ORLANDO HISTORY
Orlando may have began as a sleepy little southern town but over the years it has transformed into the theme park capital of the world welcoming over 43 million visitors annually. What began with plantations, cattle ranches, and orange groves now boasts the world's best collection of thrill rides, fine dining, luxury accommodations and superior shopping, not to mention an array of cultural and natural attractions. This, however, did not all happen overnight. Over the years, Orlando has felt its fair share of growing pains, even during its earliest days.
Orlando may have began as a sleepy little southern town but over the years it has transformed into the theme park capital of the world welcoming over 43 million visitors annually. What began with plantations, cattle ranches, and orange groves now boasts the world's best collection of thrill rides, fine dining, luxury accommodations and superior shopping, not to mention an array of cultural and natural attractions. This, however, did not all happen overnight. Over the years, Orlando has felt its fair share of growing pains, even during its earliest days.
Dateline
* 1843 Mosquito County in central Florida is renamed Orange County.
* 1856 Orlando becomes the seat of Orange County.
* 1875 Orlando is incorporated as a municipality.
* 1880 The South Florida Railroad paves the way for the expansion of Orlando's agricultural markets. Swamp cabbage hits an all-time high on the commodities market.
* 1884 Fire destroys much of Orlando's fledgling business district.
* 1894-95 Freezing temperatures destroy the citrus crops wreaking havoc on the groves and causing many growers lose everything.
* 1910-25 A land boom hits Florida. Fortunes are made overnight.
* 1926 The land boom goes bust. Fortunes are lost overnight.
* 1929 An invasion of Mediterranean fruit flies devastates Orlando's citrus industry. But, who cares? Here comes the stock market crash.
* 1939-45 World War II revives Orlando's ailing economy.
* 1964 Walt Disney begins surreptitiously buying central Florida farmland, purchasing more than 28,000 acres for nearly $5.5 million.
* 1965 Disney announces his plan to build the world's most spectacular theme park, in Orlando.
* 1966 Walt Disney dies of lung cancer.
* 1971 The Magic Kingdom opens its gates for the first time.
* 1972 A new 1-day attendance mark is set December 27, when 72,328 people visit the Magic Kingdom. It will be broken almost every year thereafter.
* 1973 SeaWorld opens with a splash in Orlando.
* 1979 Mickey Mouse welcomes the Magic Kingdom's 100 millionth visitor, 8-year-old Kurt Miller from Kingsville, Maryland.
* 1982 Epcot opens with vast hoopla. Participating celebrities include former president Richard Nixon and New York Yankees president George Steinbrenner.
* 1989 WDW launches Disney-MGM Studios (offering a behind-the-scenes look at Tinseltown), Typhoon Lagoon (a 56-acre water theme park), and Pleasure Island (a nightclub district for adults).
* 1990 Universal Studios Florida opens, bringing the movies to life for all who enter its gates.
* 1993 SeaWorld expands and Universal Studios unleashes the fearsome Jaws.
* 1998 Disney starts its own cruise line, and opens most of Animal Kingdom. Universal opens CityWalk, a vast new entertainment complex. Disney's West Side, Pleasure Island, and Disney Village Marketplace become known as Downtown Disney.
* 1999 Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando's second theme park, opens, featuring stomach-churning thrill rides. The final section of Animal Kingdom, Asia, opens. The Disney Cruise Line launches Good Ship No. 2, the Wonder.
* 2000 SeaWorld opens its second park, Discovery Cove, offering a chance to swim with the fishes, er, dolphins. SeaWorld also delivers its first roller coaster, Kraken. In December, Universal opens its second resort, the Hard Rock Hotel.
* 2001 Church Street Station closes its doors for good. The tourist industry takes a blow due to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
* 2002-03 Universal opens its third resort, the Royal Pacific.
* 2003 Cypress Gardens closes after 67 years in operation due to financial hardship. Disney's Pop Century Resort opens its first phase. The Waterfront entertainment district makes a splashy debut at SeaWorld.