Orlando’s 150^th anniversary gives the community the chance to explore its past while also embracing its evolution.

Those who call Orlando home know firsthand just how truly special this community is. With its many charming neighborhoods where civic pride runs deep, the area is a wonderful place to live, work and play. And so while residents routinely get the chance to embrace and enjoy all that The City Beautiful has to offer, 2025’s arrival brings a whole new reason to celebrate as Orlando marks its historic 150^th anniversary.

The yearlong celebration will consist of various events to highlight the milestone, beginning in April when the Orange County Regional History Center will provide a glimpse into the city’s past with Orlando Collected, a special exhibit of 150 unique items donated by various local individuals and organizations. This summer, The Changing Face of Orlando: A Sesquicentennial Celebration, will also open in the Terrace Art Gallery inside Orlando City Hall. The exhibit will feature a visual comparison of historic photos matched with recreated modern-day images to show the city’s journey from past to present. Additional planned events include Small Business Week in May and a special Fireworks at the Fountain on July 4. On July 31, Orlando’s actual birthday, the celebration continues with a citywide service event and free admission to both Leu Gardens and the Menello Museum.

One person who is excited to mark the occasion is a man with a special and longstanding connection to the city, Mayor Buddy Dyer. Dyer was born in Orlando and has served the community in many ways throughout his career in politics, including as mayor for more than two decades. Though he said this will be his last term, he is thankful to get the chance to celebrate Orlando’s 150^th before he leaves office and fondly reflects on what the city has meant to him and his family.

“I was born in Orlando, I have two sons that were born in Orlando and now I have a grandson who was born in Orlando. And what I love about our city is there’s every type of [career] or educational opportunity that you could want in a place that is also visited by 70 million people [each year]. But the special quality is what a great place it is to live and raise your children. I’ve had that experience and now my sons are having that experience of raising their children here in the city that I love,” says Dyer.

As Dyer reflects on his tenure as mayor, he jokes that perhaps the most praise he’s received has been regarding his welcome message played aboard the tram cars at Orlando International Airport. “But I think the real answer of what I’m most proud about is that we’ve created a community that values the power of partnership in just about everything that I could name,” he says.

While touting numerous accomplishments that include seeing SunRail become a reality, the opening of the Kia Center, the debut of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the building of Inter&Co Stadium, the renovation of Camping World Stadium and many other notable feats, Dyer says none of that could have been possible without a collaborative effort indicative of the fabric of Orlando.

“That’s all because we are able to work together as a community. The city, the county, the business community, the not-for-profit community all work well together,” says Dyer. “We may sometimes take that for granted because there are communities in other places where everybody’s pulling in opposite directions instead of the same direction. That’s what I am most proud of.”

Another person with a lifelong connection to Orlando is Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who also grew up in the area, graduated from Jones High School and went on to become Orlando’s first-ever African American police chief. He has served in his current role since 2018 and continues to be a steward for the city.

“I was born in the late ’50s, before there was a [Walt] Disney [World]. … And I’ve lived here my whole life, so I’ve seen the excitement when new things were happening here,” he says. “The excitement with Disney, the excitement with Universal, the excitement with SeaWorld, the excitement with the Orlando Magic coming to town, the excitement with professional soccer coming to town.

“The area has been catapulted into the No. 1 tourist destination in North America, and one of the top in the world. That has brought investment from the theme parks, but we’ve also seen the University of Central Florida grow into the second-largest university by undergraduate enrollment in the country. We are one of the major pipelines of talent for NASA and space exploration. So this community is truly bustling with new adventures and new innovation. It’s just a great place to be.”

Many others would seem to agree as the area continues to see a steady rise in new residents with an estimated 400 to 1,000 new people moving to Orange County every week, according to Demings. By 2050, the county is projected to have a population of 2.1 million residents, making it critical that Orlando also continues to evolve and grow.

“Any community that has that many people, it can only sustain itself if we are able to maintain a good quality of life,” says Demings.

Part of that growing population includes Jennifer Fritz-Hunter, who in the few shorts years since she relocated from the Midwest, has become enthralled with Orlando’s past while serving as the city’s historic preservation officer. Being able to witness the 150^th celebration is an exciting opportunity for her to share some of Orlando’s evolution from a frontier town to a bustling metropolitan area.

“I live the city’s history every day and now residents get to as well,” she says. “Many residents in Orlando are transplants like me. So I am looking forward to those newbies—whether they came here five, 10 or 20 years ago—learning about our history and getting involved in their ‘new’ city.”

“Orlando’s 150^th anniversary is a fantastic reminder for us as residents to celebrate our rich history and acknowledge the dynamic neighborhoods that make up our vibrant destination,” adds Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.

Matej also sees the celebration as a chance for the city’s many visitors to take advantage and learn more about the destination beyond its many popular attractions.

“Celebrating the 150^th anniversary can foster a sense of community and cultural pride among residents, which can be contagious for visitors. Tourists often seek authentic experiences and connections with locals. Events that encourage community participation, such as local art displays, traditional music and dance performances, and food festivals, can offers visitors a genuine taste of Orlando’s cultural richness,” she says.

While reliving the past is certainly appropriate given such a historic milestone as turning 150, both Dyer and Demings are keeping a watchful eye toward the future and are hopeful for Orlando’s short- and long-term future.

With the expansion of transportation capabilities, the recent announcement of an advanced air mobility project at the airport, progress being made on a permanent Pulse memorial, the major theme parks’ continual development and various industries like technology and manufacturing showing tremendous growth in recent years, Orlando is poised for even brighter days ahead.

“We are trying to make certain that we realize the dream that Walt Disney had to make Orlando the ‘experimental prototype community of tomorrow,’ the Epcot of the world. And we are doing that,” Demings says.

Though Fritz-Hunter loves to celebrate the city’s history, she is also eager to see how modern-day advancements will propel Orlando toward the next 150 years, knowing that history, in a sense, is being made every day.

“To me, history is not a set of dates and spots on a map. It is tangible, alive and present all around us. What we do today matters to future generations of Orlando residents,” she says.

So as the community comes together to celebrate 150 years and recognize this special time, Dyer sees it as an opportunity to learn about and from the past in an effort to fully appreciate how far Orlando has come.

“Orlando’s 150^th anniversary is the time we can celebrate our city’s rich history and remarkable achievements, especially the incredible growth that we’ve had over the years,” he says. “I always think it’s important that a community know its history, but just as importantly, it’s a time for us to recognize the city that we have grown into.”