Pine Castle is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
and unincorporated area in
Orange 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, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Initially settled in 1870, the town's development has been shaped by that of
Orlando
Orlando commonly refers to:
* Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States
Orlando may also refer to:
People
* Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name
* Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
, approximately to the north. From just before 1882 the
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 ma ...
mainline, which became part of the
Plant System
The Plant System, named after its owner, Henry B. Plant, was a system of railroads and steamboats in the U.S. South, taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The original line of the system was the Savannah, Florida and Western ...
in 1893 and 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 ...
in 1902, provided regular rapid passenger and freight service. The town officially incorporated in 1925, but later reverted to unincorporated development.
The population was 10,805 at the 2010 census.
Passenger trains operated by successor
Seaboard Coast Line
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...
A Line from 1967 then
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
after 1971 bypassed the local depot, with nearest stops in Orlando and
Kissimmee
Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a principal city of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...
. Passenger rail service returned with the opening of
SunRail
SunRail is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida, area. Services began on May 1, 2014. The system comprises 17 stations along a former CSX Transportation line connecting Volusia County and Osceola County through Downtown Orla ...
's
Sand Lake Road station
Sand Lake Road station is a train station in the Pine Castle area of Orange County, Florida.
The station serves SunRail, the commuter rail service of Central Florida. The station was the southern terminus of SunRail up until July 30, 2018, ...
in 2014.
Geography
Pine Castle is located at (28.468432, -81.374992).
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 CDP has a total area of 7.3 km (2.8 mi
2), of which 6.8 km (2.6 mi
2) is land and 0.5 km (0.2 mi
2) (7.42%) is water.
Demographics
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 ...
of 2000, there were 8,803 people, 3,130 households, and 2,228 families residing in the CDP. 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 ...
was 1,297.3/km (3,364.5/mi
2). There were 3,302 housing units at an average density of 486.6/km (1,262.0/mi
2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 68.78%
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 ...
, 12.80%
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 ...
, 0.86%
Native American, 2.58%
Asian, 0.20%
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 ...
, 10.24% from
other races, and 4.53% from two or more races.
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 were 35.60% of the population.
There were 3,130 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% 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, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% 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 3.20.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,448, and the median income for a family was $37,969. Males had a median income of $25,908 versus $22,019 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 CDP was $16,767. About 13.3% of families and 15.0% 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 21.1% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
The name "Pine Castle" has been associated with several industrial projects. In 1925, boat manufacturer
Correct Craft
Correct Craft is a United States–based builder of powerboats primarily for waterskiing, wakeboard, and wakesurf use. It was founded in 1925 by Walt C. Meloon as the Florida Variety Boat Company. Correct Craft is the oldest family-owned and oper ...
founded its original factory in Pine Castle, before constructing a larger facility in 2006. In the mid-1940s,
Bell Aircraft
The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many i ...
Corporation tested its
X-1 supersonic rocket plane at
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 N ...
, because of the area's then-remote location and runway.
The airfield, located southeast of Pine Castle, has since become
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is the primary international airport located southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2024, it had 57,211,628 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and ninth busiest airport in the United St ...
.
Education
The
Pine Castle Christian Academy won state championships in three high school sports.
Pine Castle Elementary School was established in 1877.
References
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Orange County, Florida
Greater Orlando
Census-designated places in Florida
Former municipalities in Florida
1870 establishments in Florida
Populated places established in 1870