Kissimmee, Florida
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| Kissimmee | |||
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| Location in Osceola County and the state of Florida | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | ||
| State | Image:Flag of Florida.svg Florida | ||
| County | Osceola | ||
| Incorporated | 1883 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Council-Manager | ||
| - Mayor | Jim Swan | ||
| - City Manager | Mark Durbin | ||
| Area [1] 1 | |||
| - City | 17.32 sq mi (44.8 km²) | ||
| - Land | 16.68 sq mi (43.2 km²) | ||
| - Water | .64 sq mi (1.6 km²) 3.7% | ||
| Elevation [3] 3 | 49 ft (20 m) | ||
| Population (1 July 2006)[2] 2 | |||
| - City | 60,894 | ||
| - Density | 2,866.6/sq mi (1,106.8/km²) | ||
| - Metro | 1,984,855 | ||
| 2006 estimates | |||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 34741-34747, 34758-34759 | ||
| Area code(s) | 321,407 | ||
| FIPS code | 12-36950GR2 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0285145GR3 | ||
| Website: http://www.kissimmee.org | |||
Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 60,894. It is the county seat of Osceola County.GR6 Kissimmee is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had a 2006 population of 1,984,855.[4]
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[edit] History
Kissimmee (pronounced /kɪˈsɪmi/, with the accent on the second syllable) is on the northwest shore of Lake Tohopekaliga (locally called "Lake Toho", "West Lake Toho" or simply "West Lake"). It was founded in the mid-19th century as Allendale. The name was changed when the city was incorporated in 1883. The growth of Kissimmee can be credited to Philadelphian Hamilton Disston, who based his two-million acre drainage operation out of the small town. Disston contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to drain its southern lands. Disston would own half of all the land he successfully drained. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the U.S.
Disston's dredging and land speculation activities required a small steamboat industry to transport people and goods along the new waterway. The Kissimmee shipyard was responsible for building most of these steamships, which were just one jump ahead of civilization--with Kissimmee as the jumping off point. Concurrently, the South Florida railroad was growing and extended the end of its line from Sanford down to Kissimmee, making the town on Lake Tohopekaliga a transportation hub of central Florida.
The heyday of Kissimmee was short lived. Expanding railroads began to challenge the steamships for cargo and passengers. By 1885, the SF Railroad extended its tracks again to Tampa. The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression the U.S. had experienced crushing land speculation and unsound debt. Disston closed his Kissimmee land operation. Back to back freezes in 1894 and 95 wiped out the citrus industry. The freezes combined with South Florida's growth, steamship operations relocating to Lake Okeechobee left Kissimmee dependent on cattle once again.
Cattle ranching was an important part of the local economy before the opening of nearby Walt Disney World in 1971. After that, tourism and development supplanted cattle ranching to a large measure; however, cattle ranches still operate nearby, particularly in the southern part of Osceola County.
On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed through Kissimmee with winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, damaging homes and buildings, toppling trees and cutting electrical power to the entire city. Kissimmee Utility Authority restored power to 54 percent of the residents in the first 72 hours; 85 percent were restored within one week. Service was restored to all customers on August 28. Three weeks after Hurricane Charley, the area was struck by Hurricane Frances, followed by Hurricane Jeanne three weeks after Frances.
[edit] Geography
Kissimmee is located at (28.303988, -81.412867).GR1 According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.32 mi² (44.9 km²), of which 16.7 square miles (43 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (2 km²) is water (3.7%). [1]
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 47,814 people, 17,121 households, and 11,813 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,866.6/mi² (1,106.8/km²). There were 19,642 housing units at an average density of 1,177.6/mi² (454.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.22% White, 9.99% African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 14.15% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.73% of the population. The majority of Hispanics residing in the city are Puerto Ricans. There are also small Colombian, Cuban, Dominican and Mexican communities residing in and/or around the city.
There were 17,121 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,949, and the median income for a family was $36,361. Males had a median income of $25,851 versus $21,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,071. About 12.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Sports
The Houston Astros conduct spring training in Kissimmee, at Osceola County Stadium. The Astros' farm system formerly included a Kissimmee entry in the Florida State League. In order to prevent jokes, the team's nickname was the Cobras rather than the Astros.
[edit] Recreation
Kissimmee is home to a 650-person capacity outdoor water park, in addition to multiple golf courses.
[edit] Education
The School District of Osceola County, Florida serves Kissimmee. The following Osceola County public schools are located in Kissimmee:
'Elementary Schools & Middle Schools 0401 - Boggy Creek Elementary 0061 - Central Ave. Elementary 0957 - Chestnut Elementary School 0851 - Cypress Elementary 0831 - Deerwood Elementary 0931 - Flora Ridge Elementary 0501 - Hickory Tree Elementary 0071 - Highlands Elementary 0042 - Kissimmee Elementary 0801 - Lakeview Elementary 0271 - Michigan Avenue Elementary 0701 - Mill Creek Elementary 0933 - Neptune Elementary 0904 - Partin Settlement Elementary 0811 - Pleasant Hill Elementary 0901 - Poinciana Elementary 0301 - Reedy Creek Elementary 0111 - St. Cloud Elementary School 0958 - Sunrise Elementary School 0101 - Thacker Avenue Elementary 0321 - Ventura Elementary
0091 - Denn John Middle 0041 - Discovery Intermediate School 0341 - Horizon Middle 0251 - Kissimmee Middle 0311 - Neptune Middle 0821 - Parkway Middle 0272 - St. Cloud Middle
High Schools 0902 - Celebration High School 0601 - Gateway High 0922 - Harmony High School 0842 - Liberty High School 0921 - Osceola County School For The Arts 0081 - Osceola High 0862 - PATHS@TECO 0841 - Poinciana High 0201 - St. Cloud High
Multi-Level Schools &Charter Schools
0711 - Celebration School K-8 0040 - Narcoossee Community(k-8) 9036 - New Beginnings Educational Complex 9003 - Zenith School 0932 - Bellalago Charter Academy (District Managed) 0916 - Canoe Creek Charter Academy (Pre-K-8) 0863 - Four Corners Charter Elementary (K-8) 0866 - Kissimmee Charter Academy (PreK-7) 0853 - New Dimensions High 0881 - P.M. Wells Charter Academy (K-8) 0900 - UCP Child Development Center (Birth to 6 years)
Adult Education &Alternative Programs
9002 - Adult Learning Center Osceola 0861 - Technical Education Center Osceola(TECO) 9031 - Adolescent Residential Campus 9011 - Challenger Learning Center 9012 - Endeavor 0857 - GED Exit Option Program 0859 - Osceola Regional Juvenile Commitment Facility 0858 - Osceola Regional Juvenile Detention Center 9007 - Project COPE 9015 - Project FUTURE 9019 - Project Vision
Elementary Schools Middle Schools 0401 - Boggy Creek Elementary 0061 - Central Ave. Elementary 0957 - Chestnut Elementary School 0851 - Cypress Elementary 0831 - Deerwood Elementary 0931 - Flora Ridge Elementary 0501 - Hickory Tree Elementary 0071 - Highlands Elementary 0042 - Kissimmee Elementary 0801 - Lakeview Elementary 0271 - Michigan Avenue Elementary 0701 - Mill Creek Elementary 0933 - Neptune Elementary 0904 - Partin Settlement Elementary 0811 - Pleasant Hill Elementary 0901 - Poinciana Elementary 0301 - Reedy Creek Elementary 0111 - St. Cloud Elementary School 0958 - Sunrise Elementary School 0101 - Thacker Avenue Elementary 0321 - Ventura Elementary
0091 - Denn John Middle 0041 - Discovery Intermediate School 0341 - Horizon Middle 0251 - Kissimmee Middle 0311 - Neptune Middle 0821 - Parkway Middle 0272 - St. Cloud Middle
High Schools 0902 - Celebration High School 0601 - Gateway High 0922 - Harmony High School 0842 - Liberty High School 0921 - Osceola County School For The Arts 0081 - Osceola High 0862 - PATHS@TECO 0841 - Poinciana High 0201 - St. Cloud High
Multi-Level Schools Charter Schools
0711 - Celebration School K-8 0040 - Narcoossee Community(k-8) 9036 - New Beginnings Educational Complex 9003 - Zenith School 0932 - Bellalago Charter Academy (District Managed) 0916 - Canoe Creek Charter Academy (Pre-K-8) 0863 - Four Corners Charter Elementary (K-8) 0866 - Kissimmee Charter Academy (PreK-7) 0853 - New Dimensions High 0881 - P.M. Wells Charter Academy (K-8) 0900 - UCP Child Development Center (Birth to 6 years)
Adult Education Alternative Programs
9002 - Adult Learning Center Osceola 0861 - Technical Education Center Osceola(TECO) 9031 - Adolescent Residential Campus 9011 - Challenger Learning Center 9012 - Endeavor 0857 - GED Exit Option Program 0859 - Osceola Regional Juvenile Commitment Facility 0858 - Osceola Regional Juvenile Detention Center 9007 - Project COPE 9015 - Project FUTURE 9019 - Project Vision
Elementary Schools Middle Schools 0401 - Boggy Creek Elementary 0061 - Central Ave. Elementary 0957 - Chestnut Elementary School 0851 - Cypress Elementary 0831 - Deerwood Elementary 0931 - Flora Ridge Elementary 0501 - Hickory Tree Elementary 0071 - Highlands Elementary 0042 - Kissimmee Elementary 0801 - Lakeview Elementary 0271 - Michigan Avenue Elementary 0701 - Mill Creek Elementary 0933 - Neptune Elementary 0904 - Partin Settlement Elementary 0811 - Pleasant Hill Elementary 0901 - Poinciana Elementary 0301 - Reedy Creek Elementary 0111 - St. Cloud Elementary School 0958 - Sunrise Elementary School 0101 - Thacker Avenue Elementary 0321 - Ventura Elementary
0091 - Denn John Middle 0041 - Discovery Intermediate School 0341 - Horizon Middle 0251 - Kissimmee Middle 0311 - Neptune Middle 0821 - Parkway Middle 0272 - St. Cloud Middle
High Schools 0902 - Celebration High School 0601 - Gateway High 0922 - Harmony High School 0842 - Liberty High School 0921 - Osceola County School For The Arts 0081 - Osceola High 0862 - PATHS@TECO 0841 - Poinciana High 0201 - St. Cloud High
Multi-Level Schools Charter Schools
0711 - Celebration School K-8 0040 - Narcoossee Community(k-8) 9036 - New Beginnings Educational Complex 9003 - Zenith School 0932 - Bellalago Charter Academy (District Managed) 0916 - Canoe Creek Charter Academy (Pre-K-8) 0863 - Four Corners Charter Elementary (K-8) 0866 - Kissimmee Charter Academy (PreK-7) 0853 - New Dimensions High 0881 - P.M. Wells Charter Academy (K-8) 0900 - UCP Child Development Center (Birth to 6 years)
Adult Education Alternative Programs
9002 - Adult Learning Center Osceola 0861 - Technical Education Center Osceola(TECO) 9031 - Adolescent Residential Campus 9011 - Challenger Learning Center 9012 - Endeavor 0857 - GED Exit Option Program 0859 - Osceola Regional Juvenile Commitment Facility 0858 - Osceola Regional Juvenile Detention Center 9007 - Project COPE 9015 - Project FUTURE 9019 - Project Vision
