Sanford, Florida | |||
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City | |||
City of Sanford | |||
The Sanford Grammar School in January 2007
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Nickname(s): Historic Waterfront Gateway | |||
Location in Seminole County and the U.S. state of Florida |
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Coordinates: 28°47′22″N 81°16′32″W / 28.78944°N 81.27556°WCoordinates: 28°47′22″N 81°16′32″W / 28.78944°N 81.27556°W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | Florida | ||
County | Seminole | ||
Incorporated | September 29, 1877 | ||
Founded by | Henry Shelton Sanford | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Commission–Manager | ||
• Mayor | Jeff Triplett | ||
• City Manager | Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr. | ||
Area | |||
• City | 26.59 sq mi (68.87 km2) | ||
• Land | 23.06 sq mi (59.72 km2) | ||
• Water | 3.53 sq mi (9.15 km2) | ||
Elevation | 35 ft (11 m) | ||
Population (2010) | |||
• City | 53,570 | ||
• Estimate (2016) | 58,605 | ||
• Density | 2,541.63/sq mi (981.33/km2) | ||
• Urban | 1,510,516 (32nd, U.S.) | ||
• Metro | 2,267,846 (26th, U.S.) | ||
Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
ZIP code(s) | 32771, 32773 | ||
Area code(s) | 321, 407 | ||
FIPS code | 12-63650 | ||
GNIS feature ID | 0290631 | ||
Website | sanfordfl |
Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 53,570.
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 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Orlando.
Sanford is home to Seminole State College of Florida and the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Its downtown attracts tourists with shops, restaurants, a marina, and a lakefront walking trail. The Orlando Sanford International Airport, which is in the heart of the town, functions as the secondary commercial airport for international and domestic carriers in the Orlando metropolitan area.
The city's RiverWalk trail is a bike/walk/run trail that was completed in 2004. The ten-foot wide paved walkway spans a distance of several miles in Sanford's downtown area along the waterfront of Lake Monroe. Phase 2, which adds over 3000 feet to the trail, was completed in 2014.
The city is redoing the face of Sanford Avenue, one of the main streets, with a new brick road, wider sidewalks, trees, flowers, and benches.
Sanford is connected to the central Florida commuter railway SunRail, with the station 2 miles from the downtown.