You might not imagine it now, but before Orlando became a thriving tourist hotspot, it was just a small settlement covering in fear against the Native American Indians roughly almost two centuries ago. With Orlando's dazzling and inviting sights and theme parks, as well as its wonderfully low cost of living, it is indeed hard to imagine that Orlando started small.
Historically, Orlando was grounds for the Seminole Wars between the Americans and the Native American tribe Seminole. In 1838, the US army built Fort Gatlin outside the city to protect against attacks from Indians.
The fort that was built around the settlement was called For Gatlin, and the community that formed around that fort was called Jernigan, taken after the Jernigan family who built the first post office in the area, thereby establishing the first permanent inhabitants. At first, the settlers raised cattle as their primary living, but it wasn't until the Seminole Wars came to an end that business and livelihood began to really pick.
By this time, the community was called Orlando, in honor of Orlando Reeves, a soldier and plantation owner who died during the Seminole Wars. In 1875, the town was finally incorporated, at which point there were about 85 residents comprising the city. When Cuban demand for beef increased, cattle ranches grew across Florida's cities, including Orlando. After some time, cotton became a hot commodity and Orlando became a thriving city of cotton plantations.
With Florida's warm weather, citrus crops like oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit thrived and Orlando saw tremendous profit from them as well. Finally, when Walt Disney chose Orlando as his theme park's next location outside California, Orlando became a prime tourist attraction, enjoying prosperity and fame.
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