The city of Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. It is also the principal city of Greater Orlando. The Orlando-Kissimmee MSA is Florida's third-largest metropolitan area, behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, which is the second largest University in Florida.
The city is best known for the many tourist attractions in the area, in particular the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, which is located in Lake Buena Vista, FL (outside Orlando city limits). Other notable area attractions include SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort. The region sees an estimated 52 million tourists a year. Orlando is the second largest city in the country for number of hotel rooms and one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions, with the Orange County Convention Center the country's third largest in square footage. It is also known for its wide array of golf courses (over 150 of them!!), with numerous courses available for any level of golfer. Despite being far from the main tourist attractions, downtown Orlando is undergoing major redevelopment with a number of residential and commercial towers. Talks are currently underway to build a new performing arts center, Orlando Arena, and a refurbishment of the Florida Citrus Bowl. Its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola.
The Town of Windermere is located in southwest Orange County fourteen miles southwest of Orlando, six miles southeast of Winter Garden, two miles south of Ocoee, and approximately six miles north of Walt Disney World.
The Town of Windermere, located in desirable Southwest Orlando, is surrounded by sand bottom lakes. Lake Butler (the largest) is on the west, Lake Down on the east, and Lake Bessie on the southeast. By means of a system of canals, Butler, Down and six other lakes are connected to form what is known as the Butler Chain. Windermere is one of the most desirable communities in Central Florida and is home to some of the most prestigous addresses (and residents!) in the country.
Gotha, the small town immediately adjacent to Windermere, was founded in 1885 by Henry Hempel and named after his hometown in Germany. This community was registered as an historical preservation district in 1995. Along its main street, Hempel Avenue, you can find Palm Cottage Gardens, which was home to Henry Nehrling; the Zion Lutheran Church founded in 1915; and the Yellow Dog Eats Café, housed in the historic Fishers Country Store. Also in the area is a community park for numerous outdoor activities and the Gotha Community Center that was originally a one- room schoolhouse.
Winter Garden, one of the fastest growing cities in Florida is known as "A Great Place to Live." Just take a stroll down Plant Street to experience a slice of small-town life at its best. In the heart of the downtown, one can see the successful efforts of redevelopment - quaint stores, restaurants and the West Orange Trail all enhance the charm and quality of life of this small West Orange County community just to the North and West of Windermere and Gotha. Once renowned for its vast citrus industries, Winter Garden is beginning to attract numerous businesses as well as residents. Enjoy the West Orange Trail, a converted old railroad track bed creating over 30 miles of bike and walking trails for. There are also parks, playgrounds and a public boat ramp onto Lake Apopka, one of the largest lakes in the State.
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