Article, photos, and video by Lyn Burks Video edit by Bryan Matuskey
There are too many unique and interesting facts about Orange County, Florida, to list here, but let’s start with a few and see where it goes:
Did you know that Orange County’s geographic area was part of the first Florida land to come up from the sea millions of years ago, known as Orange Island? Orange County’s Rock Springs location is a Pleistocene fossil-bearing area and has yielded a variety of mammal remains including giant sloth, mammoth, camel, and the dire wolf dating around 1.1 million years ago.
Also, the county was named Mosquito County from 1824 up until Florida was made a U.S. state in 1845, at which point it was renamed Orange County. No doubt, that change helped tourism!
In 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California. Oddly enough, this new theme park on the West Coast of the U.S. would be the genesis of a population explosion on the other side of the country in the growing State of Florida...except that it almost didn’t happen. In an effort to replicate Disneyland in California, Walt Disney began what was called the “Florida Project” and began purchasing and developing land in the Orange County area in the 1960s. Unfortunately, Walt Disney died on Dec. 15, 1966, during the initial planning of the complex.
After Walt’s death, his older brother Roy came out of retirement to make sure Walt’s biggest dream was realized. Magic Kingdom was the first theme park to open in the complex in 1971, followed by Epcot (1982), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (1989), and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (1998). It was loyal Roy who insisted the name of the entire complex be changed from Disney World to Walt Disney World.
In 1840, the county population was 73. In 1960, it was 263,000. Today, Orange County has a resident population of 1.4 million people and welcomes more than 75 million visitors annually, making it the No. 1 destination for tourism and travel in the entire world.
What does all this have to do with helicopters? Well, although large and diverse populations can be culturally rich and interesting, they can also mean more crime. Fortunately for residents and tourists, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) has a long history of aviation-supported law enforcement. Granted, not as far back in history as its fossil era, but still a rich history nonetheless.
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