About Orlando, FL
Before the construction of Walt Disney World in the 1960s, the areas around Orlando and Kissimmee were literally swamp and farmland. The booming Disney enterprise literally put them on the map in a big way, with Orlando alone having a quarter-million and the metro area, which includes Kissimmee, approaching 2 million people. The University of Central Florida opened in 1963 and has grown along with the community to serve a student population of more than 53,000.