Oviedo, Florida | |
|---|---|
 The Wheeler-Evans House | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "Growing in the right direction"[1] | |
 Location inSeminole County and the state ofFlorida | |
| Coordinates:28°39′29″N81°11′14″W / 28.65806°N 81.18722°W /28.65806; -81.18722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Seminole |
| Settled (Lake Jesup and Powell Settlements) | Early 1800s-1875[2] |
| Incorporated (Town of Oviedo) | 1925[2][3][4] |
| Incorporated (City of Oviedo) | 1967[2][3] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Megan Sladek |
| • Deputy Mayor | Natalie Teuchert |
| • Councilmembers | Keith Britton, Alan Ott, and Jeff Boddiford |
| • City Manager | Bryan Cobb |
| • City Clerk | Elianne Rivera |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.80 sq mi (40.92 km2) |
| • Land | 15.52 sq mi (40.20 km2) |
| • Water | 0.28 sq mi (0.72 km2) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 40,059 |
| • Density | 2,580.7/sq mi (996.43/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 32762, 32765, 32766 |
| Area codes | 407, 689,321 |
| FIPS code | 12-53575[7] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404447[6] |
| Website | City of Oviedo, Florida Website |
Oviedo (/ˌoʊˈviːdoʊ/oh-VEE-doh) is a city inSeminole County,Florida, United States. As of 2020, the population was 40,059. It is part of theOrlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Oviedo was known for its historic houses and buildings and agriculture, as well as its population of chickens that roamed the downtown area. Although the city historically has been rural, in recent years it has had an influx of new developments to support its rapid growth, due to its proximity to theUniversity of Central Florida and theCentral Florida Research Park.
Up through the early 19th century, the area encompassing Oviedo was sparsely populated save for a fewSeminoles andAfrican-American freemen who associated with the Seminole tribe, known asBlack Seminoles, in what was thenSpanish Florida. The Seminole tribe had larger clusters of population in other areas of Central Florida, such as nearbyLake Jesup.[8]
The population remained sparse until after theAmerican Civil War, when people devastated by war started moving South to begin a new life. One mile southeast of Lake Jesup, a small group of settlers established the "Lake Jesup Settlement", in 1875. Letters from that era showcased a difficult life for theFlorida Cracker settlers: cooking outdoors with wood stoves, sleeping under mosquito nets, and burning rags to keep the insects away. Wildlife was plentiful, however. Initially, this settlement had around 40 families, but quickly evolved into a thriving trading post.
In the late 1870s, individuals living a few miles south of Lake Jesup needed an easily accessiblepost office in the Florida back country. Andrew Aulin, an early settler and shop-owner, decided to file paperwork for a post office, and in his first site location report, needed a name that was different from any other post office in Florida.[2] Aulin liked having aSpanish name, "to honor the Spanish heritage of the state," and decided to name his post office location "Oviedo" after the city ofOviedo in northernSpain (the capital city of the Principality ofAsturias) and theUniversity of Oviedo.[2] Some say he visited the university, while others say he just liked the sound of it, but most agree that he likely pronounced the nameoh-vee-AY-doh rather than theanglicizedoh-VEE-doh.[citation needed] A recent campaign advocates for honoring Aulin's original concept for the town's moniker by using the Spanish pronunciationoh-vee-AY-doh).
Several people played a prominent role in establishing Oviedo's history. George Powell was an early settler who ran a large tract of land, referred to as the "Powell Settlement", which today encompasses most of the northern part of the city—including the downtown area. One of Powell's sons,Lewis Powell (alias Lewis Payne), became infamous for beingJohn Wilkes Booth's primary accomplice in the plot to assassinate PresidentAbraham Lincoln.[2]
George Powell's friend, Henry Foster, was instrumental in transforming Oviedo's citrus and celery industry from obscurity to prominence by giving Oviedo reliable transportation to deliver its goods. He paid for a railway link to Oviedo and founded the Lake Jesup Steamboat Company. Agriculture was Oviedo's primary industry all the way through the 1940s. In the 1860s, Foster also was responsible for establishing the nearby Lake Charm area as a resort to entice visitors from the North to vacation in the winter; it lasted as a resort only until the 1890s, but several winter homes built during that era still stand today. Foster encouraged settlers to begin attending regular church services on a site within the "Powell Settlement" that would become theFirst Methodist Church of Oviedo.[2]
A citrus grower named Butler Boston also is credited for helping establish Oviedo's citrus economy by successfully grafting tangerinebudwood to grow tangerines, as well as budding the succulenttemple orange from Jamaica to several Oviedo fields. Butler Boston was the son of a doctor, Alexander Atkinson, who had fathered Butler, along with several others with freed black women on his family's plantation.[9] Atkinson moved to Oviedo in 1871, with the 12-year-old Butler, both to set up a medical practice and buy a farm. Atkinson gave the land to his son after a freeze when he moved back toGeorgia. Boston was so successful that he was hired to bud other Oviedo fields. He became a spokesman for the large black community in the area, and was especially devoted to improving their educational opportunities, and served as a local school trustee. He was also an accomplishedbricklayer and oversaw the planning and construction of a new building for the Antioch Baptist Church. His legacy is noted today throughout Oviedo, in sites such as Boston Street, Boston Alley, Boston Cemetery, Boston Hill and Butler Boston Court. His home site is where Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center is located. Its centerpiece isLake Gem, named by the Boston family for a close family member.[2][10]
Andrew Duda Sr., aSlovak immigrant, established a farm in nearby Slavia in the early 20th century. He left after failing to produce successful crops, but saved up money and returned in 1926 to try again. The second time, he was extraordinarily successful and his farm survived even through theGreat Depression. In fact, in 1939, he was able to buildSt. Luke's Lutheran Church, which has since expanded into a largeLutheran community. The Duda family started a sod division in the 1970s, that has since flourished and continues today. The west entrance of Oviedo cuts straight through the sod farm.[2]
Oviedo experienced a major growth spurt during the boom years of the 1920s, and new buildings and banks were built on the main street of downtown, named "Broadway". Some of these buildings still remain, along with the complex of buildings surrounding the Nelson and Co. packing house, which was the center of Oviedo's agricultural industry for decades. This agricultural complex eventually shut down for good during the 1980s, after a series of winter freezes. At that time, commercial development had already replaced agriculture as Oviedo's main industry.[2]
Oviedo made the transition from a rural settlement, to officially incorporating into a town in 1925, and then, officially becoming a city in 1967, through a special referendum.[2][3][4] Five miles south of Oviedo, in 1963, residents learned about the impending building of a "space university" in theOrlando Morning Sentinel. Many faculty and staff members of Florida Technological University (now theUniversity of Central Florida) moved into Oviedo, and new businesses and industry soon followed. The adjacentCentral Florida Research Park, originally established in 1978, has since become the largest research park in Florida. This has resulted in an exploding population with many new developments in recent years. As the city has grown, neither feral hogs nor chickens can be seen wandering among the traffic and buildings in the town any more, leading to the destruction of the small town that originally made Oviedo so charming.[2]
The approximate coordinates for the City of Oviedo are located at28°39′29″N81°11′14″W / 28.65806°N 81.18722°W /28.65806; -81.18722.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.0 km2 (15.4 mi2). 15.1 square miles (39 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (2.07%) is water. Oviedo is located about 20 minutes from downtown Orlando, Florida, by highway (SR 417 andSR 408). TheEconlockhatchee River runs through the east part of the city, and a tributary, theLittle Econlockhatchee River, runs through the southern part of the city.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to theKöppen climate classification, the City of Oviedo has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa).
In August 2004, the northwestern side ofHurricane Charley passed directly over Oviedo while still a category 2 storm.[11] More than half the city, as well as much of the surrounding unincorporated areas, had no power for five to seven days. School was not in session county-wide for one full school week. The damages ranged from toppled oaks to destroyed homes. The worst damage was in Palm Valley, a mobile home retirement community less than a mile fromUCF. Charley's damage in Oviedo is considered to be the worst inSeminole County history. Barely a month later, hurricanesFrances andJeanne further battered the area resulting in additional damage and power outages, but they did not reach the level of Charley's fury.
Tropical Storm Fay was stationary over Oviedo for days during 2008 with high winds, heavy rains, and flooded roads.
Hurricane Ian caused widespread damage across Florida in 2022, and Oviedo was one of the many cities impacted. The city's lakes and the Little Econ River flooded, and entire streets in several neighborhoods were submerged.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 1,042 | — | |
| 1940 | 1,356 | 30.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,601 | 18.1% | |
| 1960 | 1,926 | 20.3% | |
| 1970 | 1,870 | −2.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,074 | 64.4% | |
| 1990 | 11,114 | 261.5% | |
| 2000 | 26,316 | 136.8% | |
| 2010 | 33,342 | 26.7% | |
| 2020 | 40,059 | 20.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
| Race | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 23,178 | 24,174 | 69.52% | 60.35% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 2,695 | 2,886 | 8.08% | 7.20% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 52 | 59 | 0.16% | 0.15% |
| Asian (NH) | 1,241 | 2,365 | 3.72% | 5.90% |
| Pacific Islander orNative Hawaiian (NH) | 9 | 15 | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Some other race (NH) | 120 | 286 | 0.36% | 0.71% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 606 | 1,893 | 1.82% | 4.73% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,441 | 8,381 | 16.32% | 20.92% |
| Total | 33,342 | 40,059 |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 40,059 people, 13,054 households, and 10,790 families residing in the city.[16]
As of 2017, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18 and 9.8% over the age of 65. The city was 51.4% female. The median income for a household in the city was $84,916, and the per capita income was $32,834. About 7.0% of the population was below the poverty line. Of adults twenty-five years or older, 95.4% graduated from high school, and 43.9% held a bachelor's degree.[17]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 33,342 people, 9,908 households, and 8,415 families residing in the city.[18]
In 2010, there were 9,908 households, out of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.28.
Most of the buildings in the downtown historic area were constructed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. TheNelson and Company Historic District, theR.W. Estes Celery Company Precooler Historic District, theFirst Methodist Church of Oviedo, and several houses in Oviedo are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[19][20] The nearbyOviedo Mall featured murals of historic areas along with pictures of early European and African-American settlers in the area until renovations in 2022.
State Road 434, which cuts through downtown Oviedo, is currently being widened and several buildings have been demolished. The Oviedo Preservation Project[21] has been tasked with photographing and documenting the buildings for posterity.
An African-American Oviedo pioneer named Mathew Powell established the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in April 1875.
In 2015, the city of Oviedo dedicated a brand new downtown development just south of the current "old downtown" along Oviedo Boulevard. The new town center, named "Oviedo on the Park", is a mixed use development with townhouses, apartment homes, restaurants, and retail. It is centered around the new Center Lake Park with a man-made lake, large amphitheater, playground and veterans tribute.
TheOviedo Mall is a single-story indoor mall with a movie theater built in 1998.[22]
The East Branch of theSeminole County Public Library System is located in Oviedo on Division Street. The library is open 7 days a week except for certain holidays. This location provides curbside pick-up, 3D printing, free access to the Internet, meeting rooms available for reservation, and children, teen, and adult programs.
Oviedo's Gym and Aquatic Center features a waterslide, water park, and pool. Riverside Park contains a pool, tennis courts and skate park.[23]
Black Hammock Adventures is a complex that offers airboat rides and a display of live gators. Lukas Butterfly Encounter is also located in Oviedo. The Pinball Lounge, located in the Oviedo Bowling Center, has the largest concentration of pinball machines in the state.[24]
The Seminole Voice andThe Seminole Chronicle (publication ceased in July 2014) are both print newspapers that cover Seminole County news, with a focus on the Winter Springs, Oviedo, and Chuluota areas of the county.The Oviedo Voice has covered Oviedo since 1993. TheOviedo Citizen is an online publication that has been covering Oviedo news since August 2008.
Oviedo Medical Center, a 64-bed hospital and emergency room, opened in 2017.[25]
Oviedo, Spain, since 1877[27]
Municipalities and communities ofSeminole County, Florida,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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