Orange County, Florida

Orange County Education, Geography, and History

Orange County is a county located in the state of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 1,145,956, making it the fifth-most populous county in Florida. Orange County was created on December 29, 1824 from Saint Johns County (originally named Mosquito county after the name the Spanish had given the entire coast, "Los Mosquitos", renamed January 30, 1845). The county seat is Orlando. This county is named for the fruit that was the county's main product.

Orange County is included in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Orange County Name

This county is named for the fruit that was the county's main product.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Orange County History

In 1821, there were two counties that formed Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the east. In 1824, the area to the south of St. Johns County became Mosquito County, and Enterprise was named the County Seat. This massive county took up much of Central Florida. Mosquito County was renamed Orange County in 1845 when Florida became a state. Several counties, such as Osceola and Seminole County, were carved out of Orange County.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,004 square miles (2,601 km²), of which, 907 square miles (2,350 km²) of it is land and 97 square miles (251 km²) of it (9.63%) is water.

Orange county is located close to the center of Florida.      The county has 99 parks, trails and facilities with activities for just about anyone including horseback trails, water parks and canoeing along scenic rivers teeming with wildlife.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Volusia County; Seminole County
• Southeast: Brevard County; Osceola County
• Southwest: Polk County
• Northwest: Lake County

Education

Public Education

The Orange County Public Schools are responsible in delivering public education to students countywide. An elected school board composed of a chairman, elected At-large, and seven members, elected from single-member districts, oversees the functions and expenditures of the school system. Each member is elected to a staggered four-year term. Four are elected in presidential election years, while the chairman and three other members are elected in gubernatorial election years. The school system operates 182 schools (123 elementary, 3 K-8, 35 middle, 19 high, and 4 exceptional learning). In October 2012, the district had 183,562 students, making it the fourth largest school district statewide and eleventh in the nation.

Colleges and universities

The University of Central Florida is the sole public university. A Fall 2012 enrollment of 59,767, currently places it second in the nation amongst public colleges and universities for student enrollment. The university's massive campus is situated in northeast Orange County.

Nearby Winter Park is home to Rollins College, a private college situated only a few miles from Downtown Orlando. In 2012, it was ranked #1 by US News & World Report amongst regional universities in the South.

With six campuses spread throughout the county, Valencia Community College offers two-year degree programs.

The law schools for Barry University and Florida A&M are also conveniently located in Downtown Orlando.

Full Sail University is a for-profit university in Winter Park, Florida. Full Sail is not regionally accredited, but is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) to award associate's, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees in audio, film, design, computer animation, business, and other fields. The school offers 35 degree programs and 2 graduate certificates and has a student population of more than 16,800.

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