Business View Civil and Municipal | January 2021

23 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL JANUARY 2021 WINTER GARDEN, FLOR IDA a unique destination in our downtown.” Winter Garden’s population of just under 50,000 enjoys the small town character, while being only a 15 to 20 minute drive from downtown Orlando and other major venues, like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. Bordered by the town of Windermere on the South, Ocoee on the east, Oakland on the west, and by Lake Apopka on the north, Winter Garden has a rich history in vegetable and citrus farming – hence their fun slogan with a play on the town’s history with citrus, ‘a charming little city with a juicy past’. Settlers arrived in the Winter Garden region in the 1850s to farm the fertile ground around Lake Apopka. The end of the 19th century saw the city’s business district boom alongside two railways. Winter Garden was officially established in 1903 and incorporated in 1908, under its first mayor, A.B. Newton. By that time, the city’s population was just over 1,000 and by the roaring ‘20s it became the centre of commerce and agriculture in West Orange County. The citrus industry continued to grow and so did the commercial district, until the late 1960s when construction of major highways drew business away from the downtown. Despite many challenges, Winter Garden’s architectural heritage remained intact and an important part of the city. When the West Orange Trail was established it attracted thousands of cycling enthusiasts to the community and they supported new shops and restaurants that moved into the historic downtown. In 1996, downtown Winter Garden was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and, today, Winter Garden’s Historic District is very