facility and nearby communities. NASA purchased over of land for the Kennedy Space Center.
Deltona was developed in 1962 as a planned retirement community. It is now the largest city in Volusia County.
The construction of the Walt Disney World Resort was a transforming event for greater Orlando. Walt Disney wanted a location with abundant available land that was more accessible for the residents of the eastern United States to visit. Not only was there ample land in Central Florida, but it was inexpensive, and the inland location offered some protection from hurricanes. Plans were announced in 1965, and the theme park opened to the public in 1971.
Politically, while North Florida overwhelmingly was considered conservative and South Florida was considered more liberal, the majority of Central Florida residents (52%) considered their area moderate; 41% considered it conservative, and 7% liberal.Lamme & Oldakowsi, p. 336. Lamme and Oldakowski's survey tracks with Barney Warf and Cynthia Waddell's studies of Florida's political geography during the 2000 Presidential election.Warf & Waddell, pp. 88. Central Florida's economy is very similar to that in South Florida. Compared to the more diversified North Florida economy, tourism is by far the most significant industry in Central and South Florida, along with a much smaller but significant agricultural industry.Lamme & Oldakowsi, pp. 336–337.
Lamme and Oldakowski's survey also found some cultural indicators that characterize Central Florida. In general, Central Florida was similar to North Florida and differed from South Florida in these measures. In Central and North Florida, American cuisine was the most popular food, in contrast to South Florida where ethnic foods were equally popular.Lamme & Oldakowsi, p. 337. Additionally, while there was little geographical variation for most styles of music, there was regional variation for both country music and Latin music. Country was popular in Central and North Florida, and less so in South Florida, while Latin was less popular in Central and North Florida, and more so in South Florida.
As of 2007 there were 70,000 Asians in Central Florida according to the U.S. Census. There were almost 1,900 Japanese persons, making up 3% of the Asians.Persaud, Babita. " Japanese residents in Central Florida strive to keep their children's legacy alive with Japanese culture and language courses at Orlando Hoshuko school" ( Archive). Orlando Sentinel. December 16, 2007. Retrieved on February 16, 2015.
| Tampa | 384,959 | 303,447 | Hillsborough |
| Orlando | 307,573 | 185,951 | Orange |
| St. Petersburg | 258,308 | 248,232 | Pinellas |
| Palm Bay | 119,760 | 79,413 | Brevard |
| Clearwater | 117,292 | 108,789 | Pinellas |
| Lakeland | 112,641 | 78,452 | Polk |
| Deltona | 93,692 | 69,543 | Volusia |
| Largo | 82,485 | 69,371 | Pinellas |
| Melbourne | 84,678 | 71,382 | Brevard |
| Kissimmee | 79,226 | 47,814 | Osceola |
| Daytona Beach | 72,647 | 64,112 | Volusia |
| Port Orange | 62,596 | 45,823 | Volusia |
| Sanford | 61,051 | 38,291 | Seminole |
| St. Cloud | 58,964 | 35,183 | Osceola |
| Apopka | 54,873 | 26,642 | Orange |
| Ormond Beach | 43,080 | 36,301 | Volusia |
| Clermont | 43,021 | 9,333 | Lake |
| Oviedo | 40,059 | 26,316 | Seminole |
Tourism is a large contributor to Central Florida's economy.
The area has economically diversified in the past decade. As a high-tech industrial hub, Greater Orlando has the seventh largest research park in the U.S., Central Florida Research Park, the engineering and business school of the University of Central Florida. It has defense companies such as Lockheed Martin and Siemens.
Medical research is prominent at Tampa's University of South Florida and Orlando's University of Central Florida, as well as the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute biomedical research facility. USF in particular is a national leader in cancer and dementia research.
The Tampa Bay area has become a center of high-tech manufacturing and research, while both Orlando and the Tampa Bay area are centers for the financial industry, especially insurers and back-end operations for large banking companies.
Active military installations in the region include Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station located on the Atlantic coast; MacDill Air Force Base, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast; and Naval Support Activity Orlando, the Navy Pinecastle Impact (Bombing) Range, and the Avon Park Air Force Range located inland. These are augmented by major commands that are tenant activities at these installations, such as the headquarters for United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) and the headquarters for United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill AFB, the Naval Ordnance Test Unit and Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral at Cape Canaveral SFS, and other Active, Reserve, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard activities that are located as either stand-alone facilities or as tenants on the active duty installations.
Additional former facilities that have since been closed and converted to civilian use include Hillsborough Army Air Field, a World War II training range which is now part of a neighborhood, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and the University of South Florida; Naval Air Station Sanford, which closed in 1968 and is the present day Orlando-Sanford International Airport; McCoy Air Force Base, which closed in 1975 and is the present day Orlando International Airport; and Orlando Air Force Base, which was transferred to the Navy in 1968 and renamed Naval Training Center Orlando until its BRAC-directed closure in 1999 and conversion to the present day Baldwin Park neighborhood.
The other major U.S. Government installations in Central Florida is the Kennedy Space Center, a NASA facility located adjacent to Cape Canaveral SFS, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic at Baldwin Park (former Orlando AFB Hospital / former Naval Hospital Orlando) and the VA Hospital at Lake Nona.
Another major seaport of the region is Port Tampa Bay, which is one of the busiest in the state and is on the verge of a huge expansion which will allow it to compete on an international level.
Major Surface Arterials:
As of 2022, a high speed rail between Orlando and Miami is currently being developed by Brightline, who plans to extend the rail to Tampa after completion.
File:FIT Clemente-1.jpg|Florida Institute of Technology
File:Saint Leo University main campus.JPG|Saint Leo University
File:Pfeiffer Chapel HABS, FLA,53-LAKE,1A-14.jpg|Florida Southern College
File:Florida Polytechnic Night (38978059454).jpg|alt=Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland FL|Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland
File:UCFlibrary.jpg|University of Central Florida
File:USF Marshall Center Running of the Bulls.JPG|University of South Florida
File:UT minaret.JPG|University of Tampa
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