Soaking Up History Wherever You Go

Is your family into historical vacations? We like to visit a different part of the country every year so that we get a feel of what it might be like to live somewhere else. So far, we haven’t found a location that beats the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon, but we keep looking --- just in case.

I have been seeing so many references to Orlando, Florida, in blogs lately, that I checked to see if it had anything to offer besides Disney World. Of course, it did, but since I am interested, in most cases, in the history of a place more than what is going on there now, I thought it might be fun to pull out a few historical facts about Orlando in case we decided to put it on our calendar for a future visit.

For example, the early settlers of the new Florida territory found quite a few drawbacks to making their homes in the Sunshine State. There were swamps filled with mosquitoes, and native tribes more than ready to fight for what they considered their land. After two bitter wars with the Indians, the settlers decided to follow soldiers further into the central part of the area to look for a more favorable place to live.

They finally settled on a place near what is now Lake Eola Park, in Orlando. At that time, it was called Jernigan, but the name was changed to honor a soldier who was killed by an Indian arrow as he rushed to give the warning of an imminent Indian attack. The town became Orlando in 1875 with a population of only 85 people.

Cotton, cattle, and citrus fruit rapidly became the economy of the area. In fact, in a short time, it had become the Orange capital of the country with 80,000 acres planted by the 1950’s.

Electricity arrived in 1900, cars in 1903, the state’s first airport in 1822, and Disney World in 1971. High-tech industry also rushed to gain a foothold in the city, and Orlando has now become the epicenter of Florida’s tourism industry. Housing development in Orlando has been phenomenal. ( If you are interested in looking into real estate, or vacation home rentals, in the area check out Orlando Vacation Home Rental to find just what you need.)

Orlando has done nothing but grow since its very beginning, and hasn’t stopped yet. If you do decide to include it in your vacation this year, your family can be assured of an interesting taste of history along with a vibrant here and now all tied up in one.