“We are in recovery,” Dyer says. From the real estate perspective, industry professionals, buyers, sellers, and investors, have all seen the rise in housing prices. The interview with Mayor Dyer, however, discussed more than housing. Tourism is Central Florida’s top industry. Orlando tops most other destinations in the US for the number of annual visitors. Last year, Orlando welcomed 55 million out-of-towners, topping 50 million just 2 years ago. Tourism, Dyer says, is roaring back!We already know that Orlando’s economics are driven by housing and tourism, but what else? Education, medicine, and technology are other top industries. The University of Central Florida ranks as the second largest university in the nation. For the 2012-2013 enrollment, UCF is looking at over 60,000 students, and may have inched to the #1 spot. UCF is undeniably the economic powerhouse of East Orlando.
Several years ago Lake Nona was a quiet, modestly developing master-planned community in the Southeast corner of Orlando. Not only has the area seen incredible housing growth over the last few years, but is now the home of the highly anticipated Medical City. What began as a 50-acre, $12.5 million dollar donation from Tavistock to UCF to establish a medical school, is now a 650-acre health and life sciences park that holds some of the biggest biomedical names. New residents include the UCF Health Sciences Campus, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Nemours Children’s Hospital, M.D. Anderson Orlando Cancer Research Institute, University of Florida Academic & Research Center, and the VA Medical Center. According to the Orlando Business Journal, Medical City, over the next decade, is expected to create 30,000 jobs and have a $7.6 billion impact on the economy. Visit LearnLakeNona.com to learn more.