Central Florida - Citizendia

For the college, see University of Central Florida.

Central Florida is the central region of the United States state of Florida, on the East Coast. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The region enjoys a hot but stormy climate, with many thunderstorms, and hurricanes threatening often. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding

Although the exact area can be disputed, Central Florida tends to be thought of as the area including Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard, and Volusia counties. Orange County is a County located in the US state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA. Osceola County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Seminole County is a County located in the US state of Florida and part of the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA. Lake County is a County located in the state of Florida, United States. Brevard County is a county located in the US state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Polk, Flagler, and Sumter counties are considered by some, including the local media, to be part of Central Florida. Polk County is a County located in the US state of Florida. As of 2000 the population was 483924 Flagler County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Sumter County is a County located in the state of Florida, United States. Although geographically in the central part of the state, usually the west central coast, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties, is considered the Tampa Bay area or the Suncoast, rather than a part of Central Florida. Hillsborough County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Pinellas County is a county located in the US state of Florida. Pasco County is a County located in the US state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344765 Hernando County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Tampa Bay is a large natural Harbor and Estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the western coast of Florida, comprising Old Tampa Bay The Florida Suncoast is a colloquial name for the west-central and southwest peninsular Florida coastal area between Tarpon Springs to the north and This area is known as the I-4 corridor. Interstate 4 (I-4 is a 13230-mile (21291 km intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States.

In 2007, the estimated total population of the Central Florida region was just over 3. 8 million people. Central Florida is a particularly unique region of Florida because it blends the traditional culture of the Deep South which is experienced in the northern part of the region as well as in the rural areas, with the typical "Florida" culture that is dominated by national and international migration. The Deep South is a descriptive category of cultural and geographic subregions in the American South.

The largest cities in Central Florida are Orlando, Palm Bay, Lakeland, Melbourne, Deltona, Daytona Beach, Kissimmee, Altamonte Springs and Sanford. Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. Lakeland is a City in Polk County Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Melbourne is a city in Brevard County Florida, United States. Deltona is a city located in southwestern Volusia County Florida. Kissimmee (kɪˈsɪmi with the accent on the second syllable is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. Altamonte Springs is a City in Seminole County Florida, United States. Sanford is a city in and the County seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States.

For the last couple of decades, continuous heavy growth in the region, coupled with a lack of growth management has led to massive urban sprawl in the area. Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is the spreading of a city and its Suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area Outdated and unplanned transit infrastructure and traffic congestion is a growing concern. Local governments, long at odds with each other over growth, have now started taking a more regional approach and several transportation initiatives are now taking shape. As a result, the Central Florida Region is playing "catch-up" with massive road projects, such as the SR 408 (East-West Expressway) and Interstate 4 expansions and the Central Florida Commuter Rail set to open in 2009. State Road 408 ( SR 408) also known as the Spessard L Holland East-West Expressway, is a tolled Freeway running east-west through Orlando Interstate 4 (I-4 is a 13230-mile (21291 km intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. Central Florida Commuter Rail is a proposed Commuter rail system in the Central Florida ( Orlando) area A local citizens planning board, MyRegion.org, is steadily becoming an active voice in Regional planning and communication.

The area's biggest attractions include Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Cypress Gardens, Bok Tower Gardens, Daytona International Speedway and Gatorland. Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world containing four Theme parks two Water parks twenty-three themed hotels History Milton C Shedd, Ken Norris, David Demott, and George Millay brought SeaWorld to life yet that was not the initial idea Universal Orlando Resort is a Theme park Resort in Orlando Florida. The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on Cypress Gardens is a theme park near Winter Haven Florida in the United States. Bok Tower Gardens (250 acres 1 square kilometer is the popular name for a site containing Botanical gardens a Carillon tower and several other facilities located Daytona International Speedway is a Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Gatorland is a Theme park and Wildlife preserve located along South Orange Blossom Trail in Orange County Florida. Because of the large number of tourists who visit Central Florida every year, the area is home to not only numerous discount and factory outlet centers, but several major upscale shopping malls, bringing in the more sophisticated travelers and higher end residents. As a result, several major designers from Chanel to Louis Vuitton have shops in Orlando, most of which are located at the The Mall at Millenia. Chanel SA ʃəˈnɛɫ) is a Parisian fashion house created by Coco Chanel. Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton ( pronounced /lwi vɥitɔ̃/ or sometimes shortened to LV, is a French luxury fashion The Mall at Millenia is an upscale contemporary indoor Shopping mall located in Orlando Florida just off of Interstate 4 (Exit 78 at Conroy Central Florida has recently made great strides to diversify the economy. The Orlando area is poised to become a major medical research center with the University of Central Florida building a medical school, the Burnham Institute building a major biomedical research facility and a new Veterans Administration hospital all set to open by the end of the decade. The Burnham Institute for Medical Research is a non-profit Medical research institute with facilities located in California and Florida focused on Biomedical research (or experimental medicine) in general simply known as medical research, is the Basic research or Applied research conducted The United States Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA) is a government-run military Veteran benefit system with Cabinet -level status All of the aforementioned facilities will be located in the Lake Nona area and will collectively be referred to as Medical City. Medical City Dallas is a Hospital located at 7777 Forest Lane just west of North Central Expressway ( US 75) in north Dallas, See the article Orlando, Florida for more detailed information regarding the local economy. Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida.

Central Florida also has a wide variety of natural attractions including the St. Johns River, the Ocklawaha River, the Econlockhatchee River, Canaveral National Seashore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and over 1,500 lakes and ponds. The St Johns River (officially Saint Johns River, but commonly spelled St The 110 mile long Ocklawaha River flows north from Central Florida until it joins the St The Econlockhatchee River ( Econ River for short is a North -flowing blackwater tributary of the St The Canaveral National Seashore (CANA is a National Seashore located between New Smyrna Beach and Titusville Florida, in the United States Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is an important US National Wildlife Refuge on the Atlantic coast of Florida. The region also boasts an extensive network of recreational trails (jogging, biking, equestrian, etc). This is a list of Florida paved bike trails. Included in the list are cities that have won awards from the League of American Bicyclists as being a Bicycle Friendly Community While many connections are already in place construction continues on eventually linking all of the hundreds of miles of trails and greenways being developed by each county. A trail is a Path or Road used for Walking, Cycling, Cross-country skiing, or other activities A greenway is a long narrow piece of land often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle traffic and sometimes including multiple transportation ( Streetcar, Light Major trails include the Cady Way, Cross Seminole and West Orange Trails, and the Central Florida Zoo, The Central Florida Zoo is located north of Orlando, Florida near the city of Sanford. The Cady Way Trail is a long Rail trail in Orlando Florida partly owned by the City of Orlando Parks Division. The Cross Seminole Trail is a pedestrian bicycler and equestrian trail in Seminole County Florida just north of Orlando. The West Orange Trail is a long multi-use Rail trail owned by Orange County Parks and Recreation in Orange County Florida, in the United States ^[1] The zoo hosts several annual events, including a Halloween Zoo Bash and a Breakfast with Santa. ^[2]

References

^ Welcome to the Central Florida Zoo "Central Florida Zoo. Greater Orlando, alternatively known as the Orlando Area or Metro Orlando, is the third most populated metropolitan region in the state of Florida, and com
^ Central Floria Zoo About. com

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