Description

College Park is a distinct neighborhood within the city of Orlando, Florida, deriving its name from the many streets within its bounds that were named for institutions of higher learning such as Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. Its close proximity to downtown has made it a popular residential area for over a century among seniors and young professionals. According to the 2000 census, most residents are of working age (between 18 and 49) and are homeowners. 65.5% of households include no children.HistoryCitrus grower John Ericsson built the first known home in College Park at 19 West Princeton, in the middle of what was then an 80acre grove. Other settlers soon followed, especially after the arrival of the South Florida Railroad in 1880, including: Adam Given, Marshall Porter, James Wilcox, Algernon Hayden, John W. Childress, and George Russell.The Great Freeze during the winter of 1894-5 halted growth in the neighborhood for over a decade.New residents began arriving in large numbers during the real estate boom of the 1920s, when the City of Orlando expanded its northern boundary north to Par Street to include College Park. It was during this decade that many of the neighborhood's best-known subdivisions were platted, including: Walter Rose's Rosemere in 1921. H. Carl Dann's Dubsdread in 1923. J.P. Holbrook's Edgewater Heights in 1924. Frank L. Anderson's Anderson Park also in 1924. The boom turned into a bust during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but savvy businessman Welborn C. Phillips began buying up many of the remaining vacant lots in College Park—particularly those west of Edgewater Drive—and was well-positioned for the post-World War II boom.