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Sanford is a city in and the county seatGR6 of Seminole County, Florida, USA.
The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population
recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 47,257.[1] An older agricultural and
resort area, Sanford is home to the Delta Connection Academy, Seminole Community
College and the Central Florida Zoological Park. The city is situated beside
Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River.
History
Fort Mellon in c. 1837
Fort Mellon in c. 1837
Historic clock in downtown Sanford
Historic clock in downtown Sanford
The Timucuan Indians once inhabited the shores of Lake Monroe, where the domain
of Chief Utina extended to just north of Lake George. By 1760, however, war and
disease had decimated the tribe, which would be replaced by the Seminole
Indians. Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain in 1821, but the
Seminole Wars would delay settlement. In 1835, the Indians burned the port of
Palatka on the St. Johns River, then the major artery into Central Florida from
the East Coast. Consequently, in 1836 General Andrew Jackson, the territory's
provisional governor, had an army garrison established upstream on the southern
side of Lake Monroe near a trading post. Called Camp Monroe, the log breastwork
was attacked on February 8, 1837. It would be strengthened and renamed Fort
Mellon in honor of Captain Charles Mellon, the sole American casualty.
General Zachary Taylor had a road built connecting a string of defenses from
Lake Monroe to Fort Brooke (now Tampa). The town of Mellonville was founded
around Fort Mellon in 1842 by Daniel Stewart. In 1845, Florida became a state
and Mellonville became county seat of Orange County, formerly called Mosquito
County with its county seat across the lake at Enterprise. Orange groves were
planted, with the first fruit packing plant built in 1869. In 1870, General
Henry Shelton Sanford bought 12,548 acres to the west of Mellonville and laid
out the community of Sanford. Believing it would become a transportation hub, he
called it "The Gateway City to South Florida." A colony of Swedes was recruited,
arriving by steamboat in 1871 to settle the town and work its groves.
Incorporated in 1877 with a population of 100, Sanford absorbed Mellonville in
1883. The South Florida Railroad ran a line from Tampa to Sanford, where the
Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad ran a line to Jacksonville, and the
area became the largest shipper of oranges in the world. Arriving by steamer in
April of 1883, President Chester A. Arthur vacationed a week at the Sanford
House, a lakeside hotel built in 1875 and expanded in 1882.
But in 1887, the city suffered a devastating fire, followed the next year by a
statewide epidemic of yellow fever. When the freezes of 1894 and 1895 ruined the
citrus industry, farmers diversified by growing vegetables as well. Celery was
first planted in 1896, and until 1974 the community would be nicknamed Celery
City. In 1913, Sanford became county seat of Seminole County, created from
Orange County. Agriculture continued to dominate the economy until 1940, when it
proved cheaper to cultivate produce in frost-free South Florida. The opening of
Walt Disney World in 1971 shifted the economy of Central Florida further toward
tourism and residential development, the epicenter of which is Orlando. But
because of Sanford's former preeminence as a trade center, the city retains a
significant collection of older commercial and residential architecture, on
streets shaded by live oaks hung with Spanish moss. Its charm has made Sanford a
setting for movies, including My Girl, 1991, Passenger 57, 1992, Rosewood, 1997,
and Monster, 2003.
St. Johns River in c. 1910
Lake Monroe in c. 1912
Park Avenue in c. 1910
Celery Growing in c. 1912
Notable residents
* Jeff Blake, football player
* Charlie Carlson, author
* Jim Courier, tennis player
* Chris Dimarco, professional golfer (Heathrow)
* David Eckstein, baseball player
* Altermease Bentley, historian and author
* Elvira Garner, children's author & illustrator
* Larry the Cable Guy, comedian & actor
* Jeno F. Paulucci, frozen food tycoon (founder of Michelina's)
* Tim Raines, baseball player (Heathrow)
* Tim Raines, Jr., baseball player (Heathrow)
* Henry Shelton Sanford, diplomat, businessman & founder of Sanford
* Jeff Faine, football player (New Orleans Saints)
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 38,291 people, 14,237 households, and
9,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.6/km˛
(2,004.1/mi˛). There were 15,623 housing units at an average density of
315.7/km˛ (817.7/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city was 59.73% White, 32.14%
African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander,
4.25% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 10.38% of the population.
There were 14,237 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 27.0% of all
households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average
family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 10.7%
from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there
were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,163, and the median income
for a family was $36,687. Males had a median income of $28,101 versus $21,723
for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,219. About 13.2% of
families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including
24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
While once a hub for Central Florida transportation with its port on the St.
Johns River, Sanford is now home to the Orlando Sanford International Airport,
which also has some traffic from Orlando, and the southern end of the Auto
Train, which connects Eastern Seaboard travelers and their vehicles to the
Washington, D.C./Mid-Atlantic region.
Sanford sits along the northern end of the I-4 Corridor between Daytona Beach
and Orlando. The Central Florida GreeneWay begins in Sanford and forms the
Eastern Beltway around Orlando ending at Walt Disney World. When it opened it
was the most expensive toll road in the United States costing $5 one way
end-to-end.
Sites of interest
* Central Florida Zoological Park
* Museum of Seminole County History
* Sanford Museum