Mount Dora Plant and Garden Fair

Lake in the state of Florida, U.s.a.

Urban center in Florida, United states of America

Mount Dora, Florida
City
Metropolis hall
Flag
Location in Lake County and the land of Florida
Coordinates: 28°48′23″N 81°38′35″W  /  28.80639°N 81.64306°West  / 28.80639; -81.64306 Coordinates: 28°48′23″N 81°38′35″W  /  28.80639°North 81.64306°W  / 28.80639; -81.64306
State	Usa
State	Florida
Canton	Lake
Government
• Mayor	Crissy Stile
Surface area [1]
• Total	ix.50 sq mi (24.lx km2)
• Land	8.35 sq mi (21.62 km2)
• Water	1.xv sq mi (2.98 kmtwo)
Elevation	184 ft (56 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	xvi,341
• Density	1,957.24/sq mi (755.74/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-four (EDT)
Naught codes	32756-32757
Expanse code	352
FIPS code	12-47050[2]
GNIS feature ID	0287215[3]
Website	world wide web.ci.mount-dora.fl.usa

Mount Dora
is a city in Lake County, Florida, Usa. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 12,370,^[4]
and in 2019 the population was estimated to be 14,516.^[v]
It is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded in 1880, Mount Dora is known for its minor-town southern charm. It has many antique shops in the downtown surface area. The downtown area overlooks Lake Dora. Mount Dora is home to one of three freshwater lighthouses in Florida. It hosts many monthly festivals and is known as the “Festival City”.

History

[edit]

The town of Mountain Dora began in 1874 when the surface area was settled by David Simpson, his married woman, and two children.^[6]
In 1880, Ross C. Tremain became the town’south commencement postmaster, and later a major real manor developer for the area.^[vii]
A postal service office called Mount Dora has been in performance since 1883.^[8]
Tremain named the unincorporated village
Royellou, later his children, Roy, Ella, and Louis.^[7]

The community was renamed for Dora Ann Drawdy, who was an early settler of the town in the mid-1880s. In 1846, the surveyors named Lake Dora after her, and in 1883 the boondocks was renamed subsequently the lake.^[9]
The Mount in Mountain Dora reflects the fact that the town is on a plateau 184 feet higher up body of water level.^[9]
In addition to this, Dora is memorialized through Dora Drawdy Way, an alleyway located in the downtown area.

The town became a popular winter retreat for hunters, fishermen, and boaters, and in 1883 the Alexander House, a 2-story hotel, was opened. The Alexander House has been renamed several times and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. A railroad came to town in 1887, followed past an orange packing house, fertilizer factories, and a cannery. The town was granted a charter in 1910 with John Philip Donnelly every bit its first mayor; the boondocks had 371 residents at the fourth dimension.^[9]

In the 1920s, Mountain Dora began to grow significantly, both in residential evolution and business development. Mount Dora began investing in public infrastructure, including streetlights, a water system, curbs, and paved roads.^[9]
The commencement two public parks were created and the Mount Dora Community Edifice was congenital largely from funds raised by Mount Dora residents. The edifice has since served as the metropolis’s operation and meeting venue.

In 2013, the City of Mount Dora began to develop an expanse of land called the Wolf Branch Innovation Commune. That plan was adult as the Wekiva Parkway started to aggrandize and State Road 453 opened right into Mountain Dora. The Wolf Branch Innovation District is currently being developed to become a loftier tech and life sciences business organisation expanse. Expansion of infrastructure and roadways continues as Mount Dora prepares for time to come growth.

Historic sites

[edit]

The following are listed on the National Annals of Celebrated Places:

• Blandford
• John P. Donnelly Firm
• Lakeside Inn
• Old Mount Dora Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Station, habitation to the town’south Chamber of Commerce
• Witherspoon Lodge of Free and Accustomed Masons, No. 111

The Mountain Dora Historic District is a U.S. historic commune in downtown Mountain Dora. The commune is roughly bounded by 3rd Avenue, 11th Avenue, Clayton Street, and Helen Street. Information technology was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 1, 2009.^[ten]

Geography

[edit]

Mount Dora is located in eastern Lake County at



28°48′23″North
81°38′35″W


 / 

28.806519°N 81.642996°W
 /
28.806519; -81.642996


.^[11]
It is bordered to the south by Orange County. U.Due south. Route 441 passes through the urban center, leading west 5 miles (8 km) to Tavares, the Lake county seat, and northwest 25 miles (xl km) to Orlando.

According to the U.s.a. Census Bureau, the urban center has a total area of ix.2 square miles (23.eight km²), of which 8.0 square miles (20.8 km^two) are land and 1.ii foursquare miles (iii.0 km²), or 12.51%, are h2o.^[12]
Overlooking Lakes Dora, Gertrude, and Beauclair, Mount Dora is situated on a plateau rising to 184 feet (56 m) to a higher place bounding main level,^[13]
or slightly more than 100 anxiety (xxx m) above the level of the lakes.

Museums

[edit]

Mountain Dora is abode to several dissimilar museums.

The Mount Dora History Museum is a project of the Mount Dora Historical Gild. This museum is the location of the first burn down station and city jail, which opened in 1923. The exhibits highlight activities in Mount Dora from the 1880s to the 1930s.^[xiv]
The museum is located nearly Donnelly Park.

The Mountain Dora Museum of Speed opened for business in 2001 to adults only and was located on North Highland Street. In 2015 it was named Mount Dora’s number i allure past Tripadvisor for the 3rd year in a row. The museum displayed musculus cars, “pro cars”, foreign cars, and a 45+ year sometime collection of “automobilia” (auto antiques). The staff displayed ten to twelve of their personal cars, and twelve to fifteen cars were on sale at well-nigh times. The Mount Dora Museum of speed closed in July 2019, and is going to become a bike shop.^[fifteen]

Modernism Museum Mount Dora opened in 2013 and is located on Due east Fourth Avenue. Two stories loftier, this museum focuses on the Studio Arts Movement, a grade of modernism where high fine art meets craftsmanship, posing the question, “Is it sculpture, or is it furniture?”^[16]

The Mount Dora Heart for the Arts is a multifaceted community center which provides fine arts gallery exhibitions, education programs for all ages and levels, an annual fine art action, monthly Art Strolls, and helps organize the Almanac Mount Dora Arts Festival.^[17]
Located on East Fifth Avenue, information technology was founded by a grouping of volunteers who wanted to celebrate the arts in Mount Dora and to promote and improve their arts festival.

Parks

[edit]

Mountain Dora is home to several parks and nature preserves.

Gilbert Park is located at the intersection of Tremain Street and Liberty Artery. This park was named for its donor, Mr. Earl Gilbert.^[18]
The park includes a barbecue area, several pavilions, and a large playground. The park has recently gone through renovations, which included two new pavilions, upgraded restrooms, new landscaping, and improved parking. The “Wood Wonderland” playground was updated and expanded.

Annie Donnelly Park is located in the downtown Mountain Dora area at the intersection of Donnelly Street and 5th Artery. It is the location of their annual tree lighting anniversary, as well equally several of Mountain Dora’s special events. The park contains, benches, restrooms, a fountain, and shuffleboard courts, a tennis court, and three pickleball courts. It is the location of the Donnelly Park building, which tin can be rented out for special events.^[19]

Grantham Point Park^[20]
is located on Tremain Street across from Gilbert Park on Lake Dora, Grantham Bespeak Park is sometimes referred to as “Lighthouse Park”. The 35 foot lighthouse was dedicated on March 25, 1988. Congenital of bricks covered with stucco, the lighthouse stands lookout over the Port of Mount Dora. Its 750-watt photocell powers a blue pulsator sending out a guiding light to all boaters navigating Lake Dora after sunset. The Mount Dora Light is the only inland freshwater lighthouse in Florida.

The Lake County H2o Authority^[21]
has several preserves in the area.

Demographics

[edit]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	725		—
1930	1,613		122.5%
1940	1,880		16.6%
1950	3,028		61.1%
1960	three,756		24.0%
1970	4,646		23.7%
1980	5,883		26.six%
1990	7,196		22.three%
2000	9,418		30.nine%
2010	12,370		31.iii%
2020	xvi,341		32.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]

Every bit of the census^[two]
of 2010, there were 9,039 households, and 5,236 families residing in the urban center. The population density was 1,542.0 inhabitants per square mile (595.4/km²). There were half dozen,942 housing units at an average density of 941.6 per square mile (363.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, nineteen.two% African American, 0.ane% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, i.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.7% of the population.

In that location were four,123 households, out of which 21.ane% had children nether the historic period of eighteen living with them, 48.six% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no hubby present, and 37.2% were not-families. 31.half-dozen% of all households were made up of individuals, and sixteen.vi% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was two.75.

In the metropolis, the population was spread out, with 20.five% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age xviii and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the urban center was $37,364, and the median income for a family was $46,394. Males had a median income of $30,993 versus $24,259 for females. The per capita income for the urban center was $21,724. About 8.8% of families and 12.vi% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under historic period xviii and 9.i% of those historic period 65 or over.

Education

[edit]

The district is home to two elementary schools, one middle schoolhouse, and Mount Dora High School. The commune is also home to nine private schools.

Southern Technical College used to operate a campus in the city which has since closed.

Events

[edit]

The city sponsors an annual Scottish Highland Festival, which will celebrate its 10th ceremony Feb. 17th through 19th, 2023. The issue grows in popularity each twelvemonth and features Scottish bands and musicians, Highland Games, societies, celebrated reenactors, and Mount Dora’due south ain pipes and drums band, which rehearses and performs in the area throughout the year.^[23]

The Mountain Dora Center for the Arts hosts the Mount Dora Arts Festival, a juried fine arts festival, on the first full weekend of February. The festival features works of art of several hundred national artists. The art is for auction including oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, dirt, sculpture, and photography.^[24]
The festival also includes live musical amusement and food.

The Mountain Dora Spring Festival of Arts and crafts is held every 3rd weekend in March in the downtown area. The festival includes more than 250 fine and fun paw arts and crafts items and original art for sale on the streets of the historic downtown walking district.^[25]
The festival lasts for two days.

The Sailboat Regatta and Mount Dora Globe Day are held in April. The Regatta, which is hosted by the Mountain Dora Yacht Club, is the oldest in the country and will be celebrating its 63rd year in 2016. Mountain Dora Earth Solar day Commemoration is a one-day event held on a Saturday effectually the annual international Globe Solar day. The outcome celebrates its 25th twelvemonth in 2020 in Donnelly park.^[26]

The Mount Dora Huckleberry Festival takes identify on the concluding weekend in April. This festival is hosted by Visit Mountain Dora and is held in Donnelly Park. The complimentary festival celebrates local Blueberry Farms equally the manufacture takes over citrus in the farming community. It is a 2-day event^[27]

The Mountain Dora Seafood Festival takes identify in September and began in 2015. The festival includes several booths with fresh seafood, as well as beer, wine, crafters, and activities for children.

The Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce holds Florida’s oldest Cycle festival annually in early October. It celebrates its 43rd year in 2017 and is three-day issue. The Festival includes a multifariousness of daily rides, ranging from 8 miles to 100 miles.^{[
commendation needed
]}

Mountain Dora’s largest issue, the Mount Dora Arts and crafts Off-white, draws over 250,000 visitors every 4th weekend in October. It features more than 400 talented crafters and artists, and includes an eclectic mix of arts and crafts from sculptures to ceramics to paintings to woodworking. The Mount Dora Craft Fair was ranked the #two Archetype/Contemporary Craft Festival 2020 in America past Sunshine Artists Mag under the organization of festival coordinator, Janet Gamache.^[28]

The Mount Dora Plant and Garden Fair takes place on the 2d weekend in November in Donnelly Park. Growers of exotic and native FL plants from all over Florida gather to share and sell their plants to the public. Information technology is a 2-twenty-four hours event^[29]

In fiction

[edit]

Literature

[edit]

Mountain Dora is the setting for the mail-apocalyptic novel
Alas, Babylon
by Pat Frank (1908–1964), under the fictitious proper name of Fort Tranquility. Frank lived there with his final wife.

Mountain Dora is ane of the settings in Steve Drupe’s activity-adventure thriller
The Columbus Affair.

Napoleon Loma (1883–1970), author of
Recall and Grow Rich
(1937), lived in Mount Dora during the 1930s and 1940s. He lived in a large house called The Castle, overlooking Lake Dora, with a swimming pool on the roof. It was torn down in the 1980s.

The book
Doesn’t She Look Natural
by Angela Hunt is also gear up in Mount Dora.

Mount Dora and several of its landmarks are amid the main settings of the fantasy book series
The Salem Agree
by J.A. Areces.

Flick

[edit]

The buildings in downtown Mountain Dora were painted pinkish for the feature film
Honky Tonk Expressway.^[30]
Being a movie location provided an economical boost for merchants, helped restore the downtown area, and gave Mount Dora a dose of national publicity.

An contained Italian-American production crew filmed a horror moving-picture show titled
Witch Story
in the downtown area. The film never was released in the United States.

Two years following
Witch Story, an HBO flick titled
Somebody Has to Shoot the Motion picture
was filmed. The movie starred Roy Scheider and Bonnie Bedelia.

The lawn tennis film
The Break
took place partly in the city of Mount Dora. It was filmed by an independent production visitor and aired on cable TV.

Sister cities

[edit]

• 
  
  
  Forres, Great britain

References

[edit]

External links

[edit]

• 
  Official website