Winter Garden, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Winter Garden, Florida
City
Downtown Winter Garden on the West Orange Trail, with Plant Street
Motto(s):  "Where Good Things Grow", "A charming little city with a juicy past."
Location in Orange County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Orange
Settled	c. 1850s
Incorporated (city)	1908
Government
• Type	Commission–Manager
Area
• Total	17.98 sq mi (46.56 km2)
• Land	16.33 sq mi (42.29 km2)
• Water	1.65 sq mi (4.27 km2)
Elevation	125 ft (38 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	46,964
• Density	2,876.46/sq mi (1,110.60/km2)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP codes	34777, 34778, 34787
Area code(s)	407, 689
Sales Tax	6.5%
GNIS feature ID	0293423

Winter Garden is a city in Orange County, Florida, USA. It's about 14 miles (22.5 km) west of Downtown Orlando. This city is part of the larger Orlando area. In 2020, about 46,964 people lived here.

History of Winter Garden

Early Native American Tribes

We don't know much about the first people in the Winter Garden area. Historians are not sure if they were from the Timucua, Jororo, or Mayaca tribes. By the late 1700s, these native groups were gone. They either died out or joined other larger cultures.

Seminole Tribe in Florida

Later, native people from the north moved into Florida. Their cultures slowly blended to form the Seminole Tribe. By the early 1800s, some Seminole lived near the south shore of Lake Apopka. A famous Seminole leader, Wild Cat, might have come from this settlement.

Seminole Wars and Their Impact

In 1835, the Second Seminole War began. This war threatened the Seminole people. On January 23, 1837, a small battle happened near their village. General Thomas S. Jesup sent soldiers to Lake Apopka. They were looking for a Seminole chief named Osuchee, or "Copper." During the attack, Osuchee and three other Seminoles were killed. The soldiers also took 17 prisoners. The Second and Third Seminole Wars pushed the Seminole tribe south. This likely meant they no longer lived in the Winter Garden area.

First American Settlers

The first American settlers arrived in the Winter Garden area in the 1850s. Families like the Ropers, Reams, Dunaways, Speers, and Starkes were among the first. Like most pioneers, they farmed to make a living. They mostly grew sugar cane and vegetables. Some farms also used forced labor. During The Civil War, steamboat travel on the St. Johns River stopped. This meant Winter Garden families had to grow all their own food.

A photograph of downtown Winter Garden taken from Plant Street, looking east. Taken before or during 1909.

Growth with Railroads and Citrus

The Orange Belt Railroad arrived, helping the town grow. Citrus farming, turpentine production, and lumber also boosted the economy. Stores and businesses opened along Plant Street. This area became what is now Downtown Winter Garden.

A settler named A. B. Newton was very important to the town's early days. He opened one of the first stores and was the first postmaster. He also started the first newspaper and became the first mayor. People called him "The Godfather of Winter Garden" for all his contributions.

Fishing Boom and Decline

From the 1920s to the 1960s, many people came to Winter Garden to fish in Lake Apopka. The Edgewater Hotel in Downtown Winter Garden opened to serve these fishermen. However, by the late 1960s, Lake Apopka became very polluted. This pollution caused the fishing industry to collapse.

Citrus Industry Challenges

Citrus farming grew fast in Florida in the late 1800s, including in Winter Garden. But the Great Freeze of 1894–1895 badly damaged the citrus industry. Many settlers left after this disaster. A smaller population worked to rebuild the farms. Despite this, the industry recovered and grew for many decades. Through the mid-1900s, citrus was the most important part of Winter Garden's economy and culture.

Modern Winter Garden Growth

In the 1980s, two hard freezes in a row hurt citrus farming in the county. Citrus production in Winter Garden and Orange County never fully recovered. Now, most citrus farming in Florida happens further south. It became more profitable to sell citrus groves to developers for new buildings. Today, there is little citrus farming in Winter Garden. But the city is still proud of its citrus history. Oranges and grapefruits are still important symbols of the town.

Since 2000, Winter Garden has grown a lot. This happened even after the citrus decline and slow economy in the 1980s and 1990s. Developers, business owners, and the city government worked to improve the downtown area. They made it a mix of small-town charm and modern businesses. This attracted both locals and tourists. The city's population and development kept growing, even through the Great Recession.

Geography of Winter Garden

Topography of Winter Garden

Winter Garden is located at coordinates 28.560328 degrees North and -81.584069 degrees West.

The city covers a total area of about 40.4 square kilometers (15.6 square miles). Most of this, 39.9 square kilometers (15.4 square miles), is land. About 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles), or 1.28%, is water.

Winter Garden is surrounded by other towns and places. To the south are Windermere and Horizon West. To the east is Ocoee. To the west are Oakland and Tildenville. To the north is Lake Apopka.

Winter Garden's Terrain

The land in Winter Garden is gently to moderately sloped. Winter Garden has the highest point in Orange County. The highest spot is 222 feet (67.6 meters) above sea level. It is in the southwest corner of the city, near the border with Lake County. The lowest point in the city is 64 feet (19.5 meters) above sea level, near Lake Apopka.

Winter Garden's Climate

Winter Garden has a warm and humid subtropical climate. There are two main seasons each year. One season is hot and rainy, lasting from May to October. This time roughly matches the Atlantic hurricane season. The other season is cooler, from November to March. It has more moderate temperatures and less rain. The city's warm and humid climate is because it is low in elevation. It is also close to the Tropic of Cancer. Much of its weather is affected by the Gulf Stream.

Population Changes

Population in 2010 and 2020

In 2020, Winter Garden had 46,964 people living in the city. There were 15,089 households and 11,655 families. In 2010, there were 34,568 people. There were 10,569 households and 7,801 families.

Arts and Culture in Winter Garden

The West Orange Trail

The Winter Garden Heritage Museum, originally a station on the Orange Belt Railway (later part of the ACL)

Winter Garden has many interesting places to visit:

• Central Florida Railroad Museum
• Garden Theatre
• Luther F. Tilden House
• West Orange Trail
• Winter Garden Downtown Historic District
• Winter Garden Heritage Museum
• Winter Garden Historic Residential District

Shopping and Markets

The Winter Garden Downtown Historic District has many restaurants, shops, and cafés. It also has two museums and a place for shows.

To the south, Winter Garden Village is a large outdoor shopping center. It has many well-known stores and restaurants. This center is about 1,100,000 square feet (102,000 square meters). It includes stores like Super Target, Best Buy, and Lowe's.

Downtown Winter Garden also has a farmer's market every weekend. Many sellers offer fresh produce, plants, and flowers. You can also find herbs, baked goods, handmade crafts, and local food and drinks. Live music is often played at the market.

Transportation in Winter Garden

State Road 50 (W. Colonial Dr) cuts through the city. It divides Winter Garden into northern and southern parts. The area south of State Road 50 used to be orange groves and farmland. Now, many large communities have been built there. These include Johns Lake Pointe, Stoneybrook West, Stonecrest, Westfield, and Wintermere Pointe.

The toll road Western Beltway (SR 429) was finished in late 2006. It connects I-4 near mile marker 58 in Osceola County to Florida's Turnpike in Winter Garden. Other important roads in Winter Garden are County Road 535 and County Road 545.

• CR 535 (also called Winter Garden – Vineland Road) starts at SR 50. It goes through the southern part of the city. It continues south to Windermere, Lake Buena Vista, and Walt Disney World Resort. There, it becomes State Road 535.
• CR 545 (also called Avalon Road) starts at SR 50. It goes south along the western edge of Winter Garden. It also runs along the border between Orange and Lake counties. This area is still mostly rural but is growing fast because of the nearby toll road. CR 545 currently ends at US 192 in Kissimmee, at the border to Osceola County.

Notable People from Winter Garden

Many interesting people have connections to Winter Garden:

• Brian Davis, a professional golfer.
• Nolan Fontana, a professional MLB baseball infielder for the Texas Rangers.
• Austin Gomber, a professional MLB baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies.
• Lyoto Machida, a former UFC light heavyweight champion.
• George Bray McMillan, a pilot with the Flying Tigers and a World War II combat "ace."
• Adande Thorne, a Trinidadian-American YouTuber and animator known for his channel, sWooZie.
• Luther Fuller Tilden, a pioneer who helped Winter Garden grow.
• Dexter Williams, an American football NFL running back.
• Mason Williams, a professional MLB baseball shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds.

See also

In Spanish: Winter Garden (Florida) para niños