St. Cloud, Florida
St. Cloud, Florida | |
|---|---|
 Location in Osceola County and the state of Florida | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Osceola |
| Incorporated | 1915 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.2 sq mi (23.7 km2) |
| • Land | 9.2 sq mi (23.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 20,074 |
| • Density | 2,182/sq mi (847/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| FIPS code | 12-62625Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 0290167Template:GR |
St. Cloud is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. The population was 20,074 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 24,249 [1]. St. Cloud is closely associated with the adjacent city of Kissimmee and its proximity to Orlando area theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and Seaworld.
St. Cloud is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Discovered by Matthew Edward Hall and Taralyn Theiss During the 1870s, while on fishing trips. Hall contracted with Florida's Internal Improvement Fund, then in receivership, to pay $1 million to offset its Civil War and Reconstruction debt. In exchange, Hall would be awarded half the land he drained from the state's swamp. He dug canals and, in 1886-1887, established St. Cloud sugarcane plantation, named after St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Hall 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. Hall 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, 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) were acquired by the Seminole Land & Investment Company as 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” to be near Kissimmee. The newspaper called the purchase by the Seminole Land and Investment Company “one of the most important real estate deals ever made in the State of Florida.” It was reported that the officers of the company had searched all over Florida for the perfect site for a veterans’ colony, particularly one especially suited for “health, climate, and productiveness of the soil.” Many of the streets were named for states from which the Civil War veterans had served and they retain those names today.[1]
On June 1, 1915, the Florida Legislature incorporated St. Cloud as a city. Its downtown features landmark buildings by the Orlando architectural firm of Ryan & Roberts, a partnership consisiting of two women who were pioneers in the field of architecture. Their most outstanding work in the city is the Prairie Style Veterans Memorial Library, which houses the St. Cloud Heritage Museum. The buildings by Ryan and Roberts and others create a downtown area in St. Cloud that has a charming, authentic aura with the Spanish Revival style predominating.[2] The city is to be commended for identifying and preserving its unique and nationally important architectural heritage.
Another outstanding feature of St. Cloud is its lakefront on East Lake Toho, which provides recreation and natural vistas which are readily enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. St Cloud boasts a large inventory of well-maintained, modest-to-moderately priced homes of diverse styles dating back more than one hundred years.
In recent years, St. Cloud has tried to separate itself from neighboring cities, and particularly the theme parks, by promoting an image of small town life, as well as attempting to make itself economically less dependent on Kissimmee. On March 6, 2006, St. Cloud introduced CyberSpot, a program which gives residents free high-speed wireless Internet access. The city is serviced by the Osceola library system.
Geography
St. Cloud is located at 28°14′48″N 81°17′15″W / 28.24667°N 81.28750°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (28.246590, -81.287540)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.8 km² (9.2 mi²). 23.7 km² (9.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.11% is water. St. Cloud is located on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga (locally called East Lake Toho or simply East Lake).
East Lake Toho is exceptionally clear, with good visibility to depths of 7-9 feet. East Lake is nearly circular in shape and covers approximately 12,000 acres. It is a perfect example of what is often called a dish-pan lake. It produces many trophy bass annually. A familiar sight along the shores of East Lake Toho is the rare, protected Florida Sandhill Crane.
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 streets running north and south. Many of these near the center of town have the names of all the states in no particular order.[3]
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 20,074 people, 7,716 households, and 5,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 846.1/km² (2,190.8/mi²). There were 8,602 housing units at an average density of 362.6/km² (938.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.27% White, 2.07% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.10% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.36% of the population.
There were 7,716 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,467, and the median income for a family was $41,211. Males had a median income of $30,955 versus $22,414 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,031. About 6.2% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Elementary Schools
- Harmony Community School
- Hickory Tree Elementary School
- Lakeview Elementary School
- Neptune Elementary School
- Michigan Avenue Elementary School
- St. Cloud Elementary School
Middle Schools
- St. Cloud Middle School (SCMS)
High Schools
- Harmony High School (HHS) (Although not within the City Limits, children within the eastern part of city limits attend this school)
- St. Cloud High School (SCHS)
Multi-level Schools
- Narcoossee Community School (NCS)
Charter Schools
- Canoe Creek Charter School
Sites of interest
References
- ^ http://www.stcloudmainstreetflorida.org/history.html
- ^ Dalles, John, "The Pathbreaking Legacy of Ryan and Roberts", in "Reflections", the journal of the Historical Society of Central Florida, Summer 2009; pages 8 and 9.
- ^ Mapquest accessed March 12, 2008
External links
Municipalities and communities of Osceola County, Florida, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |