COMMUNITY PROFILES / CITY OF ORLANDO

City Hall
407-246-2121
https://www.orlando.gov/

Chamber of Commerce
407-425-1234
https://orlando.org/

Services
The City of Orlando serves as hub of employment, education, entertainment, healthcare, transportation, and culture for the rapidly growing region of Central Florida. Perhaps playing host to millions of annual visitors has encouraged the first-rate services and amenities. With the rapid influx of newcomers, the Orange County Public School District has grown into one of the Florida’s largest districts. Quality public schools combine with a wide selection of independent and parochial private schools for a full complement of options. Facilities dedicated to alternative or exceptional programs, adult vocational and technical schools, and several community education centers combine with local institutions of higher education to meet every need close to home. Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida in Orlando and Florida Metropolitan University, the state’s second largest private university.

Orlando is also home to some of the state’s premier healthcare institutions, including some of the nation’s finest specialty centers. Orlando’s two major hospitals — Florida Hospital and the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women — maintain a strong focus on the care of patients under 18 years of age. U.S. News & World Report ranked Orlando Regional Medical Center as one of the nation’s top 100 hospitals in cardiology and cardiac care, pulmonary care, and gastroenterology. The famous Arnold Palmer Hospital is the only institution in Florida to specialize in treating women and children. Wellness programs are common, including fitness centers and community education.

Lifestyle
As a mecca of theme parks and entertainment centers, Orlando enjoys an enviable position at the top of the world’s vacation destinations. Walt Disney’s decision to build Disney World in Orlando has so profoundly impacted the region that locals refer to B.D. (Before Disney) as the critical marker on the city’s timeline. Leading universities, private colleges, Fortune 500 companies, a growing high-tech sector, outstanding telecommunications capability, fine museums, and world-class performing arts are all encompassed within the City of Orlando.

The city also manages to blend the best of yesterday with the promise of tomorrow. In spite of the gleaming highrises and new construction, newcomers encounter a wealth of historic charm along brick streets lined with ancient oak trees. Diverse architectural styles include vintage Queen Anne, Mediterranean Revival, and Prairie School. The city’s legacy of trees began with one mayor’s request for planting seedlings — an idea that caught on with other citizens. Even the downtown shopping area blends traditional retailers with today’s popular stores. The historic Church Street area features a Victorian-inspired shopping pavilion along with a market complex filled with shops, nightclubs, and restaurants. Family theme parks even provide a pulsating nightlife for adults in places like Disney World’s Pleasure Island. If your idea of adventure is browsing through hundreds of shops and stores, the area is home to sprawling malls and unique districts. International Drive glitters as the largest shopping area in all of Central Florida, home to the Orange County Convention Center and major entertainment attractions.

Recreational amenities throughout the city are superb, from lush parks, tennis courts, fitness facilities, and golf courses to over 80 lakes that add beauty and water-sport opportunities. The close proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the deep woods of state parks guarantee the right environment for every interest and activity, from camping to water-skiing and boating. Professional spectator sports, collegiate action, and amateur sports draw crowds of enthusiastic fans. Along with more entertainment options for visitors have come wonderful cultural attractions for local residents. Those who enjoy an evening of theatre or ballet will find a number of magnificent performing arts halls with dazzling events that fill the year’s calendar. Regardless of the amenity, Orlando manages to deliver the very best with ease, style, and grace. Around every corner, Orlando garners kudos for quality of life and prospects for a bright and prosperous future. From B.D. to the present day and into the future — Orlando seems destined to remain a shining jewel in the crown of the sunshine state.

ORLANDO NEIGHBORHOODS

College Park
http://www.collegeparkorlando.org/

Just a few miles north of downtown Orlando is a neighborhood that has created a small-town ambiance of its own. College Park has evolved into one of the most sought-after city addresses with young professionals. Brick streets, historic homes, and varied architectural styling abound in this well-kept and charming community. Anchoring several blocks of restaurants, salons, services, and shops is an Art Deco styled store at the south end of Edgewater Drive. The housing selection is diverse, from lavish estates overlooking Lake Fairview to modest bungalows along tree-shaded lanes. Historic homes offer hardwood flooring, beautiful accents and detailing, and mature greenery. Most of the homes in the neighborhood were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, although newer construction is also available. While some homeowners prefer to refurbish and renovate existing properties, developers are tearing down the old structures and building handsome new homes. Some are single houses on small lots. In other cases, two to six homes are clustered on zero lots but offer exceptional amenities.

Conway

The neighborhood known as Conway is situated between Orlando and the Orlando International Airport (OIA). The community originally took its name from Lake Conway, located toward the western end of the community. Conway offers a pleasing variety of homes in a number of subdivisions. Many of these close-knit neighborhoods maintain their own Neighborhood Associations, which only enhances the small-town spirit. Local businesses are available to meet most needs conveniently close to home, although the amenities of Orlando are minutes away. Excellent transportation advantages, from major highway connections to OIA, ensure residents of an easy drive to key Central Florida destinations. Area youth attend William R. Boone High School, the first red carpet high school in Orange County and multiple winner of the five-star recognition.

Downtown
https://www.downtownorlando.com

As a rich addition to the welcoming neighborhoods scattered throughout the city, Orlando is experiencing a rebirth of the downtown district as a residential choice. Urban apartment complexes are attracting young professionals who want to live in loft-style dwellings that blend residential space with shops, stores, restaurants, and other commercial activity. Hundreds of apartment homes and single-family residences are sprinkled throughout the downtown area. Newcomers can look forward to strolling down quaint brick-lined streets, relaxing or watching the gliding swan boats in beautiful Lake Eola Park, or taking advantage of the myriad of amenities and attractions just beyond their front doorstep. Even on a weekend day evening, downtown residents can easily listen to live music or view some of the world’s finest art. Downtown living strikes the ideal blend between residential charm and the sophistication of a cosmopolitan urban environment. New residents will find vibrant, stimulating neighborhoods in the heart of the city’s major business centers, cultural venues, performing arts centers, fine museums, and the bright lights of entertainment centers or popular nightspots.

Metro west
In the early ’80s, a group of visionary developers came together to design an urban village where residents could play golf on a championship course, carry on business dealings, and live comfortably or luxuriously in a master-planned community. MetroWest is the result — a thriving neighborhood that offers a quick commute to Orlando’s considerable metropolitan advantages. Attractive enclaves of single-family homes blend with prestigious condominiums and townhouses to offer a wide selection of housing options. The golf course was designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and is considered one of the Southeast’s finest examples of the master’s work. Close to Orlando International Airport and major highways, MetroWest draws businesses and commercial activity as well as new residents. Situated between downtown Orlando to the north and the cluster of international attractions to the south, the area is popular with young professionals.

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