Orlando began as a settlement around Fort Gatlin, which was built by the US Army during the Seminole Wars. Originally named Jernigan after its first settlers, the city’s name was later changed. Once a small farming and citrus-growing town, Orlando underwent a drastic transformation when Walt Disney World entered the picture in 1971. Although it now serves as home to many of Disney’s multitude of employees, Orlando still has an identity of its own. Orlando is a fun place to live and a great place to raise a family. There is an wide range of apartments to rent if you’re considering moving to Orlando. In Orlando’s downtown area, restaurants, antique shops, hotels and museums line tree-shaded streets. In Winter Park, an upscale area just north of downtown that still retains its quaint charm, grownups can escape the child-centric attractions and relax, shop and dine. Twenty-five miles to the east, Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards offers tours, tastings and even grape-stompings. And 46 miles to the south, the Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s launch headquarters at Cape Canaveral, features two IMAX theaters, the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the Rocket Garden, where visitors can board replicas of early space capsules. Orlando’s climate is semi-tropical, with a winter average low temperature of 51 and an average summer high temperature of 93. Its annual precipitation averages 47.2 inches, well above the national average of 38.7. You won’t have to stay in our Orlando apartment if you live here. The temperatures are great for outdoor fun. Orlando apartments are spread through the Orlando metroplex. Many new apartments are being built in the growing suburban centers. A small studio apartment in downtown Orlando rents for $600. A one-bedroom apartment in east Orlando rents for $790-1150, a two-bedroom north Orlando apartment rents for $1075-1215, while rent on a downtown loft starts at about $2000.