Sanford, Florida | |
|---|---|
 Sanford City Hall | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: "Celery City" | |
 Location inSeminole County and the U.S. state ofFlorida | |
| Coordinates:28°46′10″N81°16′33″W / 28.76944°N 81.27583°W /28.76944; -81.27583[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Seminole |
| Incorporated | September 29, 1877 |
| Founded by | Henry Shelton Sanford |
| Government | |
| • Type | Commission–Manager |
| Area | |
• City | 27.18 sq mi (70.39 km2) |
| • Land | 23.58 sq mi (61.07 km2) |
| • Water | 3.60 sq mi (9.32 km2) |
| Elevation | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 61,051 |
• Estimate (2024)[3] | 66,919 |
| • Density | 2,589.2/sq mi (999.68/km2) |
| • Urban | 1,510,516 (32nd U.S.) |
| • Metro | 2,267,846 (26th U.S.) |
| Time zone | UTC-05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 32771, 32773 |
| Area codes | 321,407, 689 |
| FIPS code | 12-63650 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405418[1] |
| Website | sanfordfl |
Sanford is a city in and thecounty seat ofSeminole County, Florida, United States. It is located inCentral Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the2020 census. It is part of theOrlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Known as the "Historic Waterfront Gateway City", Sanford sits on the southern shore ofLake Monroe at thehead of navigation on theSt. Johns River. Native Americans first settled the area thousands of years before the city was formed.[citation needed] TheSeminoles arrived in the area in the 18th century. During theSecond Seminole War in 1836, theUnited States Army established Camp Monroe and built a road now known as Mellonville Avenue. Sanford is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast ofOrlando.
Sanford is home toSeminole State College of Florida and theCentral Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Its downtown attracts tourists with shops, restaurants, a marina, and a lakefront walking trail called theSanford Riverwalk. TheOrlando Sanford International Airport, in the heart of the town, functions as the secondary commercial airport for international and domestic carriers in the Orlando metropolitan area.
TheMayaca orJororoIndians inhabited the shores ofLake Monroe at the time of European contact. By 1760, however, war and disease had decimated the tribe, which would be replaced by theSeminole. Florida wasacquired by the United States from Spain in 1821, but theSeminole Wars would delay settlement.
In 1835, during theSecond Seminole War the port ofPalatka on theSt. Johns River, then the major artery intoCentral Florida from theEast Coast, was burned. Consequently, a U.S. Armygarrison was established upstream, on the southern side of Lake Monroe near atrading post. Established as Camp Monroe in 1836, the site was enclosed by log breastwork on three sides but open to the river, with approximately 300 men based there.[4] The camp was attacked by allied Seminoles on February 8, 1837. It would be strengthened and renamed Fort Mellon in honor of Captain Charles Mellon, the sole American casualty of the attack. During the war, GeneralZachary Taylor had a road built connecting a string of military defenses from Lake Monroe toFort Brooke (nowTampa).
The town of Mellonville was founded around Fort Mellon in 1842 by Daniel Stewart. In 1845,Florida became aU.S. state. That same year, Mosquito County was renamedOrange County and thecounty seat was moved fromEnterprise to Mellonville. Orange groves were planted, with the first fruit packing plant built in 1869.
In 1870, "General"Henry Shelton Sanford bought 12,548 acres (50.78 km2) 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." Sanford imported two colonies ofSwedes (totaling about 150 adults) asindentured servants to labor a year for their travelexpenses.[5] The Swedes would do the back-breaking work of establishing a new town and clearing the sub-tropical wilderness in advance of creating a citrus empire, arriving bysteamboat in 1871.[6]
Incorporated in 1877 with a population of 100, Sanford absorbed Mellonville in 1883. In April of that year, PresidentChester A. Arthur arrived by steamer to vacation for a week at the Sanford House, a lakeside hotel built in 1875 and expanded in 1882.
Meanwhile, Sanford was becoming a hub of rail transportation. TheSouth Florida Railroad opened anarrow-gauge route from Sanford to Orlando in 1880, and eventually built a connection to thePort of Tampa by the end of 1883.[7] Thestandard-gaugeJacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad opened a route from Sanford toJacksonville in 1886, completing a rail link across the peninsula.[8] TheOrange Belt Railway, another narrow-gauge line, was established in 1885 and reachedSt. Petersburg in 1888.[9] (All three of these railroads would become part of thePlant System in the 1890s, and the narrow-gauge lines were standardized.) Easy access to transportation soon made the area the largest shipper of oranges in the world.
In 1887, the city suffered a devastating fire, followed the next year by a statewide epidemic ofyellow fever. When theGreat Freeze of 1894 and 1895 ruined the citrus industry, farmers diversified by growing vegetables as well.Celery was first planted in 1896, and because of this Sanford is nicknamed the "Celery City."
On December 1, 1891, merchant William Clark and registered African American voters ofGoldsboro incorporated as a town just to the southwest of Sanford.[10][11]
In 1878, Mrs. Henry Sanford created the first library for public use in Sanford. A room was provided with a few books and a paid librarian. The initial library failed. In 1889, Mrs. Thrasher and Mrs. A.M. Deforest attempted to revive the library project with the aid of the Wednesday Club, the president, Mrs. Brown encouraged the women to begin fundraising efforts. The effort's fundraising progress was slow and sporadic. A Subscription library was established in a storefront on First Street. Mrs. Duver was the librarian at this location. The library later moved to Magnolia Avenue next to the theatre at this location the library was run by volunteers.[12] The library grew at this location, until it moved in 1914 to the Women's Club on Oak Avenue.[13] An official Public Library was built and opened in 1924 on 5th Street. This library was supported by the City of Sanford.
In 1911, the community of Sanford Heights seceded from Sanford, because of discord over municipal services provided by Sanford. This added to concerns that Sanford's ability to expand would be constrained by the surrounding towns ofGoldsboro,Georgetown and Sanford Heights, as well asLake Monroe to the west.Florida State Representative and former Sanford mayorForrest Lake led legislative efforts to curtail Sanford Heights' ability to incorporate as an independent entity. Goldsboro was also a target in Forrest Lake's annexation process, prompting Goldsboro's leaders to start a letter writing campaign to local newspapers.[14] On April 6, 1911, the Sanford city council passed a resolution to annex Goldsboro and on April 26, 1911, the Florida legislature passed the Sanford Charter Bill, dissolving the incorporation of both Sanford and Goldsboro, and reorganizing Sanford as a city that included Goldsboro within its boundaries.[10][15]
In 1913, Sanford became the 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-freeSouth Florida.
In 1942,Naval Air Station Sanford was established, which conducted operational training in theLockheed PV-1 Ventura,Lockheed PBO Hudson,Grumman F4F/General Motors FM-1 Wildcat and theGrumman F6F Hellcat. At its peak in 1943–45, NAS Sanford was home to approximately 360 officers, 1500 enlisted men and 150WAVES and included an auxiliary airfield to the east near Lake Harney known as Outlying Field Osceola. The base was inactivated and reduced to caretaker status in 1946, but was reactivated in 1950 in response to theKorean War and theCold War. A major construction program ensued, with NAS Sanford redeveloped as aMaster Jet Base for carrier-basedDouglas A-3 Skywarrior and laterNorth American A-5A and RA-5C Vigilante aircraft. At its peak in the mid-1960s, the base was home to nearly 4000 military personnel, comprising the air station personnel complement, an Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department, the Navy Dispensary, the Marine Barracks, a Replacement Air Group/Fleet Replacement Squadron for the RA-5C, and nine deployable Fleet RA-5C squadrons that routinely deployed aboard large aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean and the Pacific. The latter were heavily engaged in combat operations during theVietnam War.
As a result of the increasing costs of the Vietnam War and concurrent federal domestic spending related to PresidentLyndon Johnson'sGreat Society social programs, NAS Sanford was one of several stateside military installations identified for closure by theDepartment of Defense in 1967. Flight operations were rapidly scaled down during 1968 as the squadrons of Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE transferred to the former Turner AFB, renamedNaval Air Station Albany, Georgia. This resulted in a significant economic downturn for the City of Sanford and Seminole County with the departure of all military personnel and their families. The airfield was conveyed to the City of Sanford via quitclaim deed by theGeneral Services Administration (GSA) in 1969, renamed Sanford Airport and redeveloped as ageneral aviation facility. Subsequently renamedSanford Regional Airport, thenCentral Florida Regional Airport, the airport commenced commercial airline service in 1995 and was renamedOrlando Sanford International Airport the following year. The Navy's presence is commemorated at the airport by two historical markers and theNAS Sanford Memorial Park, which was dedicated on Memorial Day in May 2003 and includes a restoredRA-5C Vigilante on loan from theNational Naval Aviation Museum that was placed on permanent static display at the entrance to the commercial airline terminal.
The opening ofWalt Disney World Resort in October 1971 shifted the economy of Central Florida away from agriculture, military installations, defense/aerospace industries, and theNASA crewed and uncrewed space programs, and further towards tourism, service industries and residential development, the center of which isOrlando. 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 bylive oaks hung withSpanish moss. Its location onLake Monroe and access to the navigable waterway of theSt. Johns River has made it Central Florida's additional center for numerous marinas, allowing access for pleasure boats and commercial vessels to and from the Atlantic Ocean and theIntracoastal Waterway viaJacksonville andMayport to the north.
Sanford Field, built in 1926, was the location whereJackie Robinson first took the field to play as a member of a racially-integrated baseball team. Robinson arrived atDaytona Beach, Florida in early 1946 forspring training with theMontreal Royals of theClass AAAInternational League, a minor league affiliate of theBrooklyn Dodgers. Since the Dodgers organization did not own a spring training facility,[16] training took place at several local baseball stadiums, including Sanford Field.
Robinson's presence on the team was controversial in racially charged Florida. He was not allowed to stay with his white teammates at the team hotel, and many other local towns prevented the team from playing while he was part of the roster. The police chief in Sanford had threatened to cancel the game there if Robinson was to play. Robinson joined his team despite the threat, but the uproar from the mainly white audience in the stands caused him to be escorted off the field and he was not able to play.[17]
Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium was built in 1951 near the site of the old Sanford Field as the Spring Training Facility of the New York Giants. The ballpark is located just south of Lake Monroe on Mellonville Avenue, less than a mile from Historic Downtown Sanford. Other Major League stars have played in the Sanford stadiums, includingBabe Ruth,Willie Mays,Tim Raines, andDavid Eckstein.
Sanford was in the news in 2012 due to thekilling of Trayvon Martin and the actions taken by theSanford Police Department.
A city streetscaping project began in 2004 as city leaders sought to attract new businesses and visitors to downtown. By 2016, downtown Sanford was becoming known as a center for craft beer production in Central Florida, with twomicrobreweries, a home brewing supplier, and at least five other pubs focused on craft beers.[18]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.5 square miles (68.63 km2), 22.96 square miles (59.47 km2) of which is land and 3.54 square miles (9.17 km2) of which is water. Sanford is bordered byLake Mary to the southwest and to the north byLake Monroe andDeBary.
Like the rest ofCentral Florida, Sanford experiences a warmhumid subtropical climate with dry warm winters and wet hot summers. The dry season lasts from October to May, while the wet season is from June to September.
| Climate data for Sanford, Florida (Orlando Sanford International Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) | 89 (32) | 94 (34) | 97 (36) | 100 (38) | 102 (39) | 103 (39) | 100 (38) | 97 (36) | 95 (35) | 92 (33) | 89 (32) | 103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 83.2 (28.4) | 85.3 (29.6) | 88.3 (31.3) | 91.4 (33.0) | 95.3 (35.2) | 96.8 (36.0) | 96.8 (36.0) | 96.7 (35.9) | 94.4 (34.7) | 91.0 (32.8) | 87.1 (30.6) | 83.9 (28.8) | 98.2 (36.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 71.3 (21.8) | 74.2 (23.4) | 78.3 (25.7) | 83.4 (28.6) | 88.5 (31.4) | 91.0 (32.8) | 92.7 (33.7) | 92.5 (33.6) | 89.7 (32.1) | 84.6 (29.2) | 78.2 (25.7) | 73.4 (23.0) | 83.1 (28.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 60.4 (15.8) | 63.1 (17.3) | 67.1 (19.5) | 72.3 (22.4) | 77.7 (25.4) | 81.9 (27.7) | 83.6 (28.7) | 83.6 (28.7) | 81.4 (27.4) | 75.5 (24.2) | 68.2 (20.1) | 63.1 (17.3) | 73.2 (22.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 49.6 (9.8) | 52.1 (11.2) | 55.9 (13.3) | 61.2 (16.2) | 67.0 (19.4) | 72.7 (22.6) | 74.4 (23.6) | 74.6 (23.7) | 73.1 (22.8) | 66.5 (19.2) | 58.2 (14.6) | 52.7 (11.5) | 63.2 (17.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 32.4 (0.2) | 35.6 (2.0) | 40.2 (4.6) | 47.6 (8.7) | 56.6 (13.7) | 66.7 (19.3) | 70.1 (21.2) | 70.5 (21.4) | 67.2 (19.6) | 52.8 (11.6) | 43.4 (6.3) | 36.4 (2.4) | 30.2 (−1.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 19 (−7) | 23 (−5) | 27 (−3) | 36 (2) | 45 (7) | 52 (11) | 60 (16) | 64 (18) | 52 (11) | 39 (4) | 27 (−3) | 19 (−7) | 19 (−7) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.36 (60) | 2.25 (57) | 2.85 (72) | 2.35 (60) | 3.31 (84) | 8.19 (208) | 7.29 (185) | 6.77 (172) | 6.24 (158) | 3.90 (99) | 1.88 (48) | 2.24 (57) | 49.63 (1,261) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 17.0 | 16.7 | 17.2 | 15.7 | 9.9 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 132.6 |
| Source: NOAA[19][20][21] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,016 | — | |
| 1900 | 1,450 | −28.1% | |
| 1910 | 3,570 | 146.2% | |
| 1920 | 5,588 | 56.5% | |
| 1930 | 10,100 | 80.7% | |
| 1940 | 10,217 | 1.2% | |
| 1950 | 11,935 | 16.8% | |
| 1960 | 19,175 | 60.7% | |
| 1970 | 17,393 | −9.3% | |
| 1980 | 23,176 | 33.2% | |
| 1990 | 32,387 | 39.7% | |
| 2000 | 38,291 | 18.2% | |
| 2010 | 53,570 | 39.9% | |
| 2020 | 61,051 | 14.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 66,919 | [3] | 9.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[22] | |||
| Race | Pop 2010[23] | Pop 2020[24] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 24,096 | 22,437 | 44.98% | 36.75% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 15,660 | 15,495 | 29.23% | 25.38% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 204 | 138 | 0.38% | 0.23% |
| Asian (NH) | 1,473 | 3,031 | 2.75% | 4.96% |
| Pacific Islander orNative Hawaiian (NH) | 22 | 33 | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| Some other race (NH) | 198 | 415 | 0.37% | 0.68% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 1,073 | 2,672 | 2.00% | 4.38% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 10,844 | 16,830 | 20.24% | 27.57% |
| Total | 53,570 | 61,051 |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 61,051 people, 22,236 households, and 14,084 families residing in the city.[25]
According to the 2020census,[25][26] there were 2.66 persons per household and the population per square mile was 2,589.21.
By age, the population in 2020 was split with 6.4% under 5 years old, 23.3% under 18 years old, and 12.4% 65 years and over. 49.2% of the population were female persons.[26]
In 2020, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $196,100. The median gross rent was $1,255. 94.7% of the households had a computer and 86.9% had a broadband internet subscription.[26]
In 2020, 89.3% of the population 25 years and older were high school graduates or higher and 25.9% of that same population had a bachelor's degree or higher.[26]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 53,570 people, 18,911 households, and 11,379 families residing in the city.[27]
TheOrlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) provides some international and commuter airline service for central Florida. Approximately 2.9 million passengers used SFB in 2017.[28]
The Sanford Riverwalk is amulti-use trail including 26 miles (42 km) aroundLake Monroe and a 3.4 miles (5.5 km) connector to theFlorida's Coast to Coast connector—linking the west and east coasts of central Florida.[29]
Sanford has multipleLynx bus routes serving various destinations including its historic downtown,Seminole State College, theSanford Sunrail Station, and its mall (Seminole Towne Center).[30]
Sanford is thesouthern terminus ofAmtrak'sAuto Train which conveysEastern Seaboard travelers and their vehicles toLorton, Virginia, about 25 miles (40 km) south ofWashington, D.C. The nearest passenger-only Amtrak stations are in nearbyWinter Park, FL andDeland, FL.[31]
SunRail, the Central Florida commuter rail system, serves the city out of anew station off State Road 46. A new trolleybus (route and schedule) provides service between Sunrail and the historic downtown.
Sanford is near the northern end of theI-4 Corridor betweenDaytona Beach and Orlando. TheState Road 417 or Seminole Expressway begins in Sanford at Interstate 4 and forms the Eastern Beltway around Orlando ending atWalt Disney World Resort.
I-4
US 17 /US 92 (French Avenue)
SR 417 (Seminole Expressway)
SR 46 (25th Street)
CR 46A (H.E. Thomas Jr Parkway)
SR 429 / SR 429This is where 417 and 429 meet
Sanford was historically a hub for Central Florida transportation as a port on theSt. Johns River. Today, it has a downtown marina that includes free day slips for boaters visiting the downtown.[32]
The Sanfordpublic school district is served bySeminole County Public Schools.
Sanford is served by the North Branch Library of theSeminole County Public Library. It is located at 150 N. Palmetto Avenue, Sanford, Florida 32771.[33]
Thecity's RiverWalk trail is a bike/walk/run trail that was completed in 2004. The ten-foot wide paved walkway spans a distance of several miles in Sanford's downtown area along the waterfront ofLake Monroe. Phase 2, which adds over 3000 feet to the trail, was completed in 2014. Phase 3 is expected to be complete by 2020.
The city completed multimillion-dollar streetscapes of 1st Street and Sanford Avenue in its historic downtown, using brick pavers, creating wider sidewalks, and adding trees, flowers, and benches.
Sanford is connected to the central Florida commuter railwaySunRail, with the station 2 miles from the downtown.
To support green initiatives, Sanford has added five electric car charging stations.[43] The city is proposing to replace streetlamp bulbs with LED lights.
In 2012, the city launched the "Imagine Sanford" initiative, which asks all Sanford residents to get involved in city planning by submitting and voting on improvement ideas via the city's Imagine Sanford website.[44] The city of Sanford also launched a redesigned city government website in 2012.[45]
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
Sanford (Florida) travel guide from WikivoyageMunicipalities and communities ofSeminole County, Florida,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Tallahassee (capital) | |
| History |
|
| Geography | |
| Major hurricanes |
|
| Society |
|
| Culture | |
| Environment | |
| Other | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
