Why live in Sanford Florida?

Thanks for reading this blog article – “Why live in Sanford Florida?”. Discom Realty is dedicated to providing only the best information about the communities we help to sell homes in. Discom Realty Inc has been selling real estate in Sanford Florida which is part of Volusia County for over 25 years. So enjoy learning about this unique city in Central Florida.

 

Why live in Sanford Florida?

Sanford is in Seminole County and is one of the best places to live in Florida. Living in Sanford offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents rent their homes. Many families and young professionals live in Sanford and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Sanford are highly rated.

Known as the “Historic Waterfront Gateway City,” Sanford sits on the southern shore of Lake Monroe at the head of navigation on the St. Johns River. Sanford was incorporated in 1877, and in 1883 it absorbed the town of Mellonville. The South Florida Railroad from Jacksonville arrived in 1884, and the community developed as a citrus center. After the citrus freezes of the 1890s, vegetables, especially celery, became important.

What is Sanford Florida like?

Sanford, one of Central Florida’s oldest incorporated cities is well-known for its brick-lined streets, towering oaks, elegant storefronts, and large, nineteenth-century Victorian homes. Picturesque First Street, the center of downtown Sanford, is a vibrant, enticing destination.

Does Sanford Florida have a lot of crime?

The Sanford FL crime rate for 2018 was 699.87 per 100,000 population, a 0.27% increase from 2017. The Sanford Florida crime rate for 2017 was 697.98 per 100,000 population.

How far is Sanford Florida from Walt Disney World?

It is 50 miles. The driving distance between Orlando Sanford Airport (SFB) to Walt Disney World is 50 miles. It takes approximately 59 min to drive from Orlando Sanford Airport (SFB) to Walt Disney World.

How far is Sanford Florida from Orlando?

It is a quick drive that can actually be done without any stops. The drive time is 29 minutes and it is 27 miles from one city to the other. Of course, traffic is going to make a big difference in travel time, road closures and construction are popular in Central Florida so make sure you check for this before leaving your house.

How far is Sanford Florida from Daytona Beach?

It is 31.88 miles from Sanford to Daytona Beach in the northeast direction and 39 miles by car, following Interstate 4 going East. Sanford and Daytona Beach are 40 minutes far apart if you drive non-stop. Taking I-4 is the fastest route from Sanford, FL to Daytona Beach, FL.

City of Sanford History – Why live in Sanford Florida?

The Mayaca or Jororo Indians inhabited the shores of Lake Monroe at the time of European contact. By 1760, however, war and disease had decimated the tribe, which would be replaced by the Seminole Indians. Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain in 1821, but the Seminole Wars would delay settlement.

In 1835, the Seminoles burned the port of Palatka on the St. Johns River, then the major artery into Central Florida from the East Coast. Consequently, an army garrison was established upstream, on the southern side of Lake Monroe near a trading post.

Called Camp Monroe, the log breastwork was attacked on February 8, 1837. It would be strengthened and renamed Fort Mellon in honor of Captain Charles Mellon, the sole American casualty.

General Zachary Taylor had a road built connecting a string of defenses from Lake Monroe to Fort Brooke (now Tampa). The town of Mellonville was founded around Fort Mellon in 1842 by Daniel Stewart.

In 1845, Florida became a U.S. state, and Mellonville became the county seat of Orange County, formerly called Mosquito County with its county seat across the lake at Enterprise. Orange groves were planted, with the first fruit packing plant built-in 1869.

In 1870, “General” Henry Shelton Sanford bought 12,548 acres (50.78 km2) to the west of Mellonville and laid out the community of Sanford. Believing it would become a transportation hub, he called it “The Gateway City to South Florida.”

Several groups of Swedes were imported as indentured servants to do the back-breaking labor of establishing a new town and clearing the sub-tropical wilderness in advance of creating a citrus empire, arriving by steamboat in 1871. Incorporated in 1877 with a population of 100, Sanford absorbed Mellonville in 1883.

The South Florida Railroad ran a line from Sanford to Tampa, later the Jacksonville, Tampa, and Key West Railroad ran a line to Jacksonville, and the area became the largest shipper of oranges in the world. Arriving by steamer in April 1883, President Chester A. Arthur vacationed a week at the Sanford House, a lakeside hotel built in 1875 and expanded in 1882.

In 1878, Mrs. Henry Sanford created the first library for public use in Sanford. A room was provided with a few books and a paid librarian. The initial library failed.

In 1887, the city suffered a devastating fire, followed the next year by a statewide epidemic of yellow fever. 

In 1889, Mrs. Thrasher and Mrs. A.M. Deforest attempted to revive the library project with the aid of the Wednesday Club, the president, Mrs. Brown encouraged the women to begin fundraising efforts. The effort’s fundraising progress was slow and sporadic.

A subscription library was established in a storefront on First Street. Mrs. Duver was the librarian at this location. The library later moved to Magnolia Avenue next to the theatre at this location the library was run by volunteers.

On December 1, 1891, merchant William Clark and registered African American voters of Goldsboro incorporated as a town just to the southwest of Sanford.  When the Great Freeze of 1894 and 1895 ruined the citrus industry, farmers diversified by growing vegetables as well. Celery was first planted in 1896, and because of this Sanford is nicknamed the “Celery City.”

The library grew at this location until it moved in 1914 to the Women’s Club on Oak Avenue. An official Public Library was built and opened in 1924 on 5th Street. This library was supported by the City of Sanford.

What is Sanford Recent History?

In 1911, the community of Sanford Heights seceded from Sanford, because of discord over municipal services provided by Sanford. This added to concerns that Sanford’s ability to expand would be constrained by the surrounding towns of Goldsboro, Georgetown, and Sanford Heights, as well as Lake Monroe to the west.

Florida State Representative and former Sanford mayor Forrest Lake led legislative efforts to curtail Sanford Heights’ ability to incorporate as an independent entity. Goldsboro was also a target in Forrest Lake’s annexation process, prompting Goldsboro’s leaders to start a letter-writing campaign for local newspapers.

On April 6, 1911, the Sanford city council passed a resolution to annex Goldsboro and on April 26, 1911, the Florida legislature passed the Sanford Charter Bill, dissolving the incorporation of both Sanford and Goldsboro, and reorganizing Sanford as a city that included Goldsboro within its boundaries.

In 1913, Sanford became the county seat of Seminole County, created from Orange County. Agriculture continued to dominate the economy until 1940 when it proved cheaper to cultivate produce in frost-free South Florida.

In 1942, Naval Air Station Sanford was established, which conducted operational training in the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura, Lockheed PBO Hudson, Grumman F4F/General Motors FM-1 Wildcat, and the Grumman F6F Hellcat. At its peak in 1943–45, NAS Sanford was home to approximately 360 officers, 1500 enlisted men, and 150 WAVES and included an auxiliary airfield to the east near Lake Harney known as Outlying Field Osceola.

The base was inactivated and reduced to caretaker status in 1946 but was reactivated in 1950 in response to the Korean War and the Cold War. A major construction program ensued, with NAS Sanford redeveloped as a Master Jet Base for carrier-based Douglas A-3 Skywarrior and later North American A-5A and RA-5C Vigilante aircraft.

At its peak in the mid-1960s, the base was home to nearly 4000 military personnel, comprising the air station personnel complement, an Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department, the Navy Dispensary, the Marine Barracks, a Replacement Air Group/Fleet Replacement Squadron for the RA-5C, and nine deployable Fleet RA-5C squadrons that routinely deployed aboard large aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean and the Pacific. The latter was heavily engaged in combat operations during the Vietnam War.

As a result of the increasing costs of the Vietnam War and concurrent federal domestic spending related to President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society social programs, NAS Sanford was one of several stateside military installations identified for closure by the Department of Defense in 1967.

Flight operations were rapidly scaled down during 1968 as the squadrons of Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE transferred to the former Turner AFB, renamed Naval Air Station Albany, Georgia. This resulted in a significant economic downturn for the City of Sanford and Seminole County with the departure of all military personnel and their families.

The airfield was conveyed to the City of Sanford via quitclaim deed by the General Services Administration (GSA) in 1969, renamed Sanford Airport, and redeveloped as a general aviation facility. Subsequently renamed Sanford Regional Airport, the Central Florida Regional Airport, the airport commenced commercial airline service in 1995 and was renamed Orlando Sanford International Airport the following year.

The Navy’s presence is commemorated on the airport by two historical markers and the NAS Sanford Memorial Park, which was dedicated on Memorial Day in May 2003 and includes a restored RA-5C Vigilante on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum that was placed on permanent static display at the entrance to the commercial airline terminal.

The opening of Walt Disney World Resort in October 1971 shifted the economy of Central Florida away from agriculture, military installations, defense/aerospace industries, and the NASA manned and unmanned space programs, and further towards tourism, service industries and residential development, the center of which is Orlando.

But because of Sanford’s former preeminence as a trade center, the city retains a significant collection of older commercial and residential architecture, on streets shaded by live oaks hung with Spanish moss.

Its location on Lake Monroe and access to the navigable waterway of the St. Johns River has made it Central Florida’s additional center for numerous marinas, allowing access for pleasure boats and commercial vessels to and from the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway via Jacksonville and Mayport to the north.

Does Sanford have any parks?

Yes, Parks and recreation options for its residents. Sanford boasts several large parks and open land, each serving several outdoor activities. Here is a list of city parks:

• 18th Street Park

• Academy Manor Park

• Bay Avenue Park

• Bently-Wilson Park

• Centennial Park

• Coastline Park

• Ft. Mellon Park

• George Starke Park

• George Touhy Park

• Groveview Park

• Hibiscus Court Medians

• James Dunn Park

• Jinkins Circle Park

• Lee P. Moore Park

• Lilly Court Medians

• Magnolia Avenue Park

• Magnolia Square

• Marina Island “North Shore Park”

• McKibbin Park

• Mike Kirby Park (Derby Park)

• Paulucci Park

• Park on Park

• Paw Park

• Pinehurst Park

• Red Barber Park

• Sanford Cemetery

• South Pinecrest Park

• Speer Grove Park

• Veterans Memorial Park

• Washington Oaks Park

• Woodmere Park

• Wynnwood Park

What schools are available for children living in the City of Sanford Florida? – Why live in Sanford Florida?

• Wilson Elementary School.
• Crooms Academy Of Information Technology.
• Galileo School For Gifted Learning.
• Sanford Middle School.
• Goldsboro Elementary Magnet.
• Bentley Elementary School.
• Seminole High School.
• Millennium Middle School.
• Midway Elementary School.
• Pine Crest Elementary School.
• Sanford Middle School.
• Wicklow Elementary School.
•  Journeys Academy.
• Idyllwilde Elementary School.
• Hamilton Elementary School.

What higher education opportunities are available for Sanford residents?

• Seminole State College
• Southern Technical College
• Stetson University
• University of Central Florida (main campus)

What fun things are there available to do in Sanford Florida?

Sanford has Attractions for residents and visitors. – Why live in Sanford Florida?

1. The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
2. Fort Mellon Park
3. The Paw Park Sanford
4. Park on Park
5. The Wayne Densch performing arts center
6. Alive After Five (Second Thursday of every month in downtown)
7. Central Florida Soapbox Derby
8. Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium
9. Theater West End

Sanford has Golf Courses and Country Clubs too.

1. Mayfair Country Club
2. Timacuan Golf Club
3. Liberty Park (Disc Golf)

Sanford has museum and art exhibits as well. – Why live in Sanford Florida?

1. Sanford Museum
2. The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Art Exhibit)
3. Goldsboro Museum
4. JD Thomas Cultural Center

Sanford has local business networking for professionals.

1. Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce
2. Sanford Elks Lodge #1241
3. Rotary Club of Sanford
4. Seminole Toasters – Toastmasters International
5. Sanford Lodge No. 62 Free and Accepted Masons
6. Women’s Club of Sanford
7. Sanford Moose Lodge #1851

Thanks for reading this blog article – “Why live in Sanford Florida?”. We hope we can help you find your perfect dream home in Sanford Florida. Contact us today or check out more about us now. Follow us on Facebook now – click here!