Fun Facts about the city of Orlando

1. 1. According to Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s Trends Survey, Orlando is the second most popular domestic travel destination in the country (Las Vegas placed first).
   2. Out of the estimated 50 million tourists who visit Orlando each year, over 2 million are international visitors, with the majority of foreign tourists coming from the United Kingdom.

1. There are now 20,000 to 25,000 vacation homes, villas, and rental properties in Central Florida, mostly located near the theme parks.
2. The official nickname of the city of Orlando is “The City Beautiful,” although it is also known as “O-Town.”
3. Ever wonder why there are so many Olive Gardens and Red Lobsters in town? Orlando is the corporate headquarters of Darden Restaurants, which also runs the Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurants on International Drive.
4. Even though few people outside of Florida knew where Orlando was before Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the city of Orlando had been around for more than a century before that; it was incorporated in 1875.
5. Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, although the vast citrus groves for which the county was named no longer exist.
6. Before there was Disney World, there was also a considerable amount of cattle ranching in Central Florida; you can still see cattle grazing along certain stretches of the 417 GreeneWay Expressway.
7. Although many of Orlando’s citizens (especially the most famous ones) are originally from somewhere else, there are a few celebrities who were born and raised in Orlando, including Wayne Brady and Delta Burke.
8. Beat generation icon Jack Kerouac lived in the College Park neighborhood of Orlando during the time his novel On the Road was published in 1957.