Winter Park

Winter Park is a city located in Orange County, Florida.  The city is located 4.7 miles Northeast from Orlando and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.  The population was estimated at 28,083 in 2006 by the U.S. Census Bureau.  Winter Park is home to many parks, lakes, universities, and festivals.   Winter Park also has the most park space per capita than any other city in Florida. 

Winter Park has a unique history in Florida.  It was the first community in Florida to be centrally planned.  The central planning gives the city an atmosphere uncommon to many places in Central Florida.  When, the president at the time, Chester A. Arthur visited Winter Park he told papers that Winter park was “the prettiest place I have seen in Florida”.  This opinion is still true today because the city contains many 100 year old buildings and taking a walk on the tree lined brick streets in Olde Winter Park shows you the beauty Winter Park had in the past and will have in the future.

Winter Park has many festivals throughout the year and tourist attractions that draw crowds from all around the state.  Some of the major festivals are:

• The Bach Festival  – performances throughout the year
• The Sidewalk Art Festival – Middle of March annually
• Concours d’ Elegance – Beginning of November annually

The Bach Festival is the third oldest continuous Bach Festival in the U.S. and the oldest in the United States.  The Sidewalk Art Festival has been around over 50 years and continues to operate in Central Park where it began.  This festival draws more than 350,000 visitors over the 3 days in March it occurs.  The Concours d’ Elegance, French for competition of elegance, is held in the beginning of November and 2009 will be the 8^th year this global festival will be in Winter Park.  At this exotic car show over 120 of the world’s rarest and finest looking automobiles are judged to find the winners in different classes.       

Along with those festivals in Winter Park there are the tourist attractions.  Some of the tourist attractions are the aquarium, Wonders of Water Services, the Aloma Bowling Center, the Central Florida Music & Vending Co, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.  This museum contains the Earths largest collection of Tiffany glass.

The colleges and universities in Winter Park are:

• Rollins College
• Full Sail University
• Winter Park Tech
• Avanti Hair Tech
• John Casabi Ancas Modeling and Career Center

The lakes and parks in Winter Park are numerous and great for outdoor activities.  The lakes provide great places to swim, fish, water ski or place to get away to relax to.  Lake Virginia even contains a Saw Mill from when logging was a way of life in the area.  You also have the pristine parks that allow you to get away to nature.  They include:

• Menden Lake
• Osceola Lake
• Mizell Lake
• Howard Lake
• Virginia Lake
• Chelton Lake
• Midget Lake
• Francis Lake
• Lakemont Park
• Mead Garden
• Central Park

The city has many walking and biking trails that used to be the old Orlando to Oviedo railway bed.  This former rail line has been converted into the now Cady Way Trail that goes from Cady Way Park to Baldwin Park and connects into the Florida Trail. 

Winter Park is located very close to Orlando and many commuters trek to Orlando daily from the suburban areas but Winter Park still has preserved the quality of life for residents by having the downtown area pedestrian friendly with brick roads, and low 20 MPH speed limits in areas.  This keeps the small town feel in downtown and encourages traffic onto high speed routes when you are not going into downtown specifically.   

Winter Park is a great city with lots going on that is nestled right by Orlando but still keeps its classic feel for residents.  No matter what you are looking for Winter Park can provide it for you.