THE CITY OF LONGWOOD
The settlement of Longwood can be traced back to the early 1870s. John Neill Searcy and Edward Warren Henck were the first settlers to be granted a homestead in Longwood in 1873. Searcy arrived in March and Henck arrived in November of the same year. Both men arrived by steamboat via the St Johns River.
Henck was a real estate promoter, hotel owner and railroad man. He became the first postmaster when the Longwood Post Office was
established on May 19th, 1876. Henck was originally from Boston and named Longwood after a suburban town of his native city. He led the development of the first post civil war railroad in 1879 and was elected Longwoods first mayor in 1885. By 1895 Longwood had eight stores, three hotels, five churches and a weekly newspaper.
In December 1894 and January 1895 Central Florida experienced what has become known as The Great Freeze. This had a dramatic impact on the citrus industry and caused many residents to leave Central Florida. By 1900 Longwoods population had declined to 325.
Growth began to pick up again between the years 1910-1920; and in 1923 the town of Longwood was incorporated as a city.
Development stopped around the time of The Great Depression and did not pick up again until the 1930s and 1940s. The construction of Disney World and the space program in the 1960s and 1970s brought new development and growth to the area.
Wekiva State Park
Wekiva Springs State Park is located in Apopka, just minutes across the border of Longwood. Wekiva is a Creek Indian word that means "flowing water".
The park is comprised of approximately 7000 acres. There are thirteen miles of trails and visitors can enjoy horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, camping, canoeing, fishing and swimming.
According to the US census bureau,as of the year 2000 Longwood's population was 13,745.
The median price of existing homes sold in Central Florida during the month of February 2010 increased 7.06 percent to $109,200 from the $102,000 recorded in January 2010*.
(*Source - Orlando Regional Realtor Association March 19,2010)
The Seminole County Public Schools have long been recognized as being among the finest in all of Florida. The Florida grading system rates each school individually. The ratings are determined by student achievement based on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). School grades help parents understand how well each school is performing in comparison to other school districts in the state. They are based on annual learning gains of each student toward achievement of Sunshine State Standards.
To find out what school your child will attend visit the Seminole County Public School home page and scroll down to the School Zone Search section.
LONGWOOD VISUAL TOUR!