Kissimmee

Kissimmee ((listen) kih-SIM-ee) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissinmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2010 population of 2,234,411. The city is mostly built on deep sand which is poorly drained by the Myakka River. The most common series of water resources in the city is the Poinciana River, which runs through the center of the city. The area was originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J. H. Allen who operated the first cargo steamboat along the Kissim mee River. It was renamed KissimMee when incorporated as a city in 1883. The modern town was founded before the Civil War by the Bass, Johnson and Overstreet families. The etymology of the name KissimMEe is debated, apart from general agreement that it is Native American in origin. The town is located at 28°1814N 81°2446W (28.303988, 81.412867). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.32 square miles (44.9 km²), of which 16.7 square miles is land and 0.6 square miles. (2 km²) is water and the city of St. Cloud is the only incorporated settlements in the county.

History

Kissimmee is the primary city name, but also Buena Ventura Lakes, Bvl are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Kissimmee. Kissimmee was founded before the Civil War by the Bass, Johnson and Overstreet families. Its growth can be credited to Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia, who based his four-million acre (8,000 km²) drainage operation out of the small town. Consecutive freezes in 1894 and 1895 wiped out the citrus industry. The 1998 KissimMee tornado outbreak killed dozens of people in the area. On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed through the area, damaging homes and buildings, toppling trees and cutting electrical power to the entire city. Three weeks after Charley, the area was struck by Hurricane Frances, followed by Hurricane Jeanne three weeks after Frances. Kissimmees had a population of 4,310 in 1950. The town is the county seat of Osceola County, Florida. It is located on Lake Tohopekaliga, which is a tributary of the Kissim mee River. It was once known as Allendale, after Confederate Major J. H. Allen who operated the first cargo steamboat along the Kissinmee Riverthe Mary Belle. The etymology of the name is debated, apart from general agreement that it is Native American in origin. The city was incorporated as a city in 1883 and is now the county center of Oscola County. It has been home to the Walt Disney World theme park since the opening of the theme park in 1971. However, even though the Disney facility took over much of the open range cattle lands, cattle ranches still operate nearby, particularly in the southern part of Oseola county.

Geography

Kissimmee is located at 28°1814N 81°2446W (28.303988, 81.412867). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.32 square miles (44.9 km²) The city is situated on the northwest shore of Lake Tohopekaliga (locally called Lake Toho) in central Florida. The downtown area consists largely of restaurants, small shops, and historic residences. The biggest and the tallest building in the downtown is the Osceola County courthouse. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild, dry, and sunny winters. It has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification system. It is located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 17/92 and U.S. Highway 192. Shingle Creek, largely considered the headwaters of the Everglades, also runs through the city. The most common soil series is Myakka. The main thoroughfare is Main Street, Broadway Street, and Emmett Street. The University of Central Florida has a business incubator located in the area that is an important part of the economic engine downtown. The city's main airport is located on the Florida Turnpike, which is one of the busiest in the country. The airport has a capacity of 1.2 million passengers. It also has an international airport.

Demographics

In the 2010 census, Kissimmee had a population of 59,682. The majority of Hispanics residing in the city are Puerto Ricans. There are also small Colombian, Cuban and Dominican communities residing in and/or around the city. The median income for a household in theCity was $33,949. The per capita income for the city was $15,071. About 12.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 10.2% ofThose age 65 or over. The city is located on the Florida Turnpike, which runs through the town of Seminole. It is the state's largest city, with a total population of more than 60,000. It was the site of the U.S. Open golf tournament, which began in 1998. The tournament was won by Rick Steves, who went on to win a gold medal for golfing in the 2008 Winter Olympics in Atlanta. The event was held at the University of Florida's Lake Seminole, which is located just south of the city's downtown area. It also hosted the Winter Olympics for the first time in the Winter Games in 2008, which were held in the same year as the previous year's Winter Olympics. The 2010 Winter Olympics were the first Winter Games to be held in Florida since the 1988 Winter Games. The games were also the first to be played in the state since the 1990 Winter Games were held.

Economy

According to Kissimmee's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Tupperware Brands. The city's economy is estimated to be worth an estimated $1.2 billion. The economy is expected to grow by 2.7 percent in the next three years, according to the city's economic report. The top employers are: Tupperware Brand, Kissimmees, and The City of Kelowna, with a combined workforce of more than 100,000. The town has a population of 1.2 million people, and the economy is projected to grow at a rate of 2.5 percent over the next five years. It is estimated that the economy will grow by 1.6 percent in 2019. The unemployment rate is currently at 1.8 percent. The average annual wage is $28.7 million. In the city, the average annual salary is $32.7 thousand. The median household income is $50,000, and it is expected that the city will grow to $60,000 by the end of the year. The U.S. economy is predicted to grow 2.3 percent in 2018. The growth rate is expected in 2019 to 2.4 percent, and 2.9 percent in 2020. The City of KissimMee's economy has a projected growth rate of 3.1 percent, which is the highest in the state. The highest unemployment rate in the United States is 1.9 per cent.

Sports

The Houston Astros conducted spring training in Kissimmee from 1985 to 2016. The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring has also called Osceola County Stadium home since 1994. The city is also home to the annual NCCAA men's soccer National Championship Tournament.Austin-Tindall Regional Park is an athletic facility in the area that is host to a variety of annual events. The stadium also hosts numerous amateur baseball events throughout the remainder of the year in conjunction with; USSSA, Triple Crown Sports, World Baseball Federation and Promotion Sports. It is located on the east side of the city, near the intersection of I-75 and US-41. It was built in the early 1900s and was originally known as the Osceola County Stadium. It has been named after the county's first post-secondary school, which was founded in 1883. The city is home to a number of sports teams, including the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, the Florida Panthers, Florida Gators and the Florida Seminoles. It also hosts the annual NCCAA men's soccer national championship tournament, which is held every year. The Florida Gators also host the Florida State Seminole Basketball Championship Tournament, which takes place every year in the summer. The team is known as the Florida Sons of the Seminoles and is based at the University of Sarasota.

Parks and recreation

Kissimmee is near Orlando, home to Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando, and Lake Buena Vista/Bay Lake. The Shingle Creek Regional Trail (SCRT) is a 32-mile bicycle trail. The Loop is a large outdoor shopping mall at John Young and Osceola Parkways on the Orange/Osceola County line. It features stores such as American Eagle Outfitters, Kohl's, and Best Buy. Plaza del Sol is a unique transformation of the former Osceolas Square Mall into a Spanish-style marketplace. The city is home to a number of golf courses and mini-golf courses. It is also home to an annual rodeo event for the Jehovah's Witnesses, who also use The Silver Spurs Arena for their annual District Conventions. It was included on President Obama's America's Great Outdoors list, and was planned to connect KissimMee to Orlando through the SCRT. It runs along the environmentally sensitive ShingLE Creek, which was included in the Obama administration's "America's Great Outdoor Parks" list. The town has a large number of public parks, including a lakefront park, a canoe launch/landing, and a multi-plex theater. It also has a public library, a bowling alley, a theater, a park, and several other public parks. It has a population of around 2,000. The Kissimmees are home to the Florida State Fair. The state's largest employer is the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Education

The School District of Osceola County, Florida serves Kissimmee. High schools include: Celebration High School and Liberty High School. State colleges include: University of Central Florida and Valencia College. Private universities, colleges, and others include: Johnson University Florida, formerly Florida Christian College. The district also includes the following high schools: Saint Cloud, Liberty, and Celebration High Schools. The school district is part of the Florida School for the Arts. It is located in the county's central part, near the city of Orlando and the state's southernmost point, near Lake Okeechobee. The county's highest school is Liberty High, which has a population of 1,700. The highest school in the district is Celebration High, with 1,800 students. The lowest school is Saint Cloud High School, with just over 100 students. It also has a high school, which is called Harmony High, and a middle school, with about 200 students. There are no high schools in the school district's central area. The high school district also has no high school or middle school in its southern part, but does have a technical education center. It was established in the 1950s. It has a total enrollment of 2,000 students, with the majority of its students living in the central Florida area. It includes the town of KissimMee, Florida, and parts of the cities of Orlando, Orlando, and Lakeland, Florida. The state's largest city is KissimMEe, with more than 1,000 residents.

Infrastructure

Kissimmee features a multi-modal transportation hub located between Neptune Road and Monument Streets. The Amtrak train station is a station stop on the SunRail commuter rail system. The hub also features a bus terminal providing service by the Lynx network. Orlando International Airport can be reached from KissimMee in 15 minutes by car. Osceola Library System operates the Hart Memorial Central Library in Kissim mee. Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 4, Osceolas Parkway, and US 192 are the major roads in the Kissim MEe area. The KissimMEe area is home to the Florida State College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which has a campus of more than 1,000 square miles (3,000 km) of land. The town is also home to Florida State University, which is located in the town of Kissim Mee. The campus has a college of agriculture and natural resources, as well as a state college of science and technology, and a state university of technology, both of which are based in the city. The city also has a state high school, which was founded in 1883. It is the site of the first high school in the state of Florida, which opened in 1881. The school is located on the campus of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College, which later became the University of Florida in Gaines, Florida. It was the first state college in the United States to open its doors in 1882. It has since become one of the state's largest universities.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Kissimmee = 6.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 79,226 individuals with a median age of 32 age the population grows by 34.74% in Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,684.76 residents per square mile of area (1,422.67/km²). There are average 2.78 people per household in the 23,004 households with an average household income of $39,075 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.60% of the available work force and has dropped -5.92% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 16.56%. The number of physicians in Kissimmee per 100,000 population = 107.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Kissimmee = 49.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 112. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 232. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 48.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 28, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 36.70%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 15 years with median home cost = $70,090 and home appreciation of -12.16%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.25 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,018 per student. There are 18.8 students for each teacher in the school, 1061 students for each Librarian and 559 students for each Counselor. 7.38% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.34% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.76% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).