150 Years and Counting: A Look Back at Orlando’s History
The City Beautiful has always been a city for visionaries.
A view of downtown Orlando looking east on Interstate 4. Photo by Robrto Gonzalez.
ON JULY 31, ORLANDO CELEBRATES ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY. While the festivities run throughout 2025, many take place in July. Here, learn how the city got its name, where it’s been and where it’s going, with comments from notables and long-time residents. Join us in raising a toast to Orlando—here’s to the next sesquicentennial!
The Early Years
When it was incorporated in 1875, Orlando had just 40 residents. The region was originally inhabited by the Timucua and Seminole peoples, and in 1843, settlement began around Fort Gatlin, a U.S. Army post built in 1838 and named after Army surgeon John S. Gatlin.
Three years earlier, a small community known as Jernigan had built up around the fort, named after Aaron Jernigan, who was influential in the town’s development. It was the first permanent settlement in the area, with a post office established in 1850. Jernigan was renamed in 1857 to honor Orlando Reeves, an army sentry killed during the Seminole Wars. Reeves was guarding an encampment when he spotted Native Americans in disguise; when he fired his gun to warn his fellow soldiers, Reeves was felled by arrows. Today, he is buried on the south side of Lake Eola.
Since then, Orlando has become many things: a center for cotton, cattle and citrus, an expansion point for the railroad, a home to emerging technologies, a rich tapestry of neighborhoods and, of course, theme park central.
The Numbers Game
According to the United States Census, the city of Orlando had a population of 334,854 as of July 2024. Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer concurs with this number, adding that Orange County’s population comes in at 1.5 million, and a little over 3 million for the metro region.
“Every year for probably the last 10 years we’ve been in the Top 3 (in the nation), for population growth,” says Dyer. And, according to the Orlando Economic Partnership’s market intelligence team, for the year ending July 1, 2023, Orlando was the second fastest-growing large region in the U.S. for the second consecutive year, adding 54, 916 new residents in that time period, consistent with the region’s long-term trend of adding 1,000 new residents a week.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer stands on a City Hall terrace that overlooks downtown Orlando. Photo by Roberto Gonzalez.
“The city looks entirely different than it did 20 years ago,” says Dyer, who was born in what was then Orange Memorial Hospital, grew up in Kissimmee, and worked as an engineer, a lawyer and in the state senate before winning his first election for mayor 22 years ago. “Residential (growth) is probably four times what it was 20 years ago in the downtown area.”
Of the many changes Dyer’s seen during his tenure, he points to Orlando’s Main Street districts as encouraging areas of growth. “These are the commercial districts in our neighborhoods that we’ve put a lot of effort into, and they have blossomed and become culinary meccas,” says Dyer. “Each of them has an independent identity. People travel to Orlando just to come to the Main Streets.”
Another major sector of growth is the southeast part of Orlando, in Lake Nona and the areas east and south of the airport.
“We’re focused on the southeast in terms of new growth, but are also doing everything we can do to encourage infield growth, especially in the downtown and airport areas,” Dyer says. “We have a very robust neighborhoods department and really try to empower our neighborhood leaders. It’s a real strength in our city.”
Keeping Old Florida Alive
Another resident who’s seen Orlando’s landscape change in front of his very eyes is Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland. McHugh, who holds master’s degrees in marine science from the University of Texas at Austin and business administration from the University of Central Florida, moved to Orlando in 1985 to work at SeaWorld, where he met his wife, granddaughter of Gatorland founder Owen Godwin. He took up the reigns at Gatorland in 1996. “We were started in 1949, and at that time, Gatorland and Tupperware World Headquarters were the only things on a very long country ride from Orlando to Kissimmee,” says McHugh. “There was nothing out here. Now, the two cities are connected.”
After World War II, Godwin bought the parcel of land off Highway 17/92 and 441, which, in 1947, was Florida’s second-most traveled highway. “Gatorland was lucky,” says McHugh. “We bought enough land around us (110 acres) to keep our own little oasis in the middle of what is now a thriving urban atmosphere.”
Mark McHugh at Gatorland’s 75th anniversary. Photo Courtesy of Gatorland.
“Decades ago, recognizing that things were growing out here, we wanted to maintain that little piece of natural Florida, where folks can come out and see how Florida has looked for centuries,” he adds. Gatorland just received its non-profit designation in January 2025 and has a conservation arm called Gatorland Global, dedicated to protecting Florida wildlife. “We’re protecting Florida nuisance alligators,” says McHugh. “Many times, these are alligators that are in the wrong place at the wrong time, or they’ve been living in a pond for 40 years and a housing development or a shopping center is built next to them, and they become a problem and a danger.”
“Historically, trappers go in, and they euthanize those alligators,” he continues. “We have relationships with trappers throughout Central and Southern Florida, so if they get an alligator, we’ll pay them to catch it alive and bring it here through Gatorland Global, and it lives out the rest of its life here in alligator paradise. Florida residents have jumped on board with us.”
A Welcoming Community For All
“I love being born and raised in Orlando,” says Dr. Anna V. Eskamani, Florida State Representative for District 42. “What makes me the most proud to be an Orlandoan is the vibrant sense of community, diversity and resilience that defines our community.” The daughter of working-class immigrants who moved to the United States to create a better life for their children, Eskamani is the first Iranian American elected to public office in Florida. “When I think about my mom, I think about why she decided to make Orlando her home and the place where she would raise her kids,” says Eskamani. “She chose Orlando in part because we are a diverse community that is home to folks of all socioeconomic, cultural and generational experiences. She felt safe starting a family here, and in some ways my love for Orlando is a reflection of her love for Orlando.”
Dr. Anna V. Eskamani at a Fight Book Bans Act event. Photo by Roberto Gonzalez.
To celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary, Eskamani plans to “attend events across the city that highlight the people and places that shaped Orlando. I’ll be shopping local to support our small business community, too.” “It’s been powerful to see residents engaging with our shared history, and I’m honored to be part of shaping our future,” she adds.
The Future is Calling
In Orlando magazine’s October 2024 issue, Dyer compared the City of Orlando to a teenager still growing into something bigger. “We’re still growing into what we’re going to be, and although we can plan for that, we don’t know exactly what that is,” he says. But Dyer is proud to call Orlando a future-ready city, embracing technology that enhances its systems and creates an ecosystem that brings tech jobs and companies here. “We’re very much into the eVTOL space—flying cars for a lack of a better term; we’ve got a few companies based on that here, and we’re the only city involved in NASA’s efforts to look into that space,” he says. “I chair the committee for the National League of Cities that is involved in drones and similar technology. We’re always looking to the future.”
Autonomous vehicles are on the streets of Lake Nona now through the Beep shuttle, and Creative Village’s SWAN Shuttle just completed a successful autonomous vehicle pilot program. Eskamani is looking forward to an Orlando that grows with intention, one that puts people first and builds toward equity, sustainability and opportunity for all. “If that means expanding reliable and accessible public transit like SunRail, improving housing affordability so working families can stay in the communities they love and creating more spaces for small businesses and the arts to thrive,” she says.
Lake Nona’s autonomous shuttle, Beep. Photo courtesy of Lake Nona.
“I’m also excited about our region’s potential to lead in health innovation, renewable energy and workforce development—especially for young leaders,” Eskamani adds. “Orlando’s future is bright if we fight for it—and I’m ready to do just that, side by side with our community.”
Join the Celebration: 150th Anniversary Festivities
Check out the special events taking place during Orlando’s birthday month (July), then enjoy special exhibits that round out 2025. Party hats optional.
FIREWORKS AT THE FOUNTAIN, JULY 4 EDITION: This ongoing event does double duty on the Fourth of July, recognizing both our country’s birthday and Orlando’s 150th anniversary. Mayor Buddy Dyer will be on hand, and from 4-10 pm, you can listen to live entertainment, participate in family-friendly fun, dine on food and beverages available for purchase, then watch the fireworks at 9:10 pm, set to a patriotic performance from the Orlando Concert Band. Mug for the camera at the large photo booth with 150th branding. Lake Eola Park.
THE CHANGING FACE OF ORLANDO: A SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, JULY 10-AUG. 3; opening reception July 9 Take a photographic journey through The City Beautiful that pairs 12 historical images with their modern-day counterparts, recreated by local photographers. It’s presented by T.G. Lee Dairy, which itself has been in operation for 100 years. Meet Mayor Buddy Dyer at the opening reception on July 9 from 5-7 pm. At the Terrace Gallery, Orlando City Hall.
COMMEMORATIVE BENCH DEDICATION, JULY 29: Keep Orlando Beautiful has collected 1,000 pounds of recycled plastic for this bench made from recycled materials. The bench will be dedicated to the city’s 150th anniversary and will be installed at Leu Gardens on this day.
DAY OF SERVICE EVENT, JULY 31: The City of Orlando hosts this community-wide event to “give a gift” to the city. There will be free admission to Leu Gardens and the Mennello Museum on this day, in addition to the Lake Eola fountain lighting. Citywide.
ORLANDO COLLECTED, THROUGH JAN. 11, 2026: View 150 rarely seen collected items that reflect the history of Orlando. The exhibit is made up of photographs, documents and other artifacts that have been curated in collaboration with the community, among them Billy the Swan, Arnold Palmer’s golf bag, Lena Clarke’s purse and its contents and a fire-damaged rotary telephone from the Broadway United Methodist Church. At the Orange County Regional History Center.
Additional 150th anniversary events are in the works. To stay updated, visit orlando.gov/150.
