The biggest surprise to many visitors as they first arrive in Orlando,
Florida is often the fact that a vast percentage of the area is not land,
but water. Within Orlando's city limits are 104 named lakes. And in the
surrounding suburbs that encompass much of Orange County, there are an
additional 238 named lakes as well as a whopping 369 lakes as yet unnamed.
The hundreds and hundreds of sparkling lakes magnify the remarkably clear
blue skies of the city—justifiably known as The City Beautiful. In the US,
only the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul have more natural lakes within
the urban area than does Orlando.
Central Florida, a Number 1 Vacation Destination
With a population of nearly two million people within the city and the
outlying suburban areas, Orlando, is the largest interior city in the state
of Florida. In what is commonly referred to as Central Florida, the area
includes the high-demand vacation and recreation attractions of Walt Disney
World, Sea World, and Universal Studios. A short drive east of the city lies
Cape Canaveral, the
Kennedy
Space Center, and the white sand
shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean, Cocoa Beach, and the Kennedy National
Seashore.
North of the city limits is the St. Johns River, (properly known as the
Saint Johns River) stretching over 300 miles across the state, and
flowing—like the Nile—northward. Besides affording an amazing place to fish
and boat, the river area and the many tributaries feeding into it, are home
to alligators, black bears, manatees, deer, the endangered Florida panther,
and a vast population of birds including ibis, egrets, cranes of all manner,
ospreys, and bald eagles.
Because Orlando's population and growth reached explosive proportions with
the arrival of the Walt Disney theme parks and attractions, it is often
known as, "the City the Mouse Built." Yet Orlando is far more than theme
parks and thrill rides. Each year, Orlando's Enzian Theater hosts the
Florida Film Festival, one of the top 10 art film festivals in the world.
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art is home to the world's most
comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany artistry, including
Tiffany art glass, lamps, jewelry, paintings, pottery, leaded-glass windows,
and the chapel interior that Tiffany designed for the 1893 World's Columbian
Exposition. In the Orlando area there are a number of colleges and
universities, including the fast growing
University
of Central Florida, the classically
traditional
Rollins College,
as well as an emerging technology industry that has helped bring NASA's
space age technology into use in all of our everyday lives.
The Weather's So Fine in Orlando
Outdoor sports prevail in Orlando, perhaps because the sub-tropical season
translates to sunshiny days and lots of warm, pretty weather—as well as a
few days that are downright hot! Water sports rank as a favorite among both
residents and tourists, including boating, parasailing, canoeing, swimming,
skiing, riding the waves on personal watercraft, or just lounging poolside
or beneath the palms at the water's edge. The Central Florida area is the
winter home to several Major League Baseball teams, and the year-round home
of the NBA's Orlando Magic and the Orlando Predators Arena Football team.
Orlando is also home to the Walt Disney World Golf Classic, the Arnold
Palmer Invitational Golf Tournament, (formerly the Bay Hill Invitational),
the LPGA's Ginn Open, and professional golf's Father/Son Challenge. More
members of the PGA, Champions, Nationwide, and LPGA Tours reside in central
Florida than in any other community in the world. The attraction for pro
golfers to live in Orlando comes from more than the 176 golf courses in and
around the city, or the fact that statistics show an average of 363 days per
year that are just perfect for teeing it up and enjoying the game. The
Orlando International Airport is an enormous drawing card to professional
golfers as well as any business traveler who finds that his or her job
includes racking up frequent flyer miles.
Orlando International Airport
(OIA) is one of the easiest and most pleasant
airports to fly in or out of. Recognizing that OIA serves as a crossroads to
the state of Florida, visionary local leaders have ensured that service and
facilities keep pace with the millions and millions of national and
international passengers who pass thru there each year.
More than 50 million people come to Orlando annually to enjoy the
attractions, entertainment, and warm weather. Options for accommodations
abound once they arrive, with hundreds of hotels and vacation rentals from
which to select. Timeshares and vacation ownership resorts are another great
choice, and there are more
timeshares in this city than any other location in the world. Not only
are new properties, each more luxurious than the last, opening every day,
but there is never a shortage of by-owner
timeshare resales and rentals in busy Orlando, Florida. The market for
timeshare resales is booming, but those looking to
sell timeshares are best served by for-sale-by-owner websites
specializing in timeshare, or licensed timeshare real estate brokers.
Dealing with a reputable company is a vital prerequisite to a successful
timeshare sale.
