Come Discover The
Magic in Orlando!
A City with a Rich History Still
Calling for Visitors
By Margaret Hren, Current Pedorthics Staff Contributor
Orlando. Just hearing the name of this city makes everyone
happy, especially on a dreary winter’s day like most of us are
encountering this winter. As the second most popular tourist
destination in the United States, and nicknamed ‘The Theme
Park Capitol of the World,’ it is not hard to feel some of the
excitement we all have as we look forward to October 24 - 26,
when PFA will be hosting their 55th Annual Symposium and
Exhibition at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista, located in the Walt
Disney World Park.
Orlando is an interesting city, possessing an even more
interesting past. Its roots begin as far back with the discovery
of Florida by the explorer Ponce de León, who spied Florida’s
lush green shoreline along the Atlantic coast while searching
for the infamous ‘fountain of youth.’ After years of changing
ownership between the Spanish, French and British, it
eventually became the new territorial home of the Seminole
Indians, when their original homeland became part of the
United States in 1821.
Even back then, Orlando and its surrounding environs were
considered a ‘hot and popular’ destination to enjoy the good
life. This area possessed what many considered to be some of
Florida’s richest farmlands, which contributed to settlement
hostilities with American settlers and the Seminoles. In 1842,
a treaty was accepted by the remaining 300 Seminole Indians
living in the region for land and peace. To encourage people to
settle in Florida, the US Government put into effect the Armed
Occupation Act offering homesteading land deeds, providing a
gateway for Florida to becoming the 27th state.
In its early beginning before Mickey Mouse moved in,
Orlando was once a region of cattle ranches and a leader in
the emerging citrus industry, fulfilling the country’s need for
grapefruits, tangerines and oranges. As the citrus industry
flourished, the City of Orlando grew and was officially
incorporated on July 21, 1875.
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