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Winter Garden is a city and suburb located 14 miles west of downtown Orlando
in western Orange County, Florida. As of 2005, the city population was 25,500.
The population will continue to grow at an extremely quick rate as new housing
communities are built. The Orlando metro area is predicted to grow faster than
any United States metro area throughout the first quarter of the 21st century.
Geography
Winter Garden is located at 28°33′37″N, 81°35′3″W (28.560328, -81.584069)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.3
km˛ (12.1 mi˛). 31.2 km˛ (12.1 mi˛) of it is land and 0.1 km˛ (0.04 mi˛) of it
(0.17%) is water.
Winter Garden is bordered on the south by the town of Windermere, on the east by
Ocoee, on the west by Lake County, and on the north by Lake Apopka.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 14,351 people, 5,380 households, and
3,663 families residing in the city. The population density was 459.4/km˛
(1,190.2/mi˛). There were 5,861 housing units at an average density of 187.6/km˛
(486.1/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city was 76.60% White, 13.25% African
American, 0.36% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.45% from
other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race
were 17.50% of the population.
There were 5,380 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 25.2% of all
households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average
family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 9.0%
from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females
there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8
males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,858. About 10.1% of
families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including
19.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
State Road 50 (W. Colonial Dr) bisects the city into northern and southern
sections. The portion south of State Road 50, formerly occupied by orange groves
and farmland, has recently been the site of the development of numerous
large-scale communities, including Stoneybrook West, Stonecrest, and Wintermere
Pointe. A disparity exists between these new affluent residents, many of whom
have moved from South Florida, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, and the New York
metropolitan area, and longtime residents, many of whom are much less well-off.
The toll-restricted Western Beltway (SR 429) is currently being constructed.
When completed in late 2006, it will link I-4 near mile marker 58 in Osceola
County with the Florida Turnpike and the northern suburbs of Orlando. Other
major roads through Winter Garden include Orange County Road 535 and Orange
County Road 545. CR 535 (also called Winter Garden - Vineland Road) begins at SR
50 and bisects the southern half of the city and proceeds south to Windermere,
Florida, Lake Buena Vista and Walt Disney World where it becomes State Road 535.
CR 545 (also called Avalon Road) beings at SR 50 and proceeds south along the
western edge of Winter Garden and along the border between Orange and Lake
Counties. This area remains mostly rural but is quickly developing because of
the nearby toll road. CR 545 currently ends at US192 in Kissimmee at the border
to Osceola County
Shopping
Winter Garden Village at Fowler's Grove is under construction on the northeast
corner of the intersection of CR-535, SR-429, and Stoneybrook West Parkway. This
project, which would provide 1.15 million square feet of dining and retail
stores, is slated to be complete by October 2007. Confirmed anchors include
Super Target, Lowe's, Best Buy, Staples, Ross, Old Navy, Linens N Things, Sports
Authority, Party City, and Marshalls