Two towns in central Florida once known as a refuge from the urban sprawl of Orlando have become a top destination for new residents. Several ZIP codes in Central Florida have experienced a population growth of over 30% from 2019 to 2023, according to data from the American Community Survey
Among the areas with a population of at least 10,000 residents, the five fastest-growing were:
- St. Cloud: 49% increase to 31,368 residents
- Clermont: 39.29% increase to 25,407 residents
- Groveland: 35.36% increase to 26,086 residents
- Winter Garden: 32.99% increase to 93,064 residents
- Downtown Orlando: 32.74% increase to 16,251 residents
Despite the population increase, downtown Orlando has faced challenges, including businesses leaving due to a lack of foot traffic, and high office vacancy rates as many workers continue to work from home. However, the broader downtown region has seen an increase of 4,008 residents from 2019 to 2023. To attract businesses and employees to downtown, the city of Orlando has implemented incentives, such as the establishment of the Travel + Leisure (NYSE: TNL) headquarters, which is expected to bring between 800 and 1,000 jobs to the area.
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