The City of Orlando turns 150 years old today! The “City beautiful” was originally established on July 31, 1875, but how much do you know about the city we call home? Here are 8 facts about Orlando you might not know as we celebrate Orlando’s 150th birthday!
1. Prior to being named “Orlando,” the city beautiful was originally known as Jernigan. It was named after the first permanent settler in the area, Aaron Jernigan, incorporated July 31, 1875
2. Did you know The Beatles broke up at Disney? John Lennon signed the legal papers that disbanded The Beatles in room 1601 at The Polynesian Village Resort in Walt Disney World on 12/29/74.
3. Mr. Rogers, Fred Rogers, went to college in Orlando. He attended Florida’s oldest college, Rollins College.
4. Did you know Orange county was once known as Mosquito County? It was named Mosquito County in December of 1824, but was renamed Orange County on January 30, 1845, after the citrus industry took off.
5. There is only one city in America that has more hotel rooms than Orlando. LA? NYC? Nope, it’s Las Vegas. Orlando has more than 130,000 hotel rooms.
6. There was once a gentleman’s club in Orlando called “The Booby Trap” and it was shaped like, well, you get the idea. It was even featured in the movie “Problem Child 2” with John Ritter.
7. The first theme park to open in Orlando was not the Magic Kingdom, which most people assume. It was actually Gatorland, which opened in 1949. The Magic Kingdom didn’t arrive on the scene until 1971.
8. Did you know that Orlando is home to the world’s largest McDonald’s? It’s down on I-Drive and it’s 3-stories tall and over 19,000 sq. ft. Oh and it’s also open 24-hours, in case you get a little late night craving.
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