Timeline of Orlando, Florida

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Orlando, Florida, United States.

19th century

• 1843 - Orlando settled as "Jernigan"^{[ citation needed ]}
• 1875
  • Town of Orlando incorporated. ^[1]
  • William Jackson Brack becomes mayor.
• 1878 - Orange County Reporter newspaper begins publication. ^[2]
• 1880
  • South Florida Railroad begins operating. ^[3]
  • Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church established. ^[4]
• 1884 - Orange County Jail built. ^[5]
• 1886
  • Orlando Black (school) opens. ^[4]
  • Orlando Street Railway begins operating (approximate date).
  • English Club formed. ^[3]
• 1889 - Church Street Station built. ^[6]
• 1891 - St. James Cathedral built. ^[7]
• 1892
  • Courthouse built. ^[3]
  • Lake Eola Park established.
• 1900 - Florida Christian Recorder newspaper begins publication. ^[4]

20th century

1900s-1960s

• 1905 - City Hall built. ^[3]
• 1910 - Population: 3,894. ^[5]
• 1913 - Grand Theater opens. ^[7]
• 1914 - Commission form of government effected. ^[5]
• 1918 - Orange General Hospital opens.
• 1920 - Population: 9,282.
• 1921
  • Beacham Theater opens.
  • Jones High School active. ^[4]
• 1923
  • Orlando Utilities Commission established; municipal electric plant begins operating. ^[8]
  • Albertson Public Library opens. ^[3]
  • Angebilt Hotel opened on March 14.
• 1924
  • Edgewater Heights, Lorna Doone Park, and Orwin Manor become part of Orlando. ^[5]
  • WDBO radio begins broadcasting. ^[9]
  • Orlando Museum of Art founded. ^[10]
  • Orange Court Hotel built.
• 1925 - Glendonjo Park and Spring Lake Terrace become part of Orlando. ^[5]
• 1926
  • Country Club Estates, Ivanhoe Plaza, Oakhurst Subdivision, Orlando Highlands, Princeton Court, and Silver Lake Park become part of Orlando. ^[5]
  • Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station, Cathedral Church of St. Luke, and Municipal Auditorium ^{[ citation needed ]} built.
  • Well'sbuilt Hotel in business.
• 1927 - Orange County Courthouse built. ^[3]
• 1928 - Orlando Municipal Airport begins operating. ^[5]
• 1930 - Population: 27,330.
• 1934 - Orlando Dixie Sun newspaper begins publication. ^[4]
• 1936
  • Orlando Stadium opens.
  • Cypress Gardens opens in nearby Winter Haven.
• 1940 - Orlando Army Air Base established. ^[5]
• 1943
  • Pinecastle Army Airfield in operation.
  • DDT pesticide "Neocide" developed in United States Department of Agriculture lab in Orlando. ^{[11] [12]}
• 1945 - Negro Chamber of Commerce established. ^[4]
• 1946 - Ben White Raceway opens. ^[13]
• 1949 - Gatorland opens.
• 1950 - Population: 52,367.
  • Florida Symphony Orchestra established ^[14]
• 1952 - William R. Boone High School and Edgewater High School are built.
• 1954
  • WDBO-TV (television) begins broadcasting. ^[15]
  • Bishop Moore High School built.
• 1956 - Colonial Plaza shopping centre in business. ^[5]
• 1957
  • Orange County Historical Commission established. ^[16]
  • Martin Company missile manufactory begins operating near Orlando. ^[17]
  • Interstate 4 highway constructed. ^[17]
• 1958 - WLOF-TV (television) begins broadcasting. ^[15]
• 1960
  • Central Florida Museum opens.
  • Population: 88,135.
• 1961 - Harry P. Leu Gardens deeded to city.
• 1963 - UCF founded in East Orlando
• 1967
  • Carl T. Langford becomes mayor of Orlando.
  • Disney-controlled City of Bay Lake and City of Reedy Creek incorporated near Orlando.
• 1968
  • Florida Technological University opens.
  • Naval Training Center Orlando and Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando established. ^[18]

1970s-1990s

• 1970
  • Lake Highland Preparatory School founded.
  • Population: 99,006 city; 344,311 county. ^[17]
  • University Drive-In cinema built. ^[19]
• 1971
  • Disney World in business.
  • Historical Society of Central Florida headquartered in Orlando. ^[16]
• 1973
  • Orlando Fashion Square Mall opens
  • Sentinel Star newspaper began publication. ^[2]
  • SeaWorld theme park in business. ^[20]
• 1974
  • East-West Expressway constructed. ^[17]
  • Disney's Discovery Island in business. ^[20]
• 1975 - Metropolitan Orlando Women's Political Caucus ^[13] and Orlando Lutheran Academy founded.
• 1976 - Orlando International Airport in operation.
• 1977
  • Orlando Regional Medical Center established. ^[21]
  • Wet 'n Wild Orlando theme park in business.
• 1979
  • Orlando Opera incorporated. ^[22]
  • Basilica of Mary (church) built.
• 1980
  • July: Racial unrest. ^[4]
  • Bill Frederick becomes mayor.
  • Population: 128,291 city; 471,016 county. ^[17]
• 1981 - Bill McCollum becomes U.S. representative for Florida's 5th congressional district. ^[23]
• 1982
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida established. ^[21]
  • Epcot theme park in business in nearby Lake Buena Vista.
• 1983 - Orange County Convention Center opens.
• 1984 - Orlando Science Center active.
• 1986 - The Peabody Orlando hotel and Disney's Living Seas ^[20] in business.
• 1987 - Dr. Phillips High School opens.
• 1989
  • Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival begins.
  • Orlando Arena (later the Amway Arena) opens.
  • Orlando Magic begin play.
• 1990
  • Universal Orlando theme park in business.
  • Orlando Weekly newspaper begins publication.
  • Population: 164,693 city; 677,491 county. ^[17]
  • Zora Neale Hurston Festival begins in nearby Eatonville. ^[13]
• 1991
  • UCF Arena opens.
  • Orlando Predators football team formed.
• 1992
  • Cypress Creek High School and Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra ^{[ citation needed ]} established.
  • Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival begins.
• 1993
  • Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in operation.
  • Glenda Hood becomes mayor.
  • Florida Symphony Orchestra ceases operations
• 1994
  • June–July: Some 1994 FIFA World Cup games held in Orlando. ^[6]
  • Mormon temple built.
• 1996 - City website online (approximate date). ^{[24] [ chronology citation needed ]}
• 1998
  • Muvico Pointe cinema in business. ^[19]
  • Mennello Museum opens.
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park in business. ^[20]
• 1999 - Cinemark Festival Bay Mall (cinema) in business. ^[19]

21st century

• 2001 - Olympia High School established
• 2002 - Millenia Mall in business.
• 2003
  • Freedom High School established.
  • Buddy Dyer becomes mayor.
• 2004 - Hurricane Charley directly strikes Orlando area with wind gusts to at least 105 mph ^[25] Over 60% of Orlando loses power. ^[26]
• 2007 - CFE Arena opens.
• 2010
  • Amway Center event venue opens.
  • Orlando City Soccer Club formed.
  • Population: 238,300. ^[27]
• 2011 - Daniel Webster becomes U.S. representative for Florida's 8th congressional district. ^[28]
• 2015
  • Orlando Eye ferris wheel built.
  • Population: 270,917 (estimate). ^[29]
• 2016 - Orlando nightclub shooting
• 2017 - Universal's Volcano Bay in business

See also

• Orlando history
• List of mayors of Orlando, Florida
• List of amusement parks in Greater Orlando
• Timelines of other cities in the Central Florida area of Florida: Clearwater, Lakeland, Largo, St. Petersburg, Tampa

References

1. Overview of Municipal Incorporations in Florida (PDF), LCIR Report, Tallahassee: Florida Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, 2001, archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2017
2. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America . Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
3. Federal Writers' Project 1939.
4. Porter 2004.
5. Porter 2009.
6. "40 Fun Orlando Facts". City of Orlando. August 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
7. Antequino 2012.
8. W. W. Mathews (1926). "Municipal Water and Light Plant at Orlando, Florida". Journal of the American Water Works Association. 15 (3): 238–251. Bibcode:1926JAWWA..15c.238M. doi:10.1002/j.1551-8833.1926.tb13386.x. JSTOR   41227765.
9. Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Florida", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC   2459636
10. Lonely Planet 2003.
11. Gordon M. Patterson (2016). "Looking Backward, Looking Forward: The Long, Torturous Struggle with Mosquitoes". Insects. 7 (4): 56. doi: 10.3390/insects7040056 . PMC   5198204 . PMID   27775554.
12. Billman 2013.
13. "University Manuscripts by Subject". Special Collections & University Archives. University of Central Florida, Libraries. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
14. "Music Surprise Symphony". Time Magazine. March 30, 1953. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
15. Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Florida", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC   10512206
16. "About Us". Orlando: Orange County Regional History Center. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
17. Archer 1997.
18. "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: USA". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo . Retrieved April 22, 2017.
19. "Movie Theaters in Orlando, FL". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
20. Vernon N. Kisling, Jr., ed. (2001). "Zoological Gardens of the United States (chronological list)". Zoo and Aquarium History. USA: CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-4200-3924-5.
21. Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei, ed. (May 9, 2013). "Orlando, Florida". Nonprofit Explorer. New York: ProPublica . Retrieved August 11, 2014.
22. "About". Orlando Opera. Archived from the original on February 1, 2001.
23. "Florida". Official Congressional Directory. 1991/1992- : S. Pub. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1985–1986. hdl:2027/uc1.31158013115752.
24. "City of Orlando Web Site". Archived from the original on October 31, 1996 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
25. "Tropical Cyclone Report - Hurricane Charley" (PDF). www.nhc.noaa.gov. National Hurricane Center. August 9, 2004.
26. "List of known damage caused by Hurricane Charley". August 14, 2004.
27. Florida Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research; U.S. Census Bureau (2011), "City of Orlando", 2010 Census Detailed City Profiles
28. Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack . Retrieved August 11, 2014.
29. Joe Germuska (ed.). "Orlando, FL". Censusreporter.org. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

Bibliography

• John R. Richards, ed. (1886). "Orlando". Florida State Gazetteer and Business Directory. New York: South Publishing Company. OCLC   12186532.
• Orlando, Florida: Indelible Photographs, Orlando: H.A. Abercromby, 1890, OL   23366645M
• "Orlando", Handy Guide to the Southeastern States, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1899 – via Internet Archive
• "Orlando". Florida Gazetteer and Business Directory 1907-1908. R. L. Polk & Co. 1907.
• "Orlando". Florida State Gazetteer and Business Directory. R. L. Polk & Co. 1918.
• Federal Writers' Project (1939), "Orlando", Florida; a Guide to the Southernmost State, American Guide Series, ISBN   9781623760090
• E. Bacon. 1977. Orlando: A centennial history. Chuluota, Fla.: Mickler House.
• L. Argrett Jr. 1991. A history of the black community of Orlando, Florida. Fort Bragg, Calif.: Cypress House Press.
• Kevin Archer (1997). "The Limits to the Imagineered City: Sociospatial Polarization in Orlando". Economic Geography. 73 (3): 322–336. doi:10.2307/144487. JSTOR   144487.
• Walt Disney World & Orlando, Frommer, 1998, OL   9936049M
• Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando. By Richard E. Foglesong. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001).
• Walt Disney World & Orlando for Dummies 2004, For Dummies, 2003, OL   8042293M
• Wendy Taylor (2003), Orlando & Central Florida, Lonely Planet, OL   19289916M
• Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson (2003). Orlando, Florida. Black America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia.
• Tana Mosier Porter (2004). "Segregation and Desegregation in Parramore: Orlando's African American Community". Florida Historical Quarterly. 82 (3): 289–312. JSTOR   30149526.
• Tana Mosier Porter (2009). "Orlando". Historic Orange County: The Story of Orlando and Orange County. HPN Books. ISBN   978-1-893619-99-9.
• Stephanie Gaub Antequino; Tana Mosier Porter (2012). Lost Orlando. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-9173-5.
• Jeffrey C. Billman (October 29, 2013), "13 things you should know about Orlando history", Orlando Weekly
• American Cities Project (November 11, 2013). "Orlando". America's Big Cities in Volatile Times: City Profiles. Washington, DC: Pew Charitable Trusts.

External links

• Items related to Orlando, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)