The year 2010 is a milestone year for the community of St. Cloud. It begins its second century as an organized town and looks forward to the next 100 years with the same zeal and enthusiasm that the early townspeople felt as their little community grew and prospered. The next decade could see nearly as many changes coming to St. Cloud as were experienced during that first decade of existence. St. Cloud is strategically positioned to be impacted by a major development to the north, which has begun; and potentially by another to the south, which is still on the drawing boards. 

This year is also an official census year. With the past decade having been one of almost continuous growth, the resulting census counts will significantly contribute to the pace and degree of development anticipated throughout the next decade. The new census counts will impact the accessibility of federal grants and funds to help finance projects that are necessary to continue the desirable level of quality of life St. Cloud residents enjoy and expect; and to nourish economic development.

   

Every resident contributes to the fabric of St. Cloud. Even as the community experienced record growth during the past two decades, it has been the objective of city government and civic leaders that St. Cloud would maintain that small-town feeling that is woven into the dynamics of the community. Every citizen is important to and part of that welcoming “small town” essence that is St. Cloud. 

During the late 1800’s, settlers who came to what is now St. Cloud were primarily involved with the works of Hamilton Disston. The Philadelphia entrepreneur had contracted with the State of Florida in 1881 to drain the swamps of Central Florida and the overflowed lands south of Orlando which included the present-day St. Cloud area. For the incredible price of $1 million, Disston, heir to the Henry Disston & Sons Saw Works, the largest manufacturer of saws and files in the U.S., received approximately four million acres. Disston brought engineers and workers to the area to dredge the canals. 

With the completion of the canal into East Lake Tohopekaliga in 1884 more than 400 acres of the reclaimed land was planted in sugarcane, which had been grown in smaller plots prior to Disston’s arrival. 

Soon after, Disston bought the sugarcane operation and created the Florida Sugar Manufacturing Company. He constructed a $350,000-mill on the canal near East Lake Tohopekaliga and at its peak the mill processed 200 tons of sugar cane every 24 hours and was reportedly the largest sugar mill in America at the time.

While many think St. Cloud acquired its name from St. Cloud, Minnesota, it is the sugar connection that inspired the name. Attributed variously to a French engineer who worked for Disston, or to Professor Bridges, principal of the Kissimmee High School at the time, the name of St. Cloud was suggested, the same name of an ancient city of France which was noted for its great sugar refineries. 

On April 30, 1896, Disston died suddenly from heart disease, as reported by the New York Times. The sugar operation shut down shortly thereafter, and the little sugar community just sort of coasted for several years. Officers of the Seminole Land and Investment Company, a subsidiary of the National Tribune, official newspaper for the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), became acquainted with the area. 

By 1909 the company had purchased 35,000 acres of land and announced the development of the “New town of St. Cloud, a Soldier’s Colony" which would be a community specifically for retired Union veterans. April 23, 1909, the first city lots, 25’ x 150’ plus five acres outside of town, were sold by lottery for $50. Twelve hundred lots were sold. On May 7th, a second offering upped the price to $100 for the city lot plus five acres; and on May 21, 1909, the first settler arrived, ready to move in, but had to pitch a tent as the houses were not ready.

By August it was reported that the town had about 20 people, but by September 1910 St. Cloud had a population of nearly 2,000 and was a beehive of activity. In February 1911, the little community was officially incorporated as a city. For the next 100 years, the community grew and prospered, ever proud of its patriotic heritage and dedication to remembering all veterans. 

Before St. Cloud became the Soldier’s Colony, settlers and ranchers were in the area. Agriculture has contributed substantially to the commerce and growth of the city. This is still so today, with large ranching operations to the east and south of St. Cloud. The strong agricultural influence is still prevalent in the area as evidenced by the strength of the Osceola County Extension Service, a local branch of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), located at Osceola Heritage Park, just west of St. Cloud. It provides year-round assistance for urban residents as well as commercial agricultural businesses. Volunteer Family and Community Education members, Master Gardeners, and 4-H leaders help extend county and university resources and provide many community services. 

Osceola County’s 4-H program includes more than 600 youth, ages 5-18. The 4-H curriculum is available for teachers and home schools through school enrichment activities. Large cattle ranches south and east of St. Cloud continue the ranching way of life. The City of St. Cloud provides a wonderful small-town environment for its residents, a proud heritage, and an amazing future. City provided recreational facilities exceed the norm and create opportunities for an exceptional quality of life. © 2010 Kissimmee CVB

St. Cloud was impacted by the record-setting rate of growth experienced by the entire state of Florida during the 1990’s and the first several years of this decade. The population recorded in 1990 was 20,074; estimates for 2010 are nearly 38,000. In almost every direction of the city, with the exception of North, which runs into East Lake Toho, one can drive through large sections of commercial and residential development and note, “This wasn’t here five or ten years ago.” 

Long-time residents welcomed newcomers from across the globe. Neighborhoods sprang up, and new schools were built. There were growing pains along the way, but St. Cloud maintained its small-town sense of community and charm. That small-town essence was and still is one of the drivers for growth. 

St. Cloud is an inviting place to live, raise a family, and conduct business. Another major growth influencer was and is the happy accident of St. Cloud’s location. Situated just 30 minutes south of Orlando International Airport and downtown Orlando, and just 45 minutes to world-famous theme parks, St. Cloud is less than an hour's drive to I-95, the Atlantic beaches, and the shipping ports of Port Canaveral. The new southern access to Florida's Turnpike makes it easily accessible from nearly any area of the city.