Apopka

Apopka is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city's population was 55,000 at the 2020 census. It is part of the OrlandoKissimmeeSanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Apopka comes from Seminole word Ahapopka for "Potato eating place" The city is referred to as the "Indoor Foliage Capital of the World" due to the many greenhouse nurseries there. Five buildings in the city have been placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Most notable are the Home Depot, Lowes and DIY stores to the north of the city in the location of the former Dunn Citrus grove (the stretch of US 441 that runs through the previous city is named after Fred N. Dunn) John Land Expressway was opened in 2017, relieving some traffic on the US 4 41's route from what is now the US441's junction with what is called the "Toll Road" Other notable developments include a new hospital, a new restaurant, and a Chili's restaurant's second store. The Apopkans are known for having one of the longest-serving mayors in the United States. John H. Land, first elected in 1949, served for 61.25 years (with a short three-year gap), making him the longest serving mayor in Florida and longest- serving full-time mayor in the US through 2014. The 2018 primary for mayor resulted in a landslide win for Bryan Nelson with 63.40% of the vote.

History

Apopka is the primary city name, but also Forest City are acceptable city names or spellings. The earliest known inhabitants of the Apopka area were the Acuera people, members of the Timucua confederation. By the 1830s, this settlement numbered about 200, and was the birthplace of the chief Coacoochee (known in English as "Wild Cat"). At the conclusion of the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Congress passed the Armed Occupation Act of 1842, forcing surviving natives at Ahapopka to abandon their village and seek refuge deeper in the wilderness of the Florida peninsula. The early American settlers built a major trading center on the foundations of the earlier Indian settlement. In the 1890s, the town was contracted in size more than once due to difficult times. Between 1937 and 1968 a town ordinance forbade Black residents from living north of the railroad tracks. Five buildings in Apopkans have been placed on the US. National Register of Historic Places through the Apooke Historical Society housed in the Museum of the apookeans. The town was officially incorporated in 1882, the one mile in each direction of "The Lodge" or "Fudge Hall" was officially incorporating under the name "Town of Apopkas City". In the 1920s, many of the city's independent utility companies were acquired by the Florida Public Service Corporation. They sold off its ice plants to the Atlantic Company, its electric service to Florida Power Corporation, and its water services to Florida Utilities. The city's post office opened in 1869.

Present-day Apopka

Apopka is known for having one of the longest-serving mayors in the United States. John H. Land, first elected in 1949, served for 61.25 years (with a short three-year gap) Joe Kilsheimer was sworn in as mayor on April 22, 2014. The 2018 primary for mayor resulted in a landslide win for Bryan Nelson with 63.40% (4,103) of the vote. The John Land Apopka Expressway (Toll 414) opened on May 15, 2009, taking the route from what is now the US 441 junction with SR 429, and then passing south of the city.Expansion of the expressway, including an extension of Toll 414, known as Wekiva Parkway, created a junction atUS 441 and Plymouth Sorrento Road. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by 2023. It will then be the shortest route from I-4 to the Disney attractions. The city is expanding in all directions. Most notable are the new Lowes and Home Depot DIY stores in the location of the previous Dunn Citrus grove. Due to the fast-paced growth of theCity, a new hospital, AdventHealth Apopk, was opened in 2017. A second Chili's restaurant has been built on the site of the former Dunn citrus grove, which is now home to Staples office supply and a second Staples store. The new hospital will be the city's second hospital, after the one that opened in 1998.

Geography

Apopka is located at 28°4034N 81°3038W. It is about 16 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.6 square miles (84.4 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles of it (3.5 km 2) is water. The city is located in the Central Florida region of the Florida panhandle. It has a population of about 2,000. The town is located on the Florida Panhandle, which is a panhandle region of Florida, and includes the cities of Orlando, Kissimmee, Lakeland, and Lakeland-Auburn. It also includes the towns of Apopka, Lake Mary, and Winter Springs, which are part of the Orlando-Orlando-Kissimmyne County area. It was founded in the early 1900s by the African-American community, and was named after the town's founder, John Popka. In the early 20th century, it became known as Popka, after the city's founder. The name is derived from the word "popka" or "pop", which means "place" in Spanish. It means "a place where people go to relax". It is also known as "the town of Popka" because it is located near the town ofpopka, where it is possible to hear the sound of pop music at night. It's also called "the city of pop" because of the number of people who live there.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,642 people, 9,562 households, and 7,171 families residing in the city. In 2010 Apopka had a population of 41,542. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 49.5% non-Hispanic white, 20.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.2% Asian, and 0.1% Pacific Islander. The city's median income was $43,651, and the median income for a family was $49,380. The per capita income for the city was $19,189. About 12.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7%. of those age 65 or over. were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of people under the age of 18 and 8.7. of those aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over there were 90.1 males. The. median age of the city's population was 33.2 years. The population density was 1,108.1 inhabitants per square mile (427.9/km²). There were 10,091 housing units at an average density of 419.7 per squaremile (162.0/km 2). The racial makeup of theCity was 73.85% White, 15.56% AfricanAmerican, 0,42% NativeAmerican, 1.89% Asian and 5.36% from other races, and 2.83%.

Education

Apopka is served by Orange County Public Schools with two high schools: Apopka High School and Wekiva High School. Forest Lake Academy is a Seventh-day Adventist high school. The Golf Academy of America (Altamonte Campus) is a 2-year golf college. Christian Learning Academy offers varsity athletics, music programs, and Model United Nations. University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Mid-Florida Research and Education Center is located inApopka. The University of Florida's Golf Academy of America is a private K12 school offering varsity football, golf, and other sports. The University of Florida 's Institute of Food and Agriculture Mid-Florida Research and Education Center is located in Apopkaham. The university's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is also located in Apopkahama. The College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences is a two-year college with a focus on agriculture and animal science. The college's research and education center also offers a number of other programs, such as the Florida Agricultural Institution and the University of Southeastern Fishermen's Academy of the State of Florida, which is part of the University of Florida. The Florida College of Agricultural Sciences is based in A Popka and offers a variety of programs.

Apopka in art

Apopka is referenced in Zora Neale Hurston's famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The greater Apopka and Central Florida area is detailed in William Gladden, Jr's book, The Pennings of Perrine Slim: Stories of Northwest Orange County Florida. Apopka takes place in and is prominently featured in Johannes Grenzfurthner's horror drama Masking Threshold that premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2021. The area is also featured in the film "The Big Potato" by Jack Christmas. The town is also mentioned in Eddie C. Brown's autobiographical book, Beating the Odds: Eddie Brown's Investing and Life Strategies. The city is featured on the cover of the book, "Beating The Odds" by Eddie Brown, published by Simon & Schuster, Inc. It also appears on the front cover of "The New York Times" in an article titled "Eddie Brown on the Big Potato: The Story of a Big Potato in a Small Town". The article is based on the "New York Times Magazine" article "A Popka, The Big Potato, and the Story of an Small Town" by Simon and Schuster. The article also includes a photo essay by Dr Phyllis Olmstead on the history of the area, which was published in 2004. It is available online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/01/08/apopka-the-big-potato.html?storylink=cpy.html#storylink cpy;. The story is also available on the internet at: www.npr.org.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Apopka, Orange County, Florida = 46.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Apopka = 6.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,062 individuals with a median age of 35.3 age the population grows by 41.39% in Apopka, Orange County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,586.25 residents per square mile of area (612.44/km²). There are average 2.78 people per household in the 13,433 households with an average household income of $54,713 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.50% of the available work force and has dropped -5.92% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.66%. The number of physicians in Apopka per 100,000 population = 225.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Apopka = 51.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 98. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 241. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 50.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 27, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Apopka, Orange County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 71.91%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 13 years with median home cost = $118,300 and home appreciation of -28.83%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.34 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,291 per student. There are 16.9 students for each teacher in the school, 937 students for each Librarian and 499 students for each Counselor. 10.68% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 15.18% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.50% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).