Minneola is a city in Lake County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. The

Minneola tangelo The tangelo ( , ; ''C. reticulata × C. maxima'' or ''× C. paradisi''), ''Citrus × tangelo'', is a citrus fruit hybrid of a ''Citrus reticulata'' variety, such as mandarin orange or tangerine, and a ''Citrus maxima'' variety, such as a p ...

is named after the city. The population was 13,843 at the 2020 census.

Etymology

The name Minneola is directly derived from the Dakota language. The city states the name means "much water." Specifically, the name is sourced from the words " mni" (water) and "ota" (much/many). The name was chosen by the wife of George W. Hull, an early settler of the city.

History

Indigenous habitation and colonization

Before European

colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

and settlement, the area which is today Minneola was originally inhabited by the indigenous Timucua people. The population of the Timucua were whittled by

epidemics An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of Host (biology), hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example ...

of infectious diseases introduced by Europeans, then by attacks and slave raids largely conducted under Spanish colonial rule. After the collapse of Timucua society, the indigenous

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

people came to inhabit the region. In 1819, Florida was acquired by the United States from

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with the

Adams–Onís Treaty The Adams–Onís Treaty () of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Spanish Cession, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty,Weeks, p. 168. was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to ...

. Four years later, the area of modern-day Minneola became a part of an

Indian reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States#Description, U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose gov ...

under the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. The Seminole were ultimately ethnically cleansed by federal troops in the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

or driven out on the Trail of Tears. The region was geographically called the High Sand Hills by Americans, according to maps by Washington Hood.

Settlement and incorporation

The first white settler in what is today Minneola was Captain William A. Smith, originally from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The settlement was established shortly after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

on the north shore of Plum Lake. Other settlers began to move into the area around what was then called either Cow House Lake or Palatlakaha Lake in 1880. At this time, citrus groves began to be established in the area by the settler Henry Wilson. The settlement had a post office established three years later by George W. Hull, the city's first postmaster, based out of his home. The settlement was surveyed and mapped under direction by George W. Hull, and Cow House Lake was renamed to Lake Minneola; the namesake of the city. Minneola was formally founded in 1884 as an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

, originally as a part of Sumter County. The town would become a part of Lake County when it was created in 1887. The city would be formally incorporated in 1925 or 1926. Archibald A. Pitt served as the city's first

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Geography

Minneola is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of 11.47 square miles (29.70 km), of which is land and (5.26%) is water.

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,843 people, 3,617 households, and 2,959 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 9,403 people, 3,107 households, and 2,399 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

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, there are 5,435 people, 1,929 households, and 1,516 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is . There are 2,032 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city is 88.70%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.06%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.28% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.94% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. 10.93% of the population are

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. As of 2000, there were 1,929 households, out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.14. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 37.2% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $46,250, and the median income for a family was $52,645. Males had a median income of $36,231 versus $23,569 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,721. About 3.7% of families and 6.1% 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 ...

, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Ryan Villopoto, four-time supercross and five-time motocross champion * Richard Garvie, stock car driver

Government and infrastructure

Lake County Sheriff's Office has the Minneola District offices in Minneola.

Education

Lake County Schools operates area public schools.

Healthcare

On December 14, 2023,

AdventHealth AdventHealth is a Seventh-day Adventist nonprofit organization headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Florida, that operates facilities in 9 states across the United States. It is the largest not-for-profit Protestant health care provider in the ...

started construction on AdventHealth Minneola.

References

External links

City of Minneola Official Website
{{authority control Cities in Lake County, Florida Cities in the Greater Orlando Cities in Florida