St. Cloud or Saint Cloud is a city in northern Osceola County, Florida, United States. It is on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Central Florida, about 26 miles (41.8 km) southeast of Orlando. The population was 35,183 in the 2010 census, and 58,964 in the 2020 census. The city is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford metropolitan area.

St. Cloud was founded as a retirement community for Civil War union veterans, and gained the nickname "The Friendly Soldier City".

History
Geography
Climate
Demographics
- 2010 and 2020 census
Education
Public library
- History of Veterans Memorial Library
Sites of interest
Notable people
In popular media
See also

History

St. Cloud Hotel c. 1922

St. Cloud Hotel, 2011

During the 1870s, Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia took an interest in developing the region while on fishing trips with Henry Shelton Sanford, founder of the city of Sanford. Disston contracted with the Florida Internal Improvement Fund, then in receivership, to pay $1 million to offset its Civil War and Reconstruction debt. In exchange, Disston was awarded half the land he drained from the state's swamps. He dug canals and, in 1886–1887, established St. Cloud sugarcane plantation, named after St. Cloud, Minnesota, although many longtime locals claim the town was named after Saint-Cloud, France.

Disston opened the Sugar Belt Railway to the South Florida Railroad in 1888 to carry his product to market. But the Panic of 1893 dropped land values, and the Great Freeze of 1894–1895 ruined the plantation. Disston returned to Philadelphia, where he died in 1896. The Sugar Belt Railway merged into the South Florida Railroad. An attempt to cultivate rice in the area failed, and for several years the land remained fallow. Then in 1909, the Seminole Land & Investment Company acquired 35,000 acres (14,000 ha) as the site for a Grand Army of the Republic veterans' colony. St. Cloud was selected because of its "health, climate and productiveness of soil." It was first permanently settled in 1909 by William G. King, a real estate manager from Alachua County who had been given the responsibility "to plan, locate and develop a town."

On April 16, 1909, the Kissimmee Valley Gazette announced the "New Town of St. Cloud", a "Soldiers Colony" near Kissimmee. The newspaper called the Seminole Land and Investment Company's purchase "one of the most important real estate deals ever made in the State of Florida." It was reported that the company had searched all over Florida for the perfect site for a veterans' colony, particularly one suited for "health, climate, and productiveness of the soil". It is believed that many of the streets were named for states from which the Civil War veterans had served, but the street names were already assigned to the platted land before settlement occurred.

Early St. Cloud is believed to have history as a Sundown Town with a plot of land outside the city reserved for black residents officially dubbed “Colored Quarter.” This name is still active on official land records as the title of this section of land. Early newspaper records support the history of being a “Sundown Town” with firsthand accounts of local residents making attempts “to keep the colored folks in their own quarters outside the town.”

On June 1, 1915, the Florida Legislature incorporated St. Cloud as a city. Its downtown features landmark buildings by the Orlando architectural firm Ryan & Roberts, a partnership consisting of two women. The buildings by Ryan and Roberts and others downtown are predominantly Spanish Revival.

St. Cloud has tried to separate itself from neighboring cities, and particularly the theme parks, by promoting an image of small-town life, and by attempting to make itself economically less dependent on Kissimmee. On March 6, 2006, St. Cloud introduced the CyberSpot program, becoming the first city in the United States to give residents free high-speed wireless Internet access, but the program ended in 2009.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of St. Cloud is located at 28°13′50″N 81°17′7″W / 28.23056°N 81.28528°W / 28.23056; -81.28528.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24 km²), of which 0.11% is water. St. Cloud is on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga, an exceptionally clear lake, with good visibility to depths of 7 to 9 feet (2.1 to 2.7 m). East Lake is nearly circular in shape and covers approximately 12,000 acres (49 km²).

The major highway is U.S. Route 192 running in tandem with U.S. Route 441 east and west. This six-lane road is intersected by avenues running north and south. Many have names of US states in no particular order.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of St. Cloud has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	2,011	—
1930	1,863	−7.4%
1940	2,042	9.6%
1950	3,001	47.0%
1960	4,353	45.1%
1970	5,041	15.8%
1980	7,840	55.5%
1990	12,453	58.8%
2000	20,074	61.2%
2010	35,183	75.3%
2020	58,964	67.6%
2022 (est.)	64,489	83.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 and 2020 census

**St. Cloud racial composition**
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	21,851	23,799	62.11%	40.36%
Black or African American (NH)	1,633	3,392	4.64%	5.75%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	79	100	0.22%	0.17%
Asian (NH)	580	1,111	1.65%	1.88%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	21	51	0.06%	0.09%
Some other race (NH)	143	393	0.41%	0.67%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)	596	2,038	1.69%	3.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10,280	28,080	29.22%	47.62%
Total	35,183	58,964	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 58,964 people, 15,986 households, and 11,496 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 35,183 people, 12,776 households, and 9,206 families residing in the city.

In 2010, the population of the Hispanic or Latino was 29.22%. Out of that percentage, 18.7% were Puerto Ricans who were by far the largest Hispanic or Latino group. The median age of St. Cloud's population was 36.8 years. 7.8% of the population was 65 or older. There were 12,565 households with 9,145 of them constituting families.

Education

All of the public schools in St. Cloud are served by the School District of Osceola County, Florida.

Elementary Schools

Canoe Creek K–8 (formerly Canoe Creek Charter)
Harmony Elementary School (HCES)
Hickory Tree Elementary School (HTE)
Lakeview Elementary School (LVES)
Michigan Avenue Elementary School (MES)
Narcoossee Elementary School (NCES)
Neptune Elementary School
St. Cloud Elementary School

Middle Schools

Harmony Middle School (HCMS)
Narcoossee Middle School (NCMS)
Neptune Middle School (NMS)
St. Cloud Middle School (SCMS)

High Schools

Harmony High School (HHS) (Although HHS is not within the city limits (about 15 miles east), students in the eastern part of city limits along with 1/3 of the south portion of the city attend this school)
St. Cloud High School (SCHS)

Parochial Schools

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School (Pre-K–8)

Charter Schools

American Classical Charter Academy (K–8) (closed as of 2022)
BridgePrep Academy (K–8)
Creative Inspiration Journey School (K–5)
Mater Academy (K–8)
St. Cloud Preparatory Academy (K–9) (closed as of 2022)

Private Schools

City Of Life Christian Academy (Pre-K–12)
St. Cloud Christian Preparatory School (K–12)

Public library

The Veteran's Memorial St. Cloud Library is home to the city of St. Cloud. The branch library is in a remodeled SunTrust Bank, five blocks away from historic downtown St. Cloud. Its hours are Monday-Saturday from 9am to 6pm. The branch offers many programs, such as LIVE storytimes, virtual bookclubs and over 50,000 volumes.

History of Veterans Memorial Library

The first form of a library in St. Cloud was in 1910, when the new woman's club set up a traveling library and a table at the train station with reading materials for locals. By 1911, there was a reading room that was purchased on Pennsylvania Avenue that the ladies of the town worked to make comfortable and stocked with things to read. Within the next couple of years the collection had outgrown the reading room and moved to the People's Bank and then City Hall. In 1915, the town began fundraising to build a proper building. These efforts were put on hold temporarily while war efforts were made a priority. When 1922 rolled around, it was decided that there was enough money to pay an architect to begin planning and building. The contract price was for $4,506.20. The building was extremely well-built and designed with many updated features, including electricity. On February 17, 1923, the new library was dedicated and named "Veteran's Memorial Library" which remains today.

From 1923 to 1968, Veteran's Memorial Library was operated and taken care of by the Woman's Club of St. Cloud. It was in 1968 that it officially became part of the Osceola County Library System. From 1972 to 1974, the location of the library collection moved into a former bank on the corner of New York Avenue and 10th Street. At this point, the original building became a thrift store to benefit the Red Cross and other groups. In 2001, the building was purchased by The City of St. Cloud, and with the help of other organizations was planned to become a museum. The grand opening of The St. Cloud Heritage Museum (pictured below) was held on February 17, 2005.

While the St. Cloud Heritage Museum still proudly boasts the name "Veteran's Memorial Library", the branch location was moved to a former SunTrust bank building on 13th Street and Indiana Avenue in 1995, where it still operates today as part of the Osceola County Library System.

Sites of interest

St. Cloud Heritage Museum

Lakefront Park
Reptile World Serpentarium
St. Cloud Depot
St. Cloud Heritage Museum
Theatre in the Cloud
Wild Florida

Notable people

Dave Cianelli, former NFL football player and former lobbyist
Sam Riggs, country music singer-songwriter
The Supervillains, five-piece ska band

In popular media

Music

The album Saint Cloud (2020), by Waxahatchee gets its name from the city.

Play (and film) based in St. Cloud

Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), by Tennessee Williams

Films shot in St. Cloud

Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, starring Connie Mason and William Kerwin
Barracuda (1978), starring Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, and William Kerwin
The Waterboy (1998), starring Adam Sandler, Henry Winkler, and Kathy Bates

St. Cloud, Florida facts for kids

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