Lake Mary City Overview

The City of Lake Mary takes pride in its strong sense of community and its commitment to high standards of quality living. That's part of the reason Lake Mary is one of the fastest growing areas in Central Florida! The City offers well planned residential communities, excellent schools, prominent businesses, and a variety of shopping. It's a friendly place to live and work and few places are more attractive. The crime rate is one of the lowest in Florida thanks to our pro-active, community based police department. Our fire department is skilled in rapid response and emergency rescue. Our parks and recreation facilities are beautifully maintained.

LOCATION

Lake Mary is ideally located just 10 miles north of Orlando at the intersection of Interstate 4 and Lake Mary Boulevard. With convenient I-4 access nearly all that Central Florida has to offer is within easy reach. A myriad of tourist destinations, Orlando's professional Sports/Recreation and cultural events, the east coast beaches are all within 45 minutes. To the east of the City is Orlando's new beltway, the "Greenway", which makes Orlando International Airport an easy half hour drive, and the Central Florida Regional Airport is just 10 minutes away.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Lake Mary boasts an upscale residential community and a growing commercial/office/industrial base. Primarily a suburban single family residential community, Lake Mary is a sought after location for young families and professionals. The resident population of the City is currently estimated at 14,000 and growing! With its supreme accessibility, the City is also the location of choice for many corporate office relocations and light manufacturing operations. Daytime population is estimated at over 45,000 and there is plenty of room for more! Add to this a healthy mix of support commercial and office uses and it is clearly understood why Lake Mary has become a desirable locale for working, shopping and residing.

CITY GOVERNMENT

Lake Mary is often recognized for its efficient government and progressive attitude. A "Total Quality" Managed city government provides a true customer oriented style of leadership. The City seeks to join forces with quality managed businesses to build a partnership for the future. Economic incentives may be available, in concert with County government incentives, to attract quality corporations.

Offering a "Commission/City Manager" form of government, full-time professionals manage the daily processes and an elected City Commission maintains policy objectives and strategic planning processes. The City is proud to say we have the lowest average municipal tax rate in the county. The result is a vibrant, well planned city offering residents and businesses alike what we call "Total Quality of Life!"

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Lake Mary area is drawing national attention for being a premier area for business relocation and investment in Central Florida. Lake Mary, in a teamwork effort with Seminole County government, the Greater Lake Mary/Heathrow Chamber of Commerce and the Seminole County Economic Development Commission, is actively developing a "target industry district" to support and promote the economic development of the area. The target industry concept showcases the quality of life, the best of education and schools, open campus-type corporations, fiber optic availability, and the friendliest atmosphere.

In Lake Mary the I-4 corridor has been targeted for over 8 million square feet of office, commercial and light manufacturing uses in several planned commercial developments. The City is already home to AT&T, Siemens-Stromberg Carlson, Recoton Corporation, Strang Communications and WOFL-TV Channel 35, to name a few. AAA National Headquarters is close by as is Dixon Ticonderoga, Cincinnati Bell Information Systems, WKCF TV-18, Bellsouth Mobility, HTE Inc. and Dual Incorporated.

Four hotels opened in Lake Mary in 1998. Pizzuti Companies is developing the Heathrow International Business Center. Oakmonte is an 83 acre project, on the west side of I-4 and south of Lake Mary Boulevard. It offers commercial, office, hotel and residential use in an environmentally friendly and integrated master planned community. The greater Lake Mary area is a business and lifestyle hot spot!

LABOR OUTLOOK

A recent study conducted by the Wadley-Donovan Group, Inc. found the Seminole County work force to be the best educated in the region and unsurpassed in local availability of managerial skills. The highest regional concentration of adults with college degrees and a work force with considerable professional skills can be found here. Corporate recruiters enjoy high transfer acceptance into this area with many of the families selecting homesites in our community. The population growth rate ensures a steady influx of new entrants to the labor market.

HOUSING

A wide variety of housing choices and are available in and around Lake Mary. The young professionals will find an array of affordable apartments to luxury condominiums and rental properties. The growing family will find the quiet community neighborhoods a safe and inviting place to call home. For those looking towards retirement there are upscale golf course communities and active retirement communities all within a few minutes drive of the city center and Interstate 4. Convenient shopping will be just minutes from your driveway, with the local shopping centers offering daily needs to the large regional malls less than 10 minutes away. And no more commuting! You can actually live and work in the same community as professional employment opportunities are right at hand.

EDUCATION

The Lake Mary schools are impressive! They are among the top rated schools in the Seminole County district and the County rates number 1 in the State.

Excellent opportunities for advanced education are also close to home. Just next door is Seminole Community College which serves over 30,000 students annually, many of them going on to pursue a four year degree. Within a few minutes drive is the University of Central Florida, a comprehensive state university with over 140 bachelors and advance degree programs. UCF provides branch class room facilities in the Lake Mary area. The highly regarded Rollins College is recognized throughout the southeast for its undergraduate programs and Webster College for business masters is nearby.

POLICE PROTECTION

The Lake Mary Police Department boasts the lowest crime rate in Seminole County, Florida. The Department has a full time staff of 23 sworn officers and 13 civilian personnel utilizing state of the art equipment to accomplish the law enforcement mission. Our Police Department is committed to the highest level of public service. We offer traditional law enforcement services as well as the D.A.R.E.(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, a strong neighborhood watch program and many other educational and community relations programs.

FIRE PROTECTION

The Lake Mary Fire Department is staffed with 17 fire personnel and state of the art fire fighting equipment. Lake Mary is part of the Seminole County Mutual First Response Agreement which means fast, efficient and skilled assistance is available when you need it. The Department also offers a variety of educational programs such as CPR and first aid training for all age groups, and baby sitter, latch-key kid, fire prevention and safety programs for children.

TAXATION

There are no state or local personal income taxes in Florida. The sales tax in Seminole County is 7%. The City has the second lowest property tax rate in Seminole County at 3.7648 mills. This millage rate is less than the 1987 rate and has remained constant for the past 4 years.

RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT

Lake Mary has been actively developing a city wide park system for the enjoyment of its citizens. A variety of parks are available to fit every need. An active Sports/Recreation Complex provides for baseball, softball, soccer, basketball and open playing fields. The naturally beautiful Liberty Park has large picnic pavilions, trails, playgrounds, boardwalks and a fishing dock. Central Park boasts an amphitheater hosting local shows as well as professional entertainment. Lake Mary has something for everyone!

For the golf enthusiast, close by there are 3 of Central Florida's top-rated country clubs boasting championship golf courses - Heathrow, Alaqua and Timacuan Country clubs.

For those who play soccer, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Training Center is just a few miles north where amateurs and professionals train and compete. The Seminole Soccer Club, offering youth competition, occupies the Center nearly every weekend!

For those who enjoy water recreation there is endless variety. The pristine Wekiva River is just minutes away and offers the canoeist the natural beauty of Florida. The beautiful St. Johns River is world renowned for its fishing and wildlife. Lake Monroe holds the Citrus Sailfest, the largest inland sailing regatta in the nation. Of course, the beaches and all the fun the ocean has to offer are close enough to enjoy anytime.

Nearby downtown Orlando offers an array of entertainment including MAGIC basketball, hockey and football, as well as nightclubs, excellent restaurants, theater and symphonic music. Naturally, the Orlando area is the entertainment capital of the world hosting Walt Disney World theme parks, Universal Studios, Seaworld, Kennedy Space Center and more.

HISTORY

Although Lake Mary's beginning dates back to the 19th century, it did not become an incorporated city until August 7, 1973.

Named after the wife of a minister who settled on the northern shores of the lake, Lake Mary started as a village of two tiny settlements, Bent's Station and Belle Fontaine, located along the railroad that ran between Sanford and Orlando.

The Lake Mary Chamber of Commerce was established in January of 1923. The Chamber has been active continuously since its inception and is said to be the oldest one in the state with this distinction.

The City began primarily as a citrus-based agricultural community. In the early seventies, as the Disney development surge pushed northward, Lake Mary began to transform into a semi-rural bedroom community serving Orlando and is now considered an upscale residential community serving its own employment center with hundreds of thousands of square feet of office, retail and industrial uses.