The following is a timeline of the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

of the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

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.

19th century

* 1843 - Orlando settled as "Jernigan" * 1875 ** Town of Orlando incorporated. ** William Jackson Brack becomes mayor. * 1878 - ''Orange County Reporter''

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

begins publication. * 1880 **

South Florida Railroad The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's m ...

begins operating. ** Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church established. * 1884 - Orange County Jail built. * 1886 ** Orlando Black (school) opens. ** Orlando Street Railway begins operating (approximate date). ** English Club formed. * 1889 -

Church Street Station Church Street Station, also called the Old Orlando Railroad Depot, is a historic train station and commercial development in Orlando, Florida. The historic depot and surrounding buildings house a retail and entertainment center. The complex also ...

built. * 1891 - St. James Cathedral built. * 1892 ** Courthouse built. **

Lake Eola Park Lake Eola Park is a public park located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Lake Eola is the main feature of the park. Also located in the park (on the west side) is the Walt Disney Amphitheater, which hosts many community events and various perform ...

established. * 1900 - ''Florida Christian Recorder'' newspaper begins publication.

20th century

1900s-1960s

* 1905 - City Hall built. * 1910 - Population: 3,894. * 1913 - Grand Theater opens. * 1914 - Commission form of government effected. * 1918 - Orange General Hospital opens. * 1920 - Population: 9,282. * 1921 **

Beacham Theater The Beacham Theatre is a cinema built in 1921 by Braxton Beacham Sr. in the city of Orlando, Florida. The current address of the theater is 46 North Orange Avenue, and it is located at the southwest corner of Orange Avenue and Washington Stree ...

opens. ** Jones High School active. * 1923 **

Orlando Utilities Commission The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC: "The ''Reliable'' One") is a municipally-owned public utility providing water and electric service to the citizens of Orlando, Florida and portions of adjacent unincorporated areas of Orange County, Florid ...

established; municipal electric plant begins operating. ** Albertson Public Library opens. ** Angebilt Hotel opened on March 14. * 1924 ** Edgewater Heights, Lorna Doone Park, and Orwin Manor become part of Orlando. ** WDBO

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

begins broadcasting. ** Orlando Museum of Art founded. ** Orange Court Hotel built. * 1925 - Glendonjo Park and Spring Lake Terrace become part of Orlando. * 1926 ** Country Club Estates, Ivanhoe Plaza, Oakhurst Subdivision, Orlando Highlands, Princeton Court, and Silver Lake Park become part of Orlando. ** Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station, Cathedral Church of St. Luke, and Municipal Auditorium built. ** Well'sbuilt Hotel in business. * 1927 - Orange County Courthouse built. * 1928 - Orlando Municipal Airport begins operating. * 1930 - Population: 27,330. * 1934 - ''Orlando Dixie Sun'' newspaper begins publication. * 1936 **

Orlando Stadium Orlando Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Soweto, a suburb of Johannesburg, in Gauteng province in South Africa. It is the home venue for Orlando Pirates Football Club, a professional soccer team that plays in the Premier Soccer League. ...

opens. **

Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens was a botanical garden and theme park near Winter Haven, Florida that operated from 1936 to 2009. As of 2011, the botanical garden portion had been preserved inside the newly formed Legoland Florida. History Billed as Florida' ...

opens in nearby Winter Haven. * 1940 -

Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlando ...

established. * 1943 **

Pinecastle Army Airfield Pinecastle or Pine Castle may refer to: * McCoy Air Force Base (previously Pinecastle Army Airfield), a former United States Air Force base * Naval Air Station DeLand (previously Pinecastle Electronic Warfare and Bombing Range), a United States Nav ...

in operation. **

DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...

pesticide "Neocide" developed in

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

lab in Orlando. * 1945 - Negro Chamber of Commerce established. * 1946 - Ben White Raceway opens. * 1949 -

Gatorland Gatorland is a theme park and wildlife preserve in Florida, located along South Orange Blossom Trail south of Orlando. It was founded by Owen Godwin on former cattle land in 1949, and is privately owned by his family. Billed as the "Alligator ...

opens. * 1950 - Population: 52,367. * 1952 -

William R. Boone High School William Rennick Boone High School is a public high school in Orlando, Florida. Built in 1952, the school is one of twenty high schools in the Orange County Public Schools system, created to accommodate the growing number of students at Orlando H ...

and

Edgewater High School Edgewater High School is a public secondary school located in the College Park, Orlando, College Park section of Orlando, Florida. It is operated by the Orange County Public Schools system. The athletic teams are known as the 'Fighting Eagles' wit ...

are built. * 1954 ** WDBO-TV (

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

) begins broadcasting. **

Bishop Moore High School Bishop Moore Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in the College Park neighborhood of Orlando, Florida. The school is located within the Diocese of Orlando, and remains the only Catholic high school in Greater Orlando. Th ...

built. * 1956 - Colonial Plaza shopping centre in business. * 1957 ** Orange County Historical Commission established. ** Martin Company missile manufactory begins operating near Orlando. ** Interstate 4 highway constructed. * 1958 - WLOF-TV (

) begins broadcasting. * 1960 ** Central Florida Museum opens. ** Population: 88,135. * 1961 -

Harry P. Leu Gardens The Harry P. Leu Gardens are semi-tropical and tropical gardens in Orlando, Florida, United States. The gardens contain nearly of landscaped grounds and lakes, with trails shaded by 200-year-old oaks and forests of camellias. They are open to th ...

deeded to city. * 1967 ** Carl T. Langford becomes mayor of Orlando. **

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

-controlled City of Bay Lake and City of Reedy Creek incorporated near Orlando. *1963 ** UCF opens in East Orlando * 1968 **

Florida Technological University The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University S ...

opens. **

Naval Training Center Orlando A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

and

Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando The Diocese of Orlando ( la, Dioecesis Orlandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Florida. It encompasses about spanning Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Marion, Lake, Volusia, Brevard, Polk, and Su ...

established.

1970s-1990s

* 1970 **

Lake Highland Preparatory School Lake Highland Preparatory School is a private, coeducational school in Orlando, Florida. It was founded as an all-white school in 1970 by the board of a whites-only, Christians-only junior college. This gave white parents a private alternative ...

founded. ** Population: 99,006 city; 344,311

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. ** University Drive-In cinema built. * 1971 **

Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

in business. **

Historical Society of Central Florida The Historical Society of Central Florida, formerly the Orange County Historical Society, is a historical society located in Orlando, Florida, United States. Located at the Orange County Regional History Center in the old Orange County Courthou ...

headquartered in Orlando. * 1973 **

Orlando Fashion Square Orlando Fashion Square is a split one-story, two-story indoor shopping mall located in Orlando, Florida. Opened in 1973, it features 79 stores in over one million square feet of shop space. The mall's anchor stores are Macy's, Floor & Decor, and Di ...

Mall opens ** '' Sentinel Star'' newspaper began publication. **

SeaWorld SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (one park will be ...

theme park in business. * 1974 ** East-West Expressway constructed. ** Disney's Discovery Island in business. * 1975 - Metropolitan Orlando Women's Political Caucus and Orlando Lutheran Academy founded. * 1976 - Orlando International Airport in operation. * 1977 **

Orlando Regional Medical Center Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) is an 808-bed tertiary hospital in downtown Orlando, Florida designed by HKS, Inc. (architect) and Walter P Moore (structural engineer). It is the flagship of the Orlando Health system. Background ORMC is als ...

established. **

Wet 'n Wild Orlando Wet 'n Wild Orlando was the flagship water park of Wet 'n Wild owned by NBC Universal, located on International Drive in Orlando, Florida. It was founded in 1977 by SeaWorld creator George Millay. It closed on December 31, 2016. It was the ...

theme park in business. * 1979 ** Orlando Opera incorporated. ** Basilica of Mary (church) built. * 1980 ** July: Racial unrest. **

Bill Frederick Willard "Bill" Drawn Frederick (born July 6, 1934) is a former American politician who served as the 30th Mayor of Orlando, Florida from 1981 to 1992, succeeding after Mayor Carl Langford. Frederick was a member of the Democratic Party until ...

becomes mayor. ** Population: 128,291 city; 471,016

. * 1981 -

Bill McCollum Ira William McCollum Jr. (born July 12, 1944) is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 2001, representing Florida's 5th congressional district, which was la ...

becomes

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Florida's 5th congressional district Florida's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It extends along Florida's northern boundary from Jacksonville to Tallahassee. The district includes all of Baker, Gadsden, Hamilton and Madison ...

. * 1982 ** Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida established. **

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

theme park in business in nearby

Lake Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada * Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan *Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

. * 1983 -

Orange County Convention Center The Orange County Convention Center is a convention center located in Orlando, Florida. Opened in 1983 as the Orange County Convention and Civic Center, it is the primary public convention center for the Central Florida region and the second-lar ...

opens. * 1984 -

Orlando Science Center The Orlando Science Center (OSC) is a private science museum located in Orlando, Florida. Its purposes are to provide experience-based opportunities for learning about science and technology and to promote public understanding of science. The O ...

active. * 1986 - The Peabody Orlando hotel and Disney's Living Seas in business. * 1987 - Dr. Phillips High School opens. * 1989 - Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival begins. ** Orlando Arena (later the

Amway Arena Amway Arena (originally known as Orlando Arena and later TD Waterhouse Centre) was an indoor arena located in Orlando, Florida. It was part of the Orlando Centroplex, a sports and entertainment complex located in Downtown Orlando. The arena was ...

) opens. ** Orlando Magic begin play. * 1990 **

Universal Orlando Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando or simply Universal, formerly Universal Studios Escape, is an American theme park and entertainment resort Building#Complex, complex based in Orlando, Florida. The resort is operate ...

theme park in business. ** '' Orlando Weekly'' newspaper begins publication. ** Population: 164,693 city; 677,491

. ** Zora Neale Hurston Festival begins in nearby

Eatonville Eatonville may refer to: * Eatonville, Florida, United States * Eatonville, Minnesota, United States, an alternative name for the former Dakota village Ḣeyate Otuŋwe * Eatonville, Mississippi, United States * Eatonville, Ontario, a neighbourhood ...

. * 1991 ** UCF Arena opens. **

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played its ...

football team formed. * 1992 ** Cypress Creek High School and

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is Central Florida's resident professional orchestra, appearing in more than 125 performances each season. Founded in 1993. At over $4 million, the Orlando Philharmonic has the largest endowment of any arts in ...

established. ** Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival begins. * 1993 **

Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) is an Echelon IV command of the United States Navy, reporting to the Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. NAWCTSD is lo ...

in operation. **

Glenda Hood Glenda Evans Hood (born March 10, 1950) is an American politician, who was Secretary of State of Florida, from 2003 to 2005, and the first woman to serve as Mayor of Orlando (1992–2003). A Republican, Hood served as a district commissioner ...

becomes mayor. * 1994 ** June–July: Some

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

games held in Orlando. ** Mormon

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

built. * 1996 - City website online (approximate date). * 1998 ** Muvico Pointe cinema in business. ** Mennello Museum opens. **

Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the l ...

theme park in business. * 1999 - Cinemark Festival Bay Mall (cinema) in business.

21st century

* 2001 - Olympia High School established * 2002 - Millenia Mall in business. * 2003 ** Freedom High School established. **

Buddy Dyer John Hugh "Buddy" Dyer (born August 7, 1958) is an American politician who is the 32nd Mayor of Orlando. First elected in 2003, he is Orlando's longest-serving mayor. He is a member of the Florida Democratic Party. Previously he represented Orl ...

becomes mayor. * 2004 - Hurricane Charley directly strikes Orlando area with wind gusts to at least 105 mph Over 60% of Orlando loses power. * 2007 -

CFE Arena Addition Financial Arena (formerly known as CFE Arena and UCF Arena) is a sports and entertainment arena located in Orlando, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It was constructed beginning in 2006 ...

opens. * 2010 **

Amway Center Amway Center is an indoor arena located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, and the Orlando Predators of the National Arena League. Amway Center hosted the 2012 N ...

event venue opens. ** Orlando City Soccer Club formed. **

Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

: 238,300. * 2011 -

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

becomes

for Florida's 8th congressional district. * 2015 **

Orlando Eye The Wheel at ICON Park is a tall giant ferris wheel at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, United States. Under the name Orlando Eye, it opened on April 29, 2015. The wheel was reported to be in the early stages of planning in March 2011, at which ...

ferris wheel built. ** Population: 270,917 (estimate). * 2016 -

Orlando nightclub shooting On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. In a ...

* 2017 -

Universal's Volcano Bay Universal's Volcano Bay Water Theme Park, or Volcano Bay, is a tropical-themed water park at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by Universal Parks & Resorts, Volcano Bay replaced Wet 'n Wild as Universal Orlan ...

in business

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * E. Bacon. 1977. Orlando: A centennial history. Chuluota, Fla.: Mickler House. * L. Argrett Jr. 1991. A history of the black community of Orlando, Florida. Fort Bragg, Calif.: Cypress House Press. * * * Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando. By Richard E. Foglesong. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001). * * * * * * * *

External links

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Digital Public Library of America The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a US project aimed at providing public access to digital holdings in order to create a large-scale public digital library. It officially launched on April 18, 2013, after two and a half years of dev ...

) {{Metro Orlando

orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

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