Lake Mary, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lake Mary, Florida
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| City of Lake Mary | ||
City Hall in 2005.
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| Motto(s):
City of Lakes
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Location in Seminole County and the state of Florida
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Florida |
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| County | Seminole | |
| Incorporated (city) | August 7, 1973 | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 9.88 sq mi (25.58 km2) | |
| • Land | 9.07 sq mi (23.50 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.80 sq mi (2.07 km2) | |
| Elevation | 56 ft (17 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 16,798 | |
| • Density | 1,851.02/sq mi (714.69/km2) | |
| • Metro | 2,082,421 | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP codes |
32746, 32795
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| Area code(s) | 407, 689 | |
| FIPS code | 12-38425 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404865 | |
| Website | www.lakemaryfl.com/ | |
Lake Mary is a suburban city that is located in the Greater Orlando metropolitan area in Seminole County, Florida, United States, and is located in Central Florida. The population was 16,798 at the 2020 census.
Contents
History
Lake Mary was named after Mary Sundell, the wife of Reverend J.F. Sundell, who settled on the northern shores of the lake. Lake Mary started as a village of two tiny settlements called Bent’s Station (located on the north shore of Crystal Lake) and Belle Fontaine. They were located along the South Florida Railroad which ran between Sanford and Orlando. The area was an agricultural community and early settlers included lumbermen, turpentine workers, families from Fort Reed (Sanford) who had received land grants, and Swedish families, who were mainly orange growers. By the time the area became known as Lake Mary, it was developed by a tight-rope walker and chemist named Frank Evans, who settled in the area in 1882. The first Lake Mary Post Office was established in February 1887. Evans built the original Lake Mary Elementary School, along with many commercial buildings and new homes. In 1923, he founded the Chamber of Commerce and he became a Seminole County Commissioner in 1926. The Lake Mary city hall building was created in 1946. The city incorporated on August 7, 1973. Rated by Money magazine as the #4 best place to live in America in the August 2007 issue. It has a history museum in the Lake Mary Chamber of Commerce Building.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.7 square miles (25 km2), of which 8.6 square miles (22 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (10.96%) is water.
Lake Mary is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is approximately 19 miles from Orlando, Florida.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 2,853 | — | |
| 1990 | 5,929 | 107.8% | |
| 2000 | 11,458 | 93.3% | |
| 2010 | 13,822 | 20.6% | |
| 2020 | 16,798 | 21.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 and 2020 census
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White (NH) | 10,641 | 10,898 | 76.99% | 64.88% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 642 | 1,027 | 4.64% | 6.11% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 32 | 13 | 0.23% | 0.08% |
| Asian (NH) | 822 | 1,619 | 5.95% | 9.64% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 4 | 16 | 0.03% | 0.10% |
| Some other race (NH) | 26 | 106 | 0.19% | 0.63% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 247 | 667 | 1.79% | 3.97% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,408 | 2,452 | 10.19% | 14.60% |
| Total | 13,822 | 16,798 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,798 people, 6,636 households, and 4,859 families residing in the city.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 13,822 people, 4,696 households, and 3,686 families residing in the city.
Education
Seminole County Public Schools operates Lake Mary's public schools.
There are 7 public schools, 5 private schools, 2 colleges Seminole State College of Florida, and ECPI University, and 1 library in the greater Lake Mary area.
Elementary schools
- Heathrow Elementary School
- Crystal Lake Elementary School
- Lake Mary Elementary School
Middle schools
- Markham Woods Middle School
- Greenwood Lakes Middle School
High schools
- Lake Mary High School
Business and industry
The American Automobile Association, AAA, National Office is located in Lake Mary and is one of the largest business employers in the area. Also located in Lake Mary is the new Verizon Financial Center, Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Systems along with multiple other nationally known companies. On a smaller scale, Scholastic Book Fairs, the book fair division of Scholastic Corporation, is headquartered in Lake Mary. In addition, the Orlando TV stations WTGL as well as WOFL and sister station WRBW (by way of Fox Television Stations) have studios located in Lake Mary. All of these are visible along Interstate 4. Prior to Emmis Communications selling WKCF to Hearst-Argyle (now Hearst Television), WKCF's studios were located in the studios that is now the studios of WTGL, before moving with now-sister station WESH in Winter Park.
Dixon Ticonderoga, one of the world's largest producers of pencils and art supplies, has put its headquarters in Lake Mary. Accesso, an English technology firm involved in the leisure industry, has its North American headquarters in Lake Mary, employing 220 people locally as of 2018.
Top employers
According to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
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| 1 | Deloitte Consulting LLP | 2,100 |
| 2 | Chase Bank Card Service | 1,800 |
| 3 | Seminole State College of Florida | 1,455 |
| 4 | Liberty Mutual Insurance Company | 1,325 |
| 5 | Verizon Corporate Resources Group | 1,296 |
| 6 | Convergys | 1,100 |
| 7 | American Automobile Association | 873 |
| 8 | Universal American | 800 |
| 9 | Agro Power Development, Inc | 650 |
| 10 | CentralSquare Technologies | 500 |
Notable people
- Lee Corso, sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN
- Chris DiMarco, professional golfer in PGA
- Gigi Fernández, professional Puerto Rican tennis player who has played at Wimbledon, Olympics and the U.S. Open
- Rowdy Gaines, Olympic gold medal winner and NBC swimming analyst
- Jesse Palmer, University of Florida quarterback, New York Giants NFL quarterback
- Aubrey Peeples, actress and singer
- Keith Rivers, All-American linebacker for USC Trojans, 2004–2007; linebacker for the New York Giants in the NFL
- Toni Tennille, Grammy Award winner, singer, songwriter, author
- Stan Van Gundy, head coach of Orlando Magic (2007–2012), Detroit Pistons
- Rickie Weeks, professional baseball player for Milwaukee Brewers
See also
In Spanish: Lake Mary (Florida) para niños
