Place:Sanford, Seminole, Florida, United States

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 53,570. It is a principal city of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 2,134,411 people as of the 2010 U.S. Census.

Known as the Historic Waterfront Gateway City, Sanford sits on the southern shore of Lake Monroe at the head of navigation on the St. Johns River. Native Americans first settled in the area thousands of years before the city was formed. The Seminoles would arrive in the area in the 18th century. During the Second Seminole War in 1836, the United States Army established Camp Monroe and built a road that is currently known as Mellonville Avenue. The city sits approximately northeast of Orlando.

Sanford is home to Seminole State College of Florida and the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The Orlando Sanford International Airport, which headquarters the Aerosim Flight Academy (formerly the Delta Connection Academy), functions as the secondary commercial airport for international and domestic carriers, in the Orlando metropolitan area. Sanford is the southern terminus (end) of the Amtrak auto-train. On March 13, 2009, it was announced that $10.5M would be spent to rebuild the aging Auto-Train facilities in Sanford. Amtrak, the State of Florida, Seminole County and the City of Sanford coordinated their efforts to rebuild the facility. Groundbreaking for the new terminal took place on May 18, 2009. The new terminal opened on October 18, 2010, and is four times larger than the original station. It includes a gift shop, cafe, and a waiting area that can accommodate up to 600 passengers.

Sanford's historic downtown area and residential areas include homes and businesses such as the PICO Building, the Bishop Block buildings, the Ritz Theater (also known as Helen Stairs or Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center), and the Princess Theater. In 1976, Sanford's entire downtown commercial district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sanford's history is preserved by the Sanford Historic Preservation Board, the Sanford Historical Society, and the Sanford Historic Trust, which hosts the annual historic Holiday Tour of Homes (now in its 24th year). City-hosted community events are held regularly in downtown Sanford, including the monthly community event and street party, "Alive After Five." The downtown Sanford area also holds a monthly, juried art show called the "Art Walk." Annual Sanford events include a large fireworks display over Lake Monroe, as well as holiday parades on 1st street.

Sanford's Riverwalk is a pedestrian-friendly walkway with benches along Lake Monroe, which is part of the St. John's river system. The Riverwalk runs next to the Sanford Monroe Harbor Marina. In 2012, the Sanford Monroe Harbor Marina became host to a historic paddle wheel ship, which was transported from Clearwater to Sanford via the St. John's river system.

Sanford's renovated Ft. Mellon Park, next to Lake Monroe, includes a large splash pad as well as grills, tennis courts, fitness trails, green spaces, modern playground equipment, and picnic shelters. Ft. Mellon Park was the site for Sanford's 135th Birthday celebration in September 2012. Sanford's city paper is the Sanford Herald. The first edition of the Herald was printed 22 August 1908, and beneath the name of the paper were the words: In Sanford--Life is Worth Living.

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