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Kissimmee, FL
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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. 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.
HistoryKissimmee (, 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. The growth of Kissimmee can be credited to Philadelphian Hamilton Disston, who based his two-million acre drainage operation out of the small town. Disston contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to drain its southern lands. Disston would own half of all the land he successfully drained. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the U.S.
HistoryKissimmee (, 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. The growth of Kissimmee can be credited to Philadelphian Hamilton Disston, who based his two-million acre drainage operation out of the small town. Disston contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to drain its southern lands. Disston would own half of all the land he successfully drained. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the U.S.
Disston's dredging and land speculation activities required a small steamboat industry to transport people and goods along the new waterway. The Kissimmee shipyard was responsible for building most of these steamships, which were just one jump ahead of civilization--with Kissimmee as the jumping off point. Concurrently, the South Florida Railroad was growing and extended the end of its line from Sanford down to Kissimmee, making the town on Lake Tohopekaliga a transportation hub of central Florida.
The heyday of Kissimmee was short lived. Expanding railroads began to challenge the steamships for cargo and passengers. By 1885, the SF Railroad extended its tracks again to Tampa. The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression the U.S. had experienced crushing land speculation and unsound debt. Disston closed his Kissimmee land operation. Back to back freezes in 1894 and 95 wiped out the citrus industry. The freezes combined with South Florida's growth, steamship operations relocating to Lake Okeechobee left Kissimmee dependent on cattle once again.
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.
GeographyKissimmee is located at (28.303988, -81.412867). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.32 mi² (44.9 km²), of which is land and is water (3.7%).
SportsThe Houston Astros conduct spring training in Kissimmee, at Osceola County Stadium. The stadium also hosts numerous amateur baseball events throughout the remainder of the year in conjunction with; USSSA, Triple Crown Sports, World Baseball Federation and Promotion Sports. The Jim Evan's Academy of Professional Umpiring has also called Osceola County Stadium home since 1994.
The Osceola County Softball Complex is a facility of five (5) softball fields which are host to a variety of amateur sports events. It is the home of the USSSA 2005 Complex of the Year Award, the Rebel Spring Games, and numerous other fast-pitch softball, slow-pitch softball, and youth baseball events.
RecreationOsceola Heritage Park is a premier event facility hosting a state of the art concert arena (Silver Spurs Arena) and professional sports stadium (Osceola County Stadium). The Silver Spurs Arena has been host to many acts, ranging from Hillary Duff and Bob Dylan to an annual rodeo event.
Kissimmee is home to a 650-person capacity outdoor water park, in addition to multiple golf courses.
Kissimmee is also home to the Loop. A large outdoor shopping mall at John YOung and Osceola Parkways on the Orange/Osceola County line. It features many great stores such as American Eagle, Kohls, and Best Buy. There is also a multi-ples theater
EducationThe 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 Poinciana High SchoolExternal linksCity of Kissimmee websiteOsceola Library System websiteKissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau
Kissimmee Utility Authority Municipal utility serving Kissimmee and surrounding area since 1901
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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By Areybin2
4 days
This 4-Day escape includes the Halloween Horror Nights in Orlanda and the Haunted Grimm House of Old Town in Kissimmee, with a trip to Tampa's Aventure Island in between. Fun for a couple or a group of friends on a budget!
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By Ingrid
7 days
Want to spend time on Disney's private island? Then try this 7-day cruise, where you'll spend 3-4 days at Walt Disney World, then 3-4 days at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, in the Bahamas. Once you find out how your cruise goes, come back here to enter the individual activities so you'll have an itinerary to take with you!
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4 people reviewed Kissimmee
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Top
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at 10:00AM July 28, 2009
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at 6:24PM June 10, 2008
Downtown disney!
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at 4:50PM May 28, 2008
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at 5:33PM May 27, 2008
With my dad mum and brother stayed at a villa in Kissimmee... was really nice... possible only problem was we arrived at hurricane season... and it disrupted our holiday a wee bit... but to be honest it was definaly an amazing experiance just being in the hurricane!!, VERRY much a comercial town, names everywhere still good all the same
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