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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 located in Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is part of the larger Orlando area. In 2020, about 15,087 people lived here.

History of Longwood

Early Growth and World War II

Longwood started growing a lot during World War II. Many military people moved to the area. They worked at new air bases nearby, like Naval Air Station Sanford and Orlando Army Air Base.

By the 1950s, these bases became even bigger. More military families chose to live in and around Longwood. In 1959, the city had just over 1,000 residents. A new school, Longwood Elementary, opened in 1960.

Longwood Slade Airport

During the 1950s and 1960s, Longwood even had its own small airport. It was called Longwood Slade Airport. This airport had a grass runway and was mostly used by private planes. It closed in the late 1960s. The land was then used to build homes in a neighborhood called The Woodlands.

New Industries and Disney World

The 1960s and 1970s brought many new jobs to Longwood. These jobs came from the military and the space industry. People worked at places like Martin-Marietta and the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center.

A huge change happened in October 1971. Walt Disney World opened nearby. This, along with other tourist spots, brought even more growth. New technology companies also moved to the area.

Longwood Today

Some military bases closed in the 1960s and 1970s. But other jobs grew across Central Florida. Longwood became a place where people lived. They often worked in other parts of Seminole County or nearby Orange County. By 2000, the city had grown to over 13,700 residents. It also worked to make its historic downtown area better.

Geography of Longwood

Longwood covers about 5.6 square miles (14.5 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 5.3 square miles (13.7 square kilometers). The rest, about 0.3 square miles (0.8 square kilometers), is water.

Economy and Jobs

Top Employers in Longwood

Many people in Longwood work for different companies. Here are some of the biggest employers in the city:

# 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%

Population Facts

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

The city's population has grown a lot over the years. In 1890, only 57 people lived in Longwood. By 2020, the population was 15,087.

Here's a look at the different groups of people living in Longwood:

Longwood racial composition
Race Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White 10,123 9,309 74.12% 61.70%
Black or African American 612 922 4.48% 6.11%
Native American or Alaska Native 47 26 0.34% 0.17%
Asian 448 652 3.28% 4.32%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian 9 5 0.07% 0.03%
Some other race 44 101 0.32% 0.67%
Two or more races/Multiracial 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%

In 2020, there were 15,087 people living in Longwood. These people lived in 5,697 households. About 3,769 of these were families.

Fun Things to See and Do

Points of Interest

Longwood has several interesting places to visit:

  • Bradlee-McIntyre House: A historic house you can explore.
  • Lady Liberty tree: A very old and large tree.
  • Longwood Hotel: Another historic building in the city.
  • Longwood Historic District: An area with many old and important buildings.
  • Longwood (SunRail station): The local train station.
  • The Senator tree: Another famous old tree, though it was sadly lost in a fire.
Bradlee-McIntyre Longwood02
Bradlee-McIntyre House

Education in Longwood

The public schools in Longwood are part of Seminole County Public Schools. Longwood has schools for all ages, from kindergarten to high school.

Elementary Schools (Grades K–5)

  • Longwood Elementary School (reopened in 2017)
  • Sabal Point Elementary School
  • Wekiva Elementary School
  • Woodlands Elementary School

Middle Schools (Grades 6–8)

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

High Schools (Grades 9–12)

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

Private Schools

  • Pace Brantley Preparatory School

Longwood in Movies

In 1965, Longwood was used as a filming location for a movie! It was called Johnny Tiger. The movie came out in 1966 and starred Robert Taylor. It pretended to be a town next to a Seminole Indian reservation in south Florida.

Getting Around Longwood

Major Roads

A small part of Interstate 4 runs along the west side of Longwood. State Road 434 goes right through the city. It connects to US Highway 17/92 on the east side.

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

Public Transportation

You can get around Longwood and the surrounding areas using public transport:

  • Lynx: This is the local bus service.
  • SunRail: This is a commuter train that connects Longwood to other cities in the area.
Longwood SunRail Station from inside a train
Longwood SunRail Station

Famous People from Longwood

Many interesting people have connections to Longwood:

  • Jared Bernhardt: A wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons football team.
  • Bishop Clint S. Brown: A gospel musician and pastor.
  • Rusty Day: A singer from the band Cactus.
  • Peter Demens: He helped build the Orange Belt Railroad and co-founded St. Petersburg.
  • Mandy Moore: A famous singer, songwriter, and actress.
  • Matt Morgan: A retired wrestler who also used to be the mayor of Longwood.
  • David Richardson: A politician who served in the Florida House of Representatives.
  • R.C. Sproul: A well-known theologian.
  • Phyllis Thaxter: An actress.
  • Logan Warmoth: A baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
  • Graham Zusi: A soccer player for the United States men's national soccer team.

See also

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