Sanford, Florida

Encyclopedia : S : SA : SAN : Sanford, Florida

Sanford is a city in and the county seat^{[Geographic references#6GR6]} of Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 45,460[link]. An older agricultural and resort area, Sanford is home to Seminole Community College and the Central Florida Zoological Park.

Contents

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
5 Famous Former and Current Residents
6 External links

History

Fort Mellon in c. 1837

The Timucuan Indians once inhabited the shores of Lake Monroe, where the domain of Chief Utina extended to just north of Lake George. By 1760, however, war and disease had decimated the tribe, which would be replaced by the Seminole Indians. Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain in 1821, but the Seminole Wars would delay settlement. In 1835, the Indians burned the port of Palatka on the St. Johns River, then the major artery into Central Florida from the East Coast. Consequently, in 1836 General Andrew Jackson, the territory's provisional governor, had an army garrison established upstream on the southern side of Lake Monroe near a trading post. Called "Camp Monroe," the log breastwork was attacked on February 8, 1837. It would be strengthened and renamed "Fort Mellon" in honor of Captain Charles Mellon, the sole American casualty. General Zachary Taylor had a road built connecting a string of defenses from Lake Monroe to "Fort Brooke" (now Tampa). The town of "Mellonville" was founded around Fort Mellon in 1842 by Daniel Stewart.

In 1845, Florida became a state and Mellonville became county seat of "Orange County," formerly called "Mosquito County" with its county seat across the lake at Enterprise. Orange groves were planted, with the first fruit packing plant built in 1869. In 1870, General Henry Shelton Sanford bought 12,548 acres to the west of Mellonville and laid out the community of "Sanford." Believing it would become a transportation hub, he called it "The Gateway City to South Florida." A colony of Swedes was recruited, arriving by steamboat in 1871 to settle the town and work its groves. Incorporated in 1877 with a population of 100, Sanford absorbed Mellonville in 1883. The South Florida Railroad ran a line from Tampa to Sanford, where the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railroad ran a line to Jacksonville, and the area became the largest shipper of oranges in the world. Arriving by steamer in April of 1883, President Chester A. Arthur vacationed a week at The Sanford House, a lakeside hotel built in 1875 and expanded in 1882.

Celery Farm in c. 1912

But in 1887, the city suffered a devastating fire, followed the next year by a statewide epidemic of yellow fever. When the freezes of 1894 and 1895 ruined the citrus industry, farmers diversified by growing vegetables as well. Celery was first planted in 1896, and until 1974 the community would be nicknamed "Celery City." In 1913, Sanford became county seat of "Seminole County," created from Orange County. Agriculture continued to dominate the economy until 1940, when it proved cheaper to cultivate produce in frost-free South Florida. The opening of Disney World in 1971 shifted the economy of Central Florida further toward tourism and residential development, the epicenter of which is Orlando. But because of Sanford's former preeminence as a trade center, the city retains a significant collection of older commercial and residential architecture, on streets shaded by live oaks hung with Spanish moss. Its charm has made Sanford a setting for movies, including My Girl, 1991, Passenger 57, 1992, and Monster, 2003.

Historic Sites & Museums:

Geography

Sanford is located at [28°47′36″N, 81°16′36″W] (28.793270, -81.276561)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 58.5 km² (22.6 mi²). 49.5 km² (19.1 mi²) of it is land and 9.0 km² (3.5 mi²) of it (15.44%) is water. Sanford is situated beside Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River.

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 38,291 people, 14,237 households, and 9,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.6/km² (2,004.1/mi²). There were 15,623 housing units at an average density of 315.7/km² (817.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.73% White, 32.14% African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.25% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.38% of the population.

There were 14,237 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.13.

St. Johns River in c. 1910

In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,163, and the median income for a family was $36,687. Males had a median income of $28,101 versus $21,723 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,219. About 13.2% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

While once a hub for Central Florida transportation with its port on the St. Johns River, Sanford is now home to the Orlando Sanford International Airport, which also has some traffic from Orlando, Florida, and the southern end of the Auto Train, which connects Eastern Seaboard travelers and their vehicles to the Washington, D.C./Mid-Atlantic region.

Sanford sits along the northern end of the I-4 Corridor between Daytona Beach and Orlando. The Central Florida GreeneWay begins in Sanford and forms the Eastern Beltway around Orlando ending at Walt Disney World. When it opened it was the most expensive toll road in the United States costing $5 one way end-to-end.

Famous Former and Current Residents

Tim Raines American Baseball Player
Tim Raines, Jr. American Baseball Player
David Eckstein American Baseball Player
Jeff Blake American Football PLayer
Steve Largent American Football Player

External links

[City of Sanford]
[Central Florida Zoological Park]
[Sanford Middle School]
[Sanford Historic Trust]
[Sanford Historical Trail]
[Sanford River Walk]
[Seminole Community College]
[Seminole High School]
National Weather Service - [Sanford, FL]
[NWS Southeast River Forecast Center] - [St. Johns River in Sanford]

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