Economy
Tourism is a large contributor to Central Florida's economy. However, the area has economically diversified in the past decade. As a high-tech industrial hub, Metro Orlando has the seventh largest research park in the U.S., Central Florida Research Park, the engineering and business school of the University of Central Florida. It has defense companies such as Lockheed Martin and Siemens.
Medical research is conducted in Orlando's Lake Nona area with the University of Central Florida medical school, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute biomedical research facility and a new Veterans Administration hospital. These facilities, along with several research support companies, have led this research cluster to be referred to as Medical City.
Kennedy Space Center is a NASA facility. Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are military installations located on the Atlantic coast.
Major malls and open-air centers in the area include:
- Altamonte Mall
- Downtown Disney
- The Florida Mall
- The Mall at Millenia
- Orlando Fashion Square
- Oviedo Marketplace
- Seminole Towne Center
- Universal CityWalk
- Volusia Mall
- Waterford Lakes Town Center
- West Oaks Mall
- Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves
Read more about this topic: Central Florida
Famous quotes containing the word economy:
“It enhances our sense of the grand security and serenity of nature to observe the still undisturbed economy and content of the fishes of this century, their happiness a regular fruit of the summer.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of generations, peoples, of entire planets, has no importance in relation to the general development.”
—Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)
“Everyone is always in favour of general economy and particular expenditure.”
—Anthony, Sir Eden (1897–1977)