First United Methodist Church of Orlando is a church located in Downtown Orlando. Founded in 1882, First United Methodist Church has been a presence in Central Florida for over 125 years. [1] The church has helped found many non-profit and charitable organizations, including the Coalition for the Homeless [2] [3] and IDignity. [4] [5]
After a sale of property to the City of Orlando and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, First United Methodist Church of Orlando undertook a multimillion-dollar building project that revitalized its campus and changed the look of downtown. [6] [7] The new ministry building for First United Methodist Church of Orlando opened in September 2011 and held a special dedication on October 2, 2011. [8]
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 released in July 2017, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida behind Miami and Tampa. Orlando had a population of 307,573 in the 2020 census, making it the 67th-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city.
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, which had a 2010 population of 2,234,411.
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,657 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Oviedo is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 33,342, representing an increase of 7,026 (26.7%) from the 26,316 counted in the 2000 Census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Oviedo is known for its historic houses and buildings, as well as its population of chickens that roam the downtown area. Although the city has historically been rural, in recent years it has had an influx of new developments to support its rapid growth, due to its proximity to the University of Central Florida and the Central Florida Research Park. Several national publications have placed Oviedo on their nationally ranked lists as one of the best places to live in the US.
Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 53,570.
Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, sharing free vegan and vegetarian food with others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance. To demonstrate this and to reduce costs, a large amount of the food served by the group is surplus food from grocery stores, bakeries and markets that would otherwise go to waste, or occasionally has already been thrown away. This group exhibits a form of franchise activism.
Bethune–Cookman University is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The primary administration building, White Hall, and the Mary McLeod Bethune Home are in the National Register of Historic Places.
Amway Arena 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 the former home of the Orlando Magic of the NBA and the Orlando Titans of the NLL. It was also the home of the Orlando Solar Bears of the International Hockey League, and the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. It also hosted many other minor league sports teams, as well as various concerts and other events such as the PlayStation Pro event on the Dew Action Sports Tour and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus annually.
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa area and the Orlando area. It is one of Florida's three directional regions, along with North Florida and South Florida. It includes the following counties: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia.
Downtown Orlando is the historic core and central business district of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is bordered by Marks Street in the north, Mills Avenue in the east, Orange Blossom Trail in the west, and Kaley Avenue in the south. There are several distinct neighborhoods in downtown; "North Quarter" to the north, "Lake Eola Heights Historic District" just north of Lake Eola, "South Eola" contains Lake Eola Park and continues to the east and south of Lake Eola, "Thornton Park" in the east, "Parramore" in the west, "Lake Cherokee Historic District" to the south, and the "Central Business District" between Colonial Drive and Lake Lucerne in the center. In 2010, the estimated population of downtown was 18,731. The daytime population was estimated to be 65,000. The 5-mile radius population of downtown is 273,335.
The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, and for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. Its principal cities are Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines it as consisting of the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole.
John Hugh "Buddy" Dyer 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 Orlando in the Florida State Senate for ten years, including three years when he was the Senate Democratic leader.
Seminole High School, originally established as Sanford High School, is a public high school located in Sanford, Florida, operated by Seminole County Public Schools. From 2006 to 2011, Seminole High School was one of the schools in Seminole County on Newsweek's list of the top 1,200 schools in the United States. The school offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The Academy for Health Careers provides a curriculum based on a future career in health care. Students take a health class and health material is integrated into the curriculum of all other subjects. Seminole High also offers Advanced Placement courses in a range of subjects.
Bounce House is an American football stadium located in Orlando, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It is the home field of the UCF Knights of NCAA Division I FBS college football.
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.
The Orange County Library System (OCLS) is a public library system located in the Orlando area of Central Florida. Its headquarters are located in the Orlando Public Library in Downtown Orlando. The System is made up of 16 total locations, one main library and 15 branch locations. In 2020, the library system employed over 350 staff throughout the system, serving more than one million Orange County residents. The Orange County Library System is a 501(c)3 organization. The library system is led by its Library Director/CEO Mary Anne Hodel and a five-member Library Board of Trustees.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center in Downtown Orlando, Florida, United States. It replaced the Bob Carr Theater, originally opened as the Orlando Municipal Auditorium in 1927, as Orlando's main theater. The center's grand opening was held on November 6, 2014.
Mad Cow Theatre began in late 1997 as a simple two-show project among a group of actors/directors in a former blueprint studio in Maitland, Florida. After an initial four-year period of renting space from such Central Florida organizations as Rollins College, Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, Civic Theatre of Central Florida, and the Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, Mad Cow is now celebrating its 21st season in Downtown Orlando. Mad Cow has built collaborative relationships with other downtown businesses and has received two Golden Brick Awards for outstanding contribution to downtown life. Mad Cow Theatre has also been named "Best Theatre" by Orlando Magazine for several years in a row.
IDignity is a non-profit organization based in Downtown Orlando that helps homeless and disadvantaged citizens acquire the legal documentation required by the Real ID Act to obtain an identification card. Since its founding and first monthly Identification Clinic in May 2008, IDignity has assisted more than 22,500 individuals in regaining their identification documents.
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 Street. The building's current lack of impressive architecture is offset by its significant cultural history. The Beacham Theatre was considered an important contributing structure when the Downtown Orlando historic district was created in 1980 and the building was granted local landmark status in 1987.