It's more than a vacation stop

Not everyone you meet in Orlando is on vacation or retired. Just ask any of the 220,000 people who inhabit the Orlando metro area.

Visitors often imagine attractions, sun and fun. Actually, Orlando contains a diverse spectrum of industries ranging from technology to tourism.

It's all about numbers. Let's take a look at how Orlando ranks:

• Business 2.0 ranks Orlando as the hottest job market in the U.S.


• No. 5 in Forbes: America's Most Wired Cities list, Jan. 1, 2008. Despite rough economic sledding, Orlando is expected to post higher growth in professional-services jobs -- everything from office managers to advertising account executives


• Orlando is one of 14 U.S. urban areas that saw more workers move in than out - New York Times, - Sept, 6, 2007


• The University of Central Florida is now the sixth largest university in the country with more than $120 million in research; international reputations in innovations in lasers and optics.


• Forbes ranks Orlando as the ninth fastest growing metro area.


• Global Insight says Orlando will be No. 1 for job growth from 2007–2012


• Orlando facts and rankings

~Source: Orlando Metro Economic Development Commission

Historians date Orlando's name to 1837 when Orlando Reeves, a soldier, died in the area, during the war against the Seminole Indian tribe. Reeves (sometimes Rees) operated a sugar mill and plantation about 30 miles north at Spring Garden in Volusia County, and pioneer settlers simply found his name carved on a tree and assumed it was a marker for his grave site.

They then referred to the area as "Orlando's grave" and later simply "Orlando."

The most critical event for Orlando's economy occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World. One of the major reasons for his decision was due to hurricanes. Orlando's inland location (although not free from hurricanes) would not expose it to an increased threat like coastal locations.

The resort opened in October 1971 ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for the Orlando metropolitan area, which now encompasses Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties. Tourism became the centerpiece of the area's economy and Orlando is consistently ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world.

Another major factor in Orlando's growth occurred in 1962, when the new Orlando Jetport, the precursor of the present day Orlando International Airport, was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base.