Kissimmee is one of the most popular Central Florida cities. Located at Disney’s doorstep, Kissimmee is just minutes from Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, Sea World, Wet n’ Wild and other famed theme parks.
Kissimmee is a thriving, tourist-driven town with many well-known entertainment venues...
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Kissimmee is one of the most popular Central Florida cities. Located at Disney’s doorstep, Kissimmee is just minutes from Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, Sea World, Wet n’ Wild and other famed theme parks.
Kissimmee is a thriving, tourist-driven town with many well-known entertainment venues of its own including Arabian Nights Dinner Attraction; Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament; the world’s tallest sky coaster that stands over 300 feet tall; numerous golf courses; bass fishing on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes; fine and relaxed dining; high-end and outlet shopping; and always fun Old Town that offers 75 specialty shops, eight restaurants, 18 exciting rides, and weekly classic and new car shows.
In the heart of it all, Kissimmee’s downtown is near the intersection of U.S. Highway 17/92 and U.S. Highway 192. Kissimmee is also just minutes from the Interstate 4 corridor. In just over one hour of traveling west on Interstate 4, you have the opportunity to sightsee one of Tampa’s oldest districts, historic Ybor City. Traveling east in about the same amount of time you can see history in the making at Cape Canaveral. The Lynx Bus offers the residents of Kissimmee an alternative to driving around town. The Lynx Bus has routes, or links, in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties.
Once a small trading post on the northwest shore of Lake Tohopekaliga, Kissimmee was included in the purchase of four million acres by the owner of a saw mill in Philadelphia, Hamilton Disston, who bought the marshland and plains for one million dollars after the Civil War. Disston wanted to drain the area and deepen the Kissimmee River in order to ship products into the Gulf of Mexico and other destinations.
Steamboats carried cypress lumber and sugar cane through the chain of lakes until a devastating freeze in 1895 that led Disston’s company to pull out of Kissimmee and go back to Philadelphia. Cattle ranching was a big part of the economy in Kissimmee until 1971 when Walt Disney opened the doors to his Magic Kingdom. The southern part of Osceola County still has active cattle ranches, but tourism is what predominantly drives the economy.
Today Kissimmee boasts over 35 parks that have ball fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, and other amenities. Kissimmee’s Parks and Recreation Department offers numerous activities for children including sports, dance classes, martial arts, after school programs, special needs recreation, teen night and dances, and so much more. Kissimmee’s Parks and Recreation Department also holds an annual Fall Festival and Veteran’s Day Celebration.
Whether you are looking for new construction or an established neighborhood, Kissimmee has a variety to offer. Florida-style single-family homes are popular here. Kissimmee is part of the Osceola School District. Osceola County has 21 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and nine high schools. Kissimmee’s schools of higher education are Southeastern Academy, Florida Christian College, Inc., Marathon Flight School, Inc., and Technical Education Center-Osceola.
In June 2008, the average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Kissimmee, FL was $165,027. While this data is collected from the MLS and deemed reliable, it is not guaranteed.
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