ORLANDO, Fla. - The city of Orlando is celebrating its 147th birthday Sunday. Do you know how The City Beautiful came about?
Historians said Orlando dates back to 1838 during the height of the Seminole Wars. The U.S. Army reportedly built Fort Gatlin south of the present-day Orlando city limits to protect settlers from attacks by Indians.
Two years later, a small community known as Jernigan grew around the Fort. It was named after the Jernigan family who had established the first permanent settlement in the area.
By 1846, the settlement expanded northward, and the community changed its name to Orlando. The Town of Orlando was incorporated in 1875 with 85 inhabitants, 22 of whom were qualified voters.
There are several theories as to where the name Orlando originated. One claim is Judge James Speer, who worked hard in getting Orlando as the county seat, naming Orlando after a man who once worked for him.