Windermere is a town in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,030. It is part of the Orlando

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

A Post Office opened at Windermere in 1888. The Post Office closed in 1901, and reopened in 1911. Windermere was established as a residential development in 1889 and chartered in 1925. During late 2007, the Town of Windermere filed a proposal to annex

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...

and Butler Bay, both wealthy subdivisions. This was met with extensive debate from town residents and an objection from

, which stood to lose millions of dollars of property tax revenue. After lengthy discussions, and battles with the county, Isleworth remained unincorporated, but Butler Bay was annexed into Windermere, with over 90% of its residents approving annexation via a mail-in ballot.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.98%, is water.

Climate

The record high temperature in Windermere is 101 °F, which took place in 1998, and the record low temperature is 19 °F, which took place in 1985. Facts table located at bottom of weather graphs.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2013, there were 2,855 people, 784 households, and 591 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,688.2 inhabitants per square mile (654.0/km). There were 723 housing units at an average density of 643.4 per square mile (249.2/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.68%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.3%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 0.05% Native Americans, 2.00%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.53% of the population. There were 704 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.05. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $88,809, and the median income for a family was $105,737. Males had a median income of $80,693 versus $37,321 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $51,370. About 2.4% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over. Types of

households A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is impo ...

in Windermere, Florida in 2015–2019. 75.6% married couples families, 2.2% was Cohabiting couples, 12% male householder no spouse, 10.2% female householder no spouse.

Government

Windermere has a Town Manager / City Council form of government. Five council members are elected at large for two-year terms with three running for election in odd years and two running for election in even years along with the mayor. Gary Bruhn has served as mayor for seven consecutive terms since 2004. Police services are provided by the Windermere Police Department. In January 2014, the department's former chief, Daniel Saylor was sentenced to eight years in prison for perjury. He had lied to the court in order to protect a friend who was found guilty of raping children and sentenced to life in prison. Saylor had pleaded guilty to other charges in 2011, earning him a year in jail. Fire rescue and emergency medical services are provided by the Ocoee Fire Department. Postal services are provided by the Windermere Post Office. The Floridan Aquifer is Windermere and Orange County's source of drinking and fire hydrant water, which is filtered naturally through hundreds of feet of sand and rock, and then treated by the Orange County Water Division.

Education

The community is within Orange County Public Schools (OCPS).Zoning Map
" Town of Windermere. Retrieved on April 21, 2017. Residents of the city itself are served by Windermere Elementary School, Gotha Middle School, and Olympia High School.

Windermere Preparatory School Windermere Preparatory School is a private, coeducational PK–12 college preparatory school in Lake Butler, an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, within the Orlando metropolitan area. Established in 2000 and in proximity to the Town ...

, a private, coeducational PK–12 college preparatory school, is in nearby Lake Butler. The town of Windermere will not be within the attendance boundaries of

Windermere High School Windermere High School is a high school in Lake Butler, an unincorporated area located in the southwest portion of Orange County, Florida, USA, within the Orlando metropolitan area. The Windermere town council opposed the naming on the grounds that area residents may mistakenly confuse the school with Windermere Preparatory. Some OCPS board members also argued the school should not be named for a community it will not be located in; they stated that not very many students from the town of Windermere will go to Windermere High.

Transportation

Windermere is located on an isthmus between several lakes in the Lake Butler chain. As such, it is on the shortest road route between the east and west sides of the chain. In fact, the next crossing to the south is distant at Lake Buena Vista, where County Road 535 (CR 535) and

Apopka-Vineland Road Apopka-Vineland Road is the name of several roads in Orange County, Florida, roughly forming a line from Apopka, Florida, Apopka south to Vineland, Florida, Vineland. As of now, there is one gap, from Old Winter Garden Road to Florida State Road ...

meet. The next crossing to the north is at Gotha, the north end of the chain of lakes, away. 2003 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), much of which is commuters passing through, is 17,197 vehicles per day for Sixth Avenue (the east entrance), 18,362 on Main Street north of Sixth Avenue, and 9,484 on Main Street south of Sixth Avenue. Windermere regulates traffic and encourages traffic to use alternate routes. In 2004, two roundabouts were installed downtown with the largest public works project in the town's history. This has greatly improved traffic flow and relieved cut through traffic. A third roundabout was completed in August 2010 at the intersection of Park Avenue and Maguire Road. This is at the Windermere Elementary School intersection. All roads in the downtown area (laid out in a grid) are

dirt road A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable ...

s except for a few through roads: *Main Street from the northern boundary (as Maguire Road, which heads north to Ocoee) south to 12th Street; the pavement turns west at 12th Street onto Chase Road, which connects to CR 535 *Sixth Avenue east from Main Street to the town line, where it becomes Conroy-Windermere Road *Second Avenue west from Main Street (serves a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

) *"Dirt Main Street", just west of Main Street (opposite where the railroad used to run), from Third Avenue to Seventh Avenue *Several other paved roads exist in the outskirts, in areas that have been

annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

since the original town was formed. Until the 1980s, Main Street north of Sixth Avenue and Sixth Avenue east of Main Street were maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as part of State Road 439. This was given to

as County Road 439 (CR 439), and Orange County eventually removed all signs and gave the part inside Windermere to the town. Signs put up by FDOT still mark the north end of CR 439 at SR 50, but no other signs exist, in part because Orange County has a general policy of not signing

county road A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the County (United States), county highway departme ...

s. The Florida Midland Railroad, part of the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

, used to run just west of Main Street; there is now a large grassy area between Main Street and the dirt road (often called ''Dirt Main Street'') that ran just west of the railroad. Windermere had a station on the railroad.

Notable people

* Michael Ammar, magician * Millie Bobby Brown, actress *

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

, professional basketball player * Johnny Damon, former professional baseball player *

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, retired general *

Dee Gordon Devaris "Dee" Strange-Gordon (born April 22, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman, shortstop, and center fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Mar ...

, professional baseball player * Rick Goings, chairman and chief executive officer of

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, Hall of Fame former professional baseball player * Adam Haseley, professional baseball player *

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, former professional basketball player * Skip Kendall, professional golfer * Gugu Liberato, TV presenter * Brad Miller, professional baseball player * Julianne Morris, actress *

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, former professional basketball player * David A. Siegel, founder of

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, owner of the

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house, and former owner of the

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, model and actress, owner and director of Mrs. Florida America beauty pageant *

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, professional football player *

Philip Michael Thomas Philip Michael Thomas (born May 26, 1949) is an American actor and musician, best known for his role as detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series ''Miami Vice''. His first notable roles were in '' Coonskin'' (1975) and opposite Irene C ...

, actor and musician * Mark Tremonti, musician for the rock bands Alter Bridge,

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, and Tremonti *

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, reggaeton artist,

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, professional golfer * Jason Williams, former professional basketball player * Jesse Winker, professional baseball player *

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References

External links

Town of Windermere Official Website
{{authority control Towns in Orange County, Florida Populated places established in 1889 Greater Orlando Towns in Florida