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Longwood, Florida
City of Longwood
Longwood Historic District
Longwood Historic District
Official seal of Longwood, Florida
Seal
Location in Seminole County and the state of Florida
Location in Seminole County and the state of Florida
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Seminole
Government
 • Type Mayor–Commission
Area
 • City 5.86 sq mi (15.17 km2)
 • Land 5.50 sq mi (14.26 km2)
 • Water 0.35 sq mi (0.91 km2)
Elevation
75 ft (23 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 15,087
 • Density 2,741.10/sq mi (1,058.26/km2)
 • Metro
2,082,421
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
32750-32779
Area code(s) 407, 689, 321
FIPS code 12-41250
GNIS feature ID 2404953
Website www.longwoodfl.org

Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,087 at the 2020 census.

History

With the advent of World War II, growth began to affect Longwood as military personnel flowed into the new Naval Air Station Sanford to the north and Orlando Army Air Base to the south. By the 1950s, NAS Sanford was being converted into a Master Jet Base for carrier-based heavy attack aircraft and, along with the re-designated Orlando Air Force Base and nearby Pinecastle AFB (later renamed McCoy AFB), saw even more military families renting or purchasing homes in and around Longwood. In 1959, the city had slightly over 1,000 residents and a city limit boundary that measured approximately 1-by-1-mile (1.6 by 1.6 km) square. In 1960, Longwood Elementary School was constructed and opened inside the city limits.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the city also boasted its own airport, a single runway grass airstrip used mainly by private airplanes. Longwood Slade Airport was located on the west side of the city on the north side of State Road 434 until it was closed and developed into tract housing that became The Woodlands subdivision in the late 1960s, its entrance road being named Slade Drive.

New economic and development opportunities were brought to the area in the 1960s and 1970s, fueled by both the military and the space industry, as newly arriving Longwood residents were employed at Martin-Marietta's new missile plant in Orlando; Naval Air Station Sanford; Orlando Air Force Base (redesignated Naval Training Center Orlando in 1969); and McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando; as well as Cape Canaveral Air Force Station; Patrick Air Force Base; and the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County. The development and opening of Walt Disney World in October 1971, along with other tourist attractions and the high technology corridor of businesses, especially those engaged in the modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) industry and associated military training systems activities near Florida Technological University (FTU), now the University of Central Florida (UCF), fueled even further growth.

Short-term economic downturns caused by the closure of NAS Sanford in 1968 and McCoy AFB in 1975 were offset with other economic growth across Central Florida during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, Longwood developed into primarily a residential community for residents working elsewhere in Seminole County or in adjacent Orange County. By 2000, the city had taken significant steps to revitalize its downtown historic district, expanded its borders through annexation and in the process gained a resident population exceeding 13,700.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km2), of which 5.3 square miles (14 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) (5.17%) is water.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees % of Total City

Employment

1 Orlando Health - South Seminole Hospital 1022 6.03%
2 Kustom 700 4.13%
3 UPS 653 3.85%
4 Comprehensive Energy Services 439 2.59%
5 D&B Building Services 349 2.06%
6 Collis Roofing 234 1.38%
7 S.I. Goldman 234 1.38%
8 Seminole County Schools 222 1.31%
9 Cascade Heights 202 1.19%
10 Criticom Management Resources,LLC 193 1.14%

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 57
1920 106
1930 318 200.0%
1940 406 27.7%
1950 717 76.6%
1960 1,689 135.6%
1970 3,203 89.6%
1980 10,029 213.1%
1990 13,316 32.8%
2000 13,745 3.2%
2010 13,657 −0.6%
2020 15,087 10.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
Longwood racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 10,123 9,309 74.12% 61.70%
Black or African American (NH) 612 922 4.48% 6.11%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 47 26 0.34% 0.17%
Asian (NH) 448 652 3.28% 4.32%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) 9 5 0.07% 0.03%
Some other race (NH) 44 101 0.32% 0.67%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) 222 648 1.63% 4.30%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,152 3,424 15.76% 22.70%
Total 13,657 15,087 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,087 people, 5,697 households, and 3,769 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 13,657 people, 4,969 households, and 3,456 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

Points of interest

Bradlee-McIntyre Longwood02
Bradlee-McIntyre House
  • Bradlee-McIntyre House
  • Lady Liberty tree
  • Longwood Hotel
  • Longwood Historic District
  • Longwood (SunRail station)
  • The Senator tree

Education

The city of Longwood's public schools are a part of Seminole County Public Schools. Longwood contains four public elementary schools (K–5), two public middle schools (6–8), and one public high school (9–12). Two additional high schools are located outside of Longwood, but draw some students from within the city limits.

Elementary schools (public)

  • Longwood Elementary School (closed in 2011, but reopened in the 2017–2018 school year)
  • Sabal Point Elementary School
  • Wekiva Elementary School
  • Woodlands Elementary School

Middle schools (public)

  • Greenwood Middle School (in Lake Mary)
  • Milwee Middle School
  • Rock Lake Middle School
  • Teague Middle School (in Altamonte Springs)

High schools (public)

  • Lake Brantley High School (in Altamonte Springs)
  • Lake Mary High School (in Lake Mary)
  • Lyman High School

Private Schools

  • Pace Brantley Preparatory School

Media

In 1965, the city served as a film site and backdrop, representing a fictional south Florida town adjacent to a Seminole Indian tribe reservation in the Universal Studios movie Johnny Tiger. Released in 1966, the movie starred Robert Taylor, Geraldine Brooks and Chad Everett.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Longwood SunRail Station from inside a train
Longwood SunRail Station

Major roads

A small slice of Interstate 4 runs along the western city limits and includes a single exit for State Road 434, which bisects the city to its eastern boundary at US Highway 17/92.

  • I-4 (Interstate 4)
  • US 17 / US 92
  • SR 434
  • CR 427 (Ronald Reagan Boulevard)

Public transit

  • Lynx
  • SunRail

Notable people

See also

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