Almost anywhere you go, mention Orlando and the word association will be theme parks. The Orlando area is without a doubt the theme park capital of the world, but the irony is that while theme parks have made Orlando famous, only one of the major parks is even in the city, and the biggie that started it all is in another county! Orlando, the capital of Orange County, always has been, and still is, so much more.

Nicknamed "the city beautiful", Orlando is as close to an urban oasis as it gets. Majestic live oaks line picturesque brick-lined streets surrounding the breathtaking central focal point of Lake Eola. While you can still find some orange trees dotting the yards of surrounding homes—and breathe in the glorious aroma during orange blossom time—Orlando is now home to more commerce than agriculture, housing the headquarters of many of the world’s leading businesses. Home to a plethora of sports and cultural activities, Orlando boasts the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the Orlando Seals hockey team, and the Orlando Predators arena football team. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Florida Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Orlando Museum of Art are only a few of the outstanding cultural diversions found in the city.

It's hard to believe that this thriving metropolis began as an offshoot of a military outpost in 1838 in the midst of the Seminole Wars. It served as a trading post known as Jernigan—named after the area’s first permanent settlers—until 1857, when the US Post Office officially adopted the new name of Orlando.

Legends abound surrounding the origins of the name Orlando. One version has the town named after a character in a Shakespeare play; another claims that it honors a gentleman named Orlando who died on a journey to Tampa. Yet another old wives' tale supposes that a judge named the town after a clerk. But probably the most popular tale is that the city was named for Sentinel Orlando Reeves, who was killed during the Seminole War as he attempted to fire a warning shot to his fellow soldiers.

By 1875, the town of Orlando was incorporated, and since then it has grown in leaps and bounds, first with the coming of the railroad from northern neighbor Sanford in 1880, and then with the establishment of the Kennedy Space Center complex to the southeast.

Orlando is the consistent favorite of a devoted colony of year-round visitors. Major roads have enhanced the city’s position as a transportation hub, with easy access to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and other entertainment complexes in the area. The metro area has 300 lakes within its limits and retains an open, parklike atmosphere. While still a shipping center for citrus fruits and winter vegetables, Orlando has developed its own crop of aerospace, defense, and electronics industries. Orlando is also the home of the University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College. And the area boasts two international airports, Orlando Sanford International Airport and Orlando International Airport, which is ranked as one of the top facilities in the world.

More than 95 attractions call the Orlando area home. To accommodate all the tourists, there are 110,000 hotel rooms, 52 million square feet (4.6 million square meters) of retail space, and 4,500 restaurants. And the area continues to grow!