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As your plane descends into Orlando International Airport, you'll witness a remarkable tapestry spreading beneath you—a vibrant metropolis seamlessly woven into Florida's natural landscape. The sprawling city unfolds across Central Florida's gentle hills and pristine lakes, where morning mist rises from over 100 named lakes that dot the metropolitan area like sapphires set in emerald. The iconic Lake Eola, with its signature fountain illuminated in Orlando's downtown heart, serves as a compass point for a community that has transformed from citrus groves into one of America's most dynamic cities. You'll notice how the urban skyline gives way to established neighborhoods with mature oak canopies, and how the region's 236 days of annual sunshine illuminate a landscape that stays verdantly green year-round.
Orlando anchors Central Florida as the state's inland powerhouse, offering you a unique position equidistant from both the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico—each just 90 minutes away. This strategic location means you can enjoy sunrise walks on Cocoa Beach before your morning shift or sunset dinners in St. Petersburg on your weekends off. The city consistently earns recognition from U.S. News & World Report as one of the best places to live in Florida, ranking particularly high for its job market, desirability, and quality of life. Forbes has named Orlando one of the fastest-growing cities in America, while WalletHub recognizes it among the best cities for recreation—acknowledgments that translate directly into the vibrant community you'll join.
Beyond the world-famous attractions, you'll discover Orlando's best-kept secrets—like the ancient cypress trees of Blue Spring State Park where manatees gather in crystal-clear waters just 45 minutes north, or the pristine Wekiwa Springs where you can kayak through Old Florida wilderness only 20 minutes from downtown. The city sits at the headwaters of the Everglades, with the Chain of Lakes offering world-class bass fishing that draws anglers from across the globe.
You might be surprised to learn that Orlando is home to more than 3,000 acres of wetlands within city limits, creating a natural corridor system where you'll spot sandhill cranes, bald eagles, and even the occasional bobcat during your morning runs through places like Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve.
While Disney World and Universal Studios certainly contribute to Orlando's economy, you'll find yourself part of a sophisticated metropolitan area that has evolved far beyond tourism. The city has become "Medical City", with a burgeoning healthcare and life sciences corridor that includes the UCF College of Medicine, Nemours Children's Hospital, and the VA Medical Center, creating an ecosystem where medical professionals thrive.
The presence of aerospace and defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, along with the growing technology sector dubbed "Orlando's Silicon Valley" in the Lake Nona area, means your spouse will find diverse professional opportunities. This economic diversity has attracted a highly educated population where innovation and entrepreneurship flourish.
People relocate to Orlando not just for the perpetual summer and economic opportunity, but for a lifestyle that balances cosmopolitan amenities with Florida's natural beauty. You'll find yourself living where others vacation, yet enjoying a cost of living significantly lower than Miami or California's major cities.
The absence of state income tax means more of your earnings stay in your pocket, while the year-round outdoor lifestyle—from paddleboarding on Lake Ivanhoe at sunrise to evening concerts at Lake Eola's amphitheater—becomes your daily reality.
Unlike the isolation often felt in sprawling metros like Los Angeles or the crushing winters of Northern cities, Orlando offers you a genuinely welcoming community where neighbors still know each other's names and where your commute might include spotting a family of sandhill cranes crossing the road.
This is a place where you can build your dream home on a lakefront lot for what a cramped condo costs in Boston, where your children can play outside year-round, and where your medical expertise will be genuinely valued in a rapidly growing healthcare market.
The Visit Orlando App has all the information, news and tools you need to get the most out of your Orlando vacation. Best of all, it is absolutely free.
The land where you'll practice medicine has a rich history stretching back millennia, originally home to the Timucua and later the Seminole peoples who recognized the area's abundant freshwater lakes and fertile soil as ideal for settlement. Orlando's modern story began in 1838 when the U.S. Army established Fort Gatlin during the Second Seminole War, positioned strategically among the lakes that still define the city's geography today.
The fort's presence brought the first permanent European-American settlers, including cattleman Aaron Jernigan, who established the area's first settlement along the shores of Lake Holden—a lake you might pass on your daily commute. The mysterious origin of the name "Orlando" adds romance to the city's founding: some say it honors Orlando Reeves, a soldier who died warning the fort of an attack, while others claim it was inspired by Shakespeare's character in As You Like It, a favorite of early settler James Speer.
Walking through Orlando's historic neighborhoods like Thornton Park or College Park, you'll notice the grand Victorian and Craftsman homes that stand as monuments to the city's first golden age—the citrus boom of the 1870s through 1890s. During this period, Orlando became the hub of Florida's citrus industry, with fragrant orange groves extending in every direction from downtown.
The arrival of the South Florida Railroad in 1880 transformed Orlando from a frontier town into a thriving commercial center, earning it the nickname "The City Beautiful"—a moniker that still appears on city signs today. This agricultural prosperity attracted educated entrepreneurs and professionals who established Orlando's first hospital, newspaper, and the institution that would become Rollins College, creating a foundation for intellectual and cultural life that persists in the community you're joining.
The trajectory of modern Orlando—and the sophisticated city where you'll build your practice—truly began during World War II when the U.S. Army Air Force established several training bases in the area, taking advantage of the year-round flying weather. After the war, these facilities evolved into McCoy Air Force Base, bringing an influx of military personnel and defense contractors.
The post-war period saw visionaries like Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) establish operations here, planting seeds for today's aerospace industry. When NASA selected nearby Cape Canaveral for the space program in the 1960s, Orlando became the gateway to the Space Coast, attracting engineers, scientists, and educated professionals who elevated the community's intellectual capital.
This military and aerospace heritage created the technical workforce that now supports Orlando's thriving medical technology and research sectors.
In 1965, Walt Disney flew over Central Florida's wetlands and orange groves in his private plane, searching for the perfect location for his Florida project. His selection of Orlando—announced in 1965 and opening in 1971—represents one of the most transformative moments in American urban development.
Yet Disney chose Orlando not to create it, but because of what already existed: stable governance, quality infrastructure, educated workers, and a welcoming business climate. The arrival of Walt Disney World catalyzed explosive growth, but more importantly, it attracted a diverse, international population and spurred development of world-class healthcare facilities to serve millions of annual visitors.
This transformation brought sophisticated dining, arts, and cultural amenities that might surprise those who dismiss Orlando as merely a tourist town.
The Orlando you're joining represents the culmination of deliberate choices to build more than just a vacation destination. The 1990s and 2000s saw civic leaders invest heavily in downtown revitalization, creating the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, expanding the Orlando Museum of Art, and developing the Milk District and Thornton Park into vibrant urban neighborhoods.
The establishment of the University of Central Florida in 1963—now America's largest university by enrollment—brought academic medicine and research capabilities. The recent development of Medical City in Lake Nona, anchored by the UCF College of Medicine, Nemours Children's Hospital, and the VA Medical Center, represents a $7 billion investment in making Orlando a national healthcare destination.
This isn't ancient history—it's the ongoing story of a city still writing its future, where you'll contribute to the next chapter.
Today, as you explore Orlando, you'll encounter this layered history everywhere: in the 1920s bungalows of the Audubon Park Garden District where young professionals gather at craft breweries, in the lovingly preserved buildings of downtown's Church Street Station, and in the century-old oak trees draped with Spanish moss in Harry P. Leu Gardens.
The annual Come Out With Pride festival in Lake Eola Park celebrates Orlando's emergence as one of the South's most LGBTQ-friendly cities, while the thriving Vietnamese community in the Mills 50 District reflects waves of immigration that have enriched Orlando's culture.
This is a city that honors its past while eagerly embracing its future—where Confederate-era buildings have been repurposed as inclusive community spaces, where former orange groves host cutting-edge medical research facilities, and where the pioneering spirit that built a city from swampland continues to drive innovation.
You're not just moving to Orlando; you're becoming part of a community that has consistently reimagined itself while maintaining the Southern hospitality and natural beauty that made it special from the beginning.
The Greater Orlando metropolitan area you're joining represents one of America's most rapidly expanding and culturally rich regions, with over 2.7 million residents calling Central Florida home. Unlike the seasonal fluctuations of coastal Florida communities, Orlando maintains a stable, year-round population of engaged residents who have chosen this city for careers, family life, and retirement—creating a patient base that values continuity of care and long-term physician relationships.
Walking through downtown Orlando's Lake Eola farmers market on a Sunday morning or attending a soccer game at Exploria Stadium, you'll immediately sense the youthful energy that defines this community, where the median age of 34 makes it one of Florida's youngest major cities. This demographic vitality means you'll care for growing families, young professionals building careers, and active retirees who've chosen Orlando's perpetual sunshine over northern winters.
Your practice will serve one of the most internationally diverse patient populations in the Southeast, where over 120 languages are spoken throughout the metro area. The Mills 50 District pulses with Vietnamese culture, offering authentic pho restaurants and markets that rival those in Houston or San Francisco. The thriving Puerto Rican community—now exceeding 400,000 in Central Florida—has transformed areas like Azalea Park and brought vibrant festivals like the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade that fills downtown with salsa music and traditional cuisine.
You'll find Brazilian churrascarias in International Drive, Colombian bakeries in Hunter's Creek, and a growing Indian community in Windermere that celebrates Diwali with spectacular public displays. This diversity enriches your practice as you'll encounter varied health perspectives and traditions, while your family enjoys authentic global cuisine and cultural celebrations without leaving your neighborhood.
The patients in your practice will largely come from Orlando's educated and economically stable population, where the median household income of $61,000 exceeds many Southern cities, and where 35% of adults hold bachelor's degrees or higher. The presence of University of Central Florida—America's second-largest university with 70,000 students—along with Rollins College and Valencia College, creates an intellectually engaged community that values healthcare and wellness.
Your spouse will find abundant professional opportunities in Orlando's diversified economy, where healthcare and biosciences employ over 140,000, aerospace and defense companies employ 40,000, and the growing fintech and gaming development sectors offer cutting-edge careers. The Lake Nona Medical City has attracted an innovation ecosystem of health tech startups and research institutions, creating opportunities for physician entrepreneurship and clinical research participation that rarely exist outside major academic centers.
Despite its size, Orlando maintains a refreshing small-town warmth that surprises newcomers expecting theme park superficiality. You'll discover this in neighborhoods like Baldwin Park, where former military housing has been transformed into a walkable community where residents gather for outdoor movies and food truck rallies.
In Winter Park, just minutes from downtown, you'll stroll Park Avenue's tree-lined sidewalks past locally-owned boutiques and cafes where baristas remember your name and order. The strong civic pride manifests in sold-out Orlando City soccer matches where 25,000 purple-clad fans create an atmosphere rivaling European football, and in community support for institutions like the Orlando Museum of Art and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
This is a city where neighbors organize hurricane preparation parties, where community gardens flourish year-round, and where physician voices are valued in civic discussions about healthcare access and community wellness.
The Orlando population reflects a unique American phenomenon—a city where almost everyone is from somewhere else, creating an openness to newcomers that makes integration seamless. Recent surveys show that over 60% of residents moved here from another state, bringing diverse perspectives and eliminating the insider-outsider dynamics common in established cities.
This translates into a patient population that's educated about healthcare, appreciates quality medical care, and isn't bound by "we've always done it this way" thinking. The explosive growth in surrounding communities like Lake Nona (up 300% since 2010), Winter Garden (doubled in size), and Horizon West (Florida's fastest-growing community) means you're joining a region still defining itself, where new medical practices can quickly establish themselves as community cornerstones.
Your patient panel will include not just tourists but the international workforce that supports Orlando's global economy—from British aerospace engineers at CAE to Brazilian executives at Embraer, from Puerto Rican healthcare professionals at AdventHealth to German researchers at UCF.
The city hosts over 100 international companies' U.S. headquarters, creating a sophisticated, globally-minded population that expects world-class healthcare. Annual events like the Latin Food & Wine Festival, Asian Cultural Expo, and Caribbean Carnival aren't just tourist attractions but genuine community celebrations where you'll connect with patients outside clinical settings.
This international character means your children will grow up with classmates from dozens of countries, developing global perspectives while rooted in American opportunity—a combination that positions them perfectly for success in an interconnected world.