May 22, 2013

Community Portrait

Orlando & Orange County

More than just gathering data, we're trying to capture elements that make each community distinctive.

» Orange County

Population: 1,050,676, up 17% since 2000

51% non-Hispanic white

20% black

24% Hispanic (any race), with more than half the Latino population being Puerto Rican

» Orlando

Population: 230,519, up 24% since 2000

45.2% non-Hispanic white

30% black

21% Hispanic

» The population of Orlando is younger than the state average.

» County’s Residential Makeup

» 86% of residents are high school graduates or greater. Nearly 30% have bachelor’s degree or higher.

» 32% were born in Florida.

» 8% lived in another county or outside the state a year earlier.

» 19% were born abroad. 70% of that group were born in Latin America; nearly 20% are Asian.

» 30.5% speak a language other than English at home.

» 9% of families live below poverty level.

» With 1,000 people per square mile, Orange County is the fifth-most densely populated county in Florida.

» Incorporated Communities

» Apopka — Suburban city of about 26,000; billed as “indoor foliage capital of the world”

» Belle Isle — Small community five miles south of downtown Orlando. Median household income is $80,596.

» Eatonville — The first incorporated black town in America (1887); home of writer Zora Neale Hurston

» Maitland — Just north of Orlando, a fairly well-to-do community of 15,000 residents with older, established neighborhoods

» Ocoee — Suburban enclave west of Orlando

» Orlando — The heart of Orange County and its economic focal point

» Windermere — Most notable for being home to many sports celebrities, including Tiger Woods and Shaquille O’Neal, who live in the gated community of Isleworth

» Winter Garden — Fast-growing, middle-income suburb of about 30,000

» Winter Park — First centrally planned community in Florida; home of Rollins College and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which houses the largest collection of Tiffany glass in the world. The city is famous for its swanky downtown with expensive homes.

» Income

» Median income: $50,000 — slightly higher than the statewide average of $46,600

» Reflecting suburbanization, migration patterns from 2005-06 show that the 10% of residents who left tended to have higher incomes than those arriving from other counties in Florida.

» County’s Election Results

Barack Obama: 59%

John McCain: 40%

» Consumer Behavior

» Orlandoans like to bake in the sun — not in the oven. Flour sales are below the national average, while refrigerated baked goods are above.

» A lower percentage of the county’s population smokes than in the state overall.

Tags: North Central

Florida Business News

Florida Trend Video Pick

Bonecrusher II arrives at Gatorland
Bonecrusher II arrives at Gatorland

Gatorland is adding more than 70 animals -- including a 15-foot American crocodile known as Bonecrusher II -- to the attraction after purchasing the creatures from the recently closed Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs.

Earlier Videos

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Apart from remembering and honoring the men and women who lost their lives in military service, do you have any plans for the extended Memorial Day weekend?

  • Yep! Taking a trip, barbecuing, or shopping, with friends and/or family! Can't Wait!
  • Sure, I definitely intend to spend time with loved ones, but I'll be keeping it very low-key.
  • Nah, just gonna take it easy...
  • I'm not taking Monday off...Too much work to be done!

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