Windermere, Florida 34786

Windermere is a town in Orange County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,897. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the town had a population of 2,019. It is expected that the 2010 census will show the town with almost 3000 people. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aqua Pool Dealer handles many customers withing the Windermere community. Aqua Pool Dealer has been able to gain it's Windermere customer base from offering affordable prices as a state licensed contractor and it's background check system to help curb theft on within the community.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,897 people, 704 households, and 561 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,688.2 inhabitants per square mile (654.0/km²). There were 723 housing units at an average density of 643.4 per square mile (249.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.68% White, 1.3% Black, 0.05% Native Americans, 2.00% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.53% of the population.

There were 704 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $88,809, and the median income for a family was $105,737. Males had a median income of $80,693 versus $37,321 for females. The per capita income for the town was $51,370. About 2.4% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Windermere is home to Windermere Preparatory School, a private, coeducational PK-12 college prep school.

It is also home to Windermere Elementary School and Gotha Middle School, Orange County Public Schools in Windermere, assigned based on the parent/guardian's home address. OCPS also provides school buses for local students.

Transportation

Signs on Apopka-Vineland Road, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of downtown, warn heavy vehicles to stay out of Windermere.

Windermere is located on an isthmus between several lakes in the Lake Butler chain. As such, it is on the shortest road route between the east and west sides of the chain. In fact, the next crossing to the south is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south at Lake Buena Vista, where County Road 535 (CR 535) and Apopka-Vineland Road meet. The next crossing to the north is at Gotha, the north end of the chain of lakes, 2.25 miles (3.62 km) to the north. 2003 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), much of which is commuters passing through, is 17,197 vehicles per day for Sixth Avenue (the east entrance), 18,362 on Main Street north of Sixth Avenue, and 9,484 on Main Street south of Sixth Avenue.

Windermere tries to regulate traffic and encourages traffic to use alternate routes. In 2004, two roundabouts were installed downtown with the largest public works project in the town's history. This has greatly improved traffic flow and relieved cut through traffic. A third roundabout was completed in August 2010 at the intersection of Park Avenue and Maguire Road. This is at the Windermere Elementary School intersection. All roads in the downtown area (laid out in a grid) are dirt roads except for a few through roads:

•Main Street from the northern boundary (as Maguire Road, which heads north to Ocoee) south to 12th Street; the pavement turns west at 12th Street onto Chase Road, which connects to CR 535

•Sixth Avenue east from Main Street to the town line, where it becomes Conroy-Windermere Road

•Second Avenue west from Main Street (serves a peninsula)

•"Dirt Main Street", just west of Main Street (opposite where the railroad used to run), from Third Avenue to Seventh Avenue

•Several other paved roads exist in the outskirts, in areas that have been annexed since the original town was formed.

Until the 1980s, Main Street north of Sixth Avenue and Sixth Avenue east of Main Street were maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as part of State Road 439 (SR 439). This was given to Orange County as CR 439, and Orange County eventually removed all signs and gave the part inside Windermere to the town. Signs put up by FDOT still mark the north end of CR 439 at SR 50, but no other signs exist, in part because Orange County has a general policy of not signing county roads.

The Florida Midland Railroad, part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, used to run just west of Main Street; there is now a large grassy area between Main Street and the dirt road (often called Dirt Main Street) that ran just west of the railroad. Windermere had a station on the railroad.

Notable residents

Windermere has been the residence of many professional athletes, including Shaquille O'Neal, and most notably, Tiger Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren, after his 2009-2010 scandal. It is also home to former Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles T. Wells and retired General Jay Garner. Justice Wells was Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court during the Bush v. Gore contested election. General Garner was the first American leader of Iraq after the Iraq War. Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Johnny Damon also lives here with his family.