Kissimmee

 

(kĭsĭm'ē) , city (1990 pop. 30,050), Osceola co., central Fla., on Lake Tohopekaliga. Located in an important agricultural area, it is a major processing, packaging, and shipping center for the surrounding Kissimmee valley, where citrus fruits (especially oranges) and beef are produced. The city also lies in a popular vacation area. Its attractions include the Monument of States, the Splendid China theme park, and an annual rodeo and livestock show. One of the largest contributors to Kissimmee's economy is nearby Disney World, the gigantic amusement park and entertainment complex. Kissimmee provides hotel accommodations for a large portion of the park's tourists.

Kissimmee
Logo
Location in Osceola County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°18′14″N 81°24′46″W / 28.30389, -81.41278
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Osceola
Incorporated	1883
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Jim Swan
- City Manager	Mark Durbin
Area [1] 1
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)  3.7%
Elevation [3] 3	ft ( m)
Population (1 July 2006)[2] 2
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
- Metro
	2006 estimates
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	34741-34747, 34758-34759
Area code(s)	321,407
FIPS code	12-369502
GNIS feature ID	02851453
Website: http://www.kissimmee.org

Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 60,894. It is the county seat of Osceola County.⁶ Kissimmee is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had a 2006 population of 1,984,855.^[4]

History

Kissimmee (pronounced (IPA) /kiˈsimi/, with the accent on the second syllable) is on the northwest shore of Lake Tohopekaliga (locally called "Lake Toho", "West Lake Toho" or simply "West Lake"). It was founded in the mid-19th century as Allendale. The name was changed when the city was incorporated in 1883.

Cattle ranching was an important part of the local economy before the opening of nearby Walt Disney World in 1971. After that, tourism and development supplanted cattle ranching to a large measure; however, cattle ranches still operate nearby, particularly in the southern part of Osceola County.

On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed through Kissimmee with winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, damaging homes and buildings, toppling trees and cutting electrical power to the entire city. Kissimmee Utility Authority restored power to 54 percent of the residents in the first 72 hours; 85 percent were restored within one week. Service was restored to all customers on August 28. Three weeks after Hurricane Charley, the area was struck by Hurricane Frances, followed by Hurricane Jeanne three weeks after Frances.

Geography

Kissimmee is located at 28°18′14″N, 81°24′46″W (28.303988, -81.412867).¹ According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.32 mi² (44.9 km²), of which  square miles ( km²) is land and  square miles ( km²) is water (3.7%). ^[1]

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 47,814 people, 17,121 households, and 11,813 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,866.6/mi² (1,106.8/km²). There were 19,642 housing units at an average density of 1,177.6/mi² (454.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.22% White, 9.99% African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 14.15% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.73% of the population. The majority of Hispanics residing in the city are Puerto Ricans. There are also small Colombian, Cuban, Dominican and Mexican communities residing in and/or around the city.

There were 17,121 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,949, and the median income for a family was $36,361. Males had a median income of $25,851 versus $21,025 for females. 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% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

The Houston Astros conduct spring training in Kissimmee, at Osceola County Stadium. The Astros' farm system formerly included a Kissimmee entry in the Florida State League. In order to prevent jokes, the team's nickname was the Cobras rather than the Astros.

Recreation

Kissimmee is home to a 650-person capacity outdoor water park, in addition to multiple golf courses.

Education

The School District of Osceola County, Florida serves Kissimmee. The following Osceola County public schools are located in Kissimmee:

Elementary Schools

• Boggy Creek Elementary
• Central Avenue Elementary
• Chestnut Elementary School
• Cypress Elementary
• Deerwood Elementary
• Highlands Elementary
• Kissimmee Elementary
• Mill Creek Elementary
• Partin Settlement Elementary
• Pleasant Hill Elementary
• Reedy Creek Elementary
• Sunrise Elementary School
• Thacker Avenue Elementary
• Ventura Elementary

Middle Schools

• Denn-John Middle School
• Discovery Intermediate School
• Horizon Middle School
• Kissimmee Middle School
• Neptune Middle School
• Parkway Middle School

High Schools

• Gateway High School - The high school in the area that offers the International Baccalaureate Program.
• Liberty High School
• Osceola County School For The Arts
• Osceola High School
• PATHS@TECO

References

External links

• City of Kissimmee website
• Osceola Library System website
• Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau

Coordinates: 28.303988° N 81.412867° W

• Kissimmee Utility Authority Municipal utility serving Kissimmee and surrounding area since 1901

Municipalities and communities of Osceola County, Florida
County seat: Kissimmee
Cities	Kissimmee | St. Cloud
CDPs	Buenaventura Lakes | Campbell | Celebration | Poinciana | Yeehaw Junction
Communities	Ashton | Deer Park | Harmony | Holopaw | Kenansville | Intercession City | Lake Marian Highlands | Narcoosee | Reedy Creek Improvement District

	State of Florida Tallahassee (capital)
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