Rural Medicine - Clinics - About Sanford

Seminole County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. Population is in excess of 338,000. It is also one of the smallest counties in the area, covering just 344 square miles. It is surrounded on three sides by water: the Wekiva River on the west, the St. Johns River on the east, and Lake Monroe to the north.

The population is 35,279. The city covers 15 square miles and is located 22 miles northeast of Orlando. Sanford is governed by four commissions and a mayor, all elected to four year terms.

Location
Situated on the St. Johns River and Lake Monroe, Sanford's elevation ranges from 10 feet to 112 feet above sea level. Seminole County has 32 elementary, 10 middle, 7 high schools and 2 alternative education schools. Headquarters for the public school system are in Sanford. The Public Library is located at 150 North Palmetto Avenue in downtown Sanford. Orlando International Airport is just 10miles away from Sanford via the Greeneway.

Seminole Towne Center, the largest enclosed mall in the state, is 1.2 million square feet. Located at the intersection of State Road 46 and 14, Seminole Towne Center is anchored by Sears, Dillards, Parisian, Burdines, and J.C. Penney. The Central FL Zoo in Sanford receives more than 200,000 visitors per year.

There are excellent health care facilities in Seminole County, with three major hospitals and many smaller clinics.

History
In the early 1800's, Sanford was an Army outpost deep in hostile Seminole Indian country - a place extremely hazardous to the health of both soldiers and settlers who lived in the area around the fort.

In 1837, peace was finally made with the Seminoles and, by 1840, the federal government was able to persuade people to settle the area with offers of supplies and food.

By 1870, General Henry Sanford, for whom the city was eventually named, had purchased a tract of land, laid Out a community and arranged for a colony of Swedes to settle here and work in orange groves, which had been planted a few years before. Descendants of that group live in Sanford to this day.

When the South Florida railroad linked Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary and Jacksonville in 1884, the area became the world's largest shipper of oranges. Unfortunately, two years of back-to-back hard freezes - temperatures as low as - 17 - destroyed the citrus industry. Since the city's entire economy was citrus-based, a substitute crop was needed immediately. The answer was celery.

Sanford was 'The Celery Capitol of the World for a number of years. Celery Avenue remains as a memorial to the Celery glory years. And locals of a certain age bracket refer to themselves as 'Celery feds".

Sanford offers a wealth of impressive architecture. A stroll through the downtown area offers Neo-Classical, Turkish, Romanesque, Beaux-Arts Classical and Classical Revival architecture. Main Street is lined with quaint antique and collectible shops evolving a turn-of-the-century ambiance.

Many historic homes have been charmingly refurbished and have made the downtown area, once again, an upscale and lovely neighborhood.

The filmmakers who frequently work in Central Florida have taken note of Sanford's charm and several major motion pictures have been filmed in.

Managed Commercial Growth
The industrial and economic growth of the Sanford area has been as successfully planned and managed as the residential growth. Excellent transportation access is the result of good strategic planning. It has been a critical factor in the area's successful business development.

The Port of Sanford is in a steady growth mode, offering rail access to the CSX railroad and barge access to the Atlantic cast coast.

Sanford is the southern most stop for Amtrak's Autotrain. It's the easiest, most relaxing way to get you and your car to the Virginia/Washington D.C. area.