Central Florida 1222585 225094886 2008-07-11T21:17:25Z Toon05 2732654 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/71.1.80.32|71.1.80.32]] to last version by Thingg (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{for|the college|University of Central Florida}} [[Image:Map of Florida highlighting Central Florida.svg|300px|right|Central Florida]]'''Central Florida''' is the central region of the [[United States]] state of [[Florida]], on the East Coast. The region enjoys a hot but stormy climate, with many [[thunderstorm]]s, and [[hurricane]]s threatening often. Although the exact area can be disputed, Central Florida tends to be thought of as the area including [[Orange County, Florida|Orange]], [[Osceola County, Florida|Osceola]], [[Seminole County, Florida|Seminole]], [[Lake County, Florida|Lake]], [[Brevard County, Florida|Brevard]], and [[Volusia County, Florida|Volusia]] counties. [[Polk County, Florida|Polk]], [[Flagler County, Florida|Flagler]], and [[Sumter County, Florida|Sumter]] counties are considered by some, including the local media, to be part of Central Florida. Although geographically in the central part of the state, usually the west central coast, including [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough]], [[Pinellas County, Florida|Pinellas]], [[Pasco County, Florida|Pasco]], and [[Hernando County, Florida|Hernando]] counties, is considered the [[Tampa Bay]] area or the [[Florida Suncoast|Suncoast]], rather than a part of Central Florida. This area is known as the [[I-4 corridor]]. 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 largest cities in Central Florida are [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Palm Bay, Florida|Palm Bay]], [[Lakeland, Florida|Lakeland]], [[Melbourne, Florida|Melbourne]], [[Deltona, Florida|Deltona]], [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]], [[Kissimmee, Florida|Kissimmee]], [[Altamonte Springs, Florida|Altamonte Springs]] and [[Sanford, Florida|Sanford]]. 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. Outdated and unplanned transit infrastructure and traffic congestion is a growing concern.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 [[Florida State Road 408|SR 408 (East-West Expressway)]] and [[Interstate 4]] expansions and the [[Central Florida Commuter Rail]] set to open in 2009. A local citizens planning board, [http://www.myregion.org/ MyRegion.org], is steadily becoming an active voice in Regional planning and communication. The area's biggest attractions include [[Walt Disney World]], [[SeaWorld]], [[Universal Orlando Resort|Universal Studios Florida]], [[Kennedy Space Center]], [[Cypress Gardens]], [[Bok Tower Gardens]], [[Daytona International Speedway]] and [[Gatorland]]. 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]]. 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 for Medical Research|Burnham Institute]] building a major [[biomedical]] research facility and a new [[Veterans Administration]] hospital all set to open by the end of the decade. All of the aforementioned facilities will be located in the [[Lake Nona]] area and will collectively be referred to as [[Medical City]]. See the article [[Orlando, Florida]] for more detailed information regarding the local economy. 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 region also boasts an extensive network of [[List of Florida paved bike trails#Orlando area|recreational trails]] (jogging, biking, equestrian, etc). While many connections are already in place construction continues on eventually linking all of the hundreds of miles of [[trails]] and [[Greenway (landscape)|greenways]] being developed by each county. Major trails include the [[Cady Way Trail|Cady Way]], [[Cross Seminole Trail|Cross Seminole]] and [[West Orange Trail]]s, and the Central Florida Zoo, The Central Florida Zoo is located north of Orlando, Florida near the city of Sanford.<ref>[http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/ Welcome to the Central Florida Zoo] "Central Florida Zoo.com''</ref> The zoo hosts several annual events, including a Halloween Zoo Bash and a Breakfast with Santa.<ref>[http://orlando.about.com/od/animals/a/centflzoo_2.htm Central Floria Zoo] ''About.com''</ref> ==See Also== *[[Greater Orlando]] == References == <references/> == External links == *[http://www.floridakiss.com Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau, Osceola County] *[http://www.ucf.edu University of Central Florida] *[http://flhurricane.com/ Central Florida Hurricane Center] *[http://www.trails.com/activity.asp?area=13773 Trails.com List of Central Florida Trails] *[http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/community_altamonte_blog/ Altamonte Springs Community Blog] *[http://www.aroundcentralflorida.com/communities/ Around Central Florida community pages] {{Florida}} {{coor title dms|28|55|37|N|81|43|17|W|region:US-FL}} [[Category:Regions of Florida]] [[Category:Central Florida]] [[Category:Orange County, Florida]] [[Category:Osceola County, Florida]] [[Category:Seminole County, Florida]] [[Category:Lake County, Florida]] [[Category:Brevard County, Florida]] [[Category:Volusia County, Florida]] [[Category:Polk County, Florida]] [[Category:Sumter County, Florida]] [[he:מרכז פלורידה]]