Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, located in Central Florida. Orlando is also the principal city of Greater Orlando. The Orlando-Kissimmee MSA is Florida's third largest metropolitan area, behind Miami and Tampa, and the 8th largest metropolitian area in the south. The city itself is the sixth most populous in Florida. Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida, which is the second largest university in Florida in student enrollment and has the fifth largest enrollment in the nation.

The city is well known for the many tourist attractions in the area, in particular the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, which is located in Lake Buena Vista about southwest of Orlando city limits via Interstate 4. Other notable area attractions include SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort. The region sees an estimated 52 million tourists a year. Orlando has the second largest number of hotel rooms in the country (after Las Vegas, Nevada), and is one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions with the Orange County Convention Center, the country's second largest in square footage. It is also known for its wide array of golf courses, with numerous courses available for any level of golfer. Located several miles away from the main tourist attractions, Downtown Orlando is undergoing major redevelopment with a number of residential projects, commercial towers, and major public works projects including the Orlando Events Center and the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center. Orlando ranks as the fourth most popular city, based on where people want to live, according to a 2009 Pew Research Center study.

Metro Orlando has a rapidly growing $13.4 billion technology industry employing 53,000 people, and is a nationally recognized cluster of innovation in digital media, agritechnology, aviation, aerospace, and software. More than 150 international companies, representing approximately 20 countries, have facilities in Metro Orlando.

The city symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola and the current mayor is Buddy Dyer.

History

During the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Army established an outpost at Fort Gatlin, a few miles south of the modern downtown, in 1838. But it was quickly abandoned when the war came to an end.

Prior to being known as its current name, Orlando was known as Jernigan, after the first permanent settler, cattleman Aaron Jernigan, who acquired land along Lake Holden by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. But most pioneers did not arrive until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. Most of the early residents made their living by cattle ranching.

After Mosquito County was divided in 1845, Orlando became the county seat of the new Orange County in 1856. It remained a rural backwater during the Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Union blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought a population explosion, which led to Orlando's incorporation as a town on July 31, 1875, and as a city in 1885.