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FLORIDA 8 : Central - Orange County; part of Orlando

The 8th surrounds Orlando and includes most of the upscale suburban areas in Orange County, as well as a portion of Kissimmee. Whittled by growth-fueled redistricting, the 8th is a land-locked district powered by the presence of Walt Disney World and the tourism industry in the Orlando area, the world's leading vacation destination. The more rural eastern edge of the district, near coastal Brevard County, hasn't kept pace with Orlando's boom.

Residents of Orlando's suburbs - from middle-class areas near the city to well-heeled Windermere - support conservative Republicans on social and economic issues. The population is younger, wealthier and more educated than most Florida districts. Local officials tend to be Republicans or conservative Democrats and favor business and development.

Although tourism leads the economy, the district also relies on a growing technology sector headed by defense and aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin and Oracle Corp. Technology and research have replaced the dwindling military presence in the district - Orlando's Naval Training Center was scheduled to be shut down in 1999, costing about 4,000 full-time jobs.

Major Industry
Tourism, aerospace, TV production

Population
561,856 (1990)

Cities
Orlando (pt.), 113,498; Kissimmee (pt.), 29,897; Winter Park (pt.), 18,671 (1990)

People
90% urban; 11% age 65+ (ranks 21 of 23 in state; bottom third nationally); 55% married couples, 25% married couples with children; 23% college educated (ranks second of 23 in state; top third nationally); 62% white collar (ranks eighth of 23 in state; top third nationally); 21% blue collar (ranks 17 of 23 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
89% white, 5% black, 2% Asian; 11% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$31,251 (ranks fifth of 23 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Golfers Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara live in Windermere; Costumed Disney World employees are members of the Teamsters Union.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company