Seminole County Florida   Located in Central Florida

Seminole County Cities

Land area (rank): 298 square miles (52)
Population 1993 (rank): 310,890 (12)
Population density 1993 (rank): 1,043 persons per square mile (3)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 60.0% (11)

Physical Characteristics

Seminole County is located north of Orlando and is bordered by Volusia, Lake, and Orange counties. The county has 47 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 61.6 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 82.1 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 50.51 inches.

History

Seminole County was established from Orange County in 1913 and named for the Seminole Indians. Seminole is thought to be derived from the Spanish cimarron, meaning "wild" or "runaway."

Population

Seminole County's population has increased rapidly since 1970, especially in areas adjacent to Orlando. The population of Altamonte Springs, for example, was 4,391 in 1970, 22,028 in 1980, and 36,770 in 1993. The far older city of Sanford had a population of 34,096 in 1993. Winter Springs, Longwood, and Casselberry have also experienced dramatic increases in their populations. In 1993 approximately 50% of Seminole County's population was in unincorporated areas. During the 1970s and 80s Wekiva Springs, Fern Park, Forest City, and Goldenrod experienced the most growth. The population of Wekiva Springs increased from 13,386 in 1980 to 23,026 in 1990. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Seminole County (with Orange and Osceola counties) as the Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 90% of Seminole County's population was white and 10% was nonwhite. In 1990, 6.5% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 84.8% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 13.8 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 6.3 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 8.2 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive lung disease.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 73.7% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 3.1%. In 1990, 84.6% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 26.3% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Seminole Community College, Sanford.

Economy

The per capita income in Seminole County for 1993 was $20,291 (13th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $35,637. In 1989, 5.3% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 11.0% of personal income in Seminole County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons were employed in the retail trade, services, and government sectors. The employers of the greatest number of persons in the retail trade sector were eating and drinking establishments and food stores. In the services sector the employers of the greatest number of persons were medical and other health services and business services. In 1992 there were 352 farms in Seminole County, totalling 59,642 acres (17% of land in the county). Major crops include cabbage, carrots, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, escarole, greens, lettuce, peppers, radishes, and squash. Major industries include food processing and fertilizer and crate manufacturing. In 1991, 1,031 thousand board feet of softwood logs and 27,536 cords of softwood for pulp were produced.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $91,500
Median monthly rent 1990: $471
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 4.3
Housing starts 1992: 2,385
Housing starts 1993: 2,431

In 1992 the price level index for Seminole County was 97.93 (15th highest in the state).

Local Government

Seminole County is a charter county. In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 5.2714, and the total taxable value of property was $10,265,343,383. Taxable sales totalled $2776.60 million in 1992 and $3018.00 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $32,073 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Seminole County's revenues totalled $161,817 thousand ($542.9 per capita) and its expenditures $166,555 thousand ($558.8 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 61.1% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 37.6% were registered Democrat and 54.1% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 48.6% of the votes were cast for Bush, 30.3% for Clinton, and 20.8% for Perot.

Places of Interest

Central Florida Zoological Park, Lake Monroe; Sanford Commercial District.