Christmas, Florida Explained

Official Name:Christmas, Florida
Settlement Type:Census-designated place
Mapsize:250x200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2: Orange
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:117.13
Area Land Km2:117.10
Area Water Km2:0.03
Area Total Sq Mi:45.22
Area Land Sq Mi:45.21
Area Water Sq Mi:0.01
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:2439
Population Density Km2:20.83
Population Density Sq Mi:53.94
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Coordinates:28.5333°N -81°W
Elevation M:13
Elevation Ft:43
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:32709
Area Code:407, 689, 321
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:12-12250[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0280429[3]

Christmas is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando - Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The population was 1,146 at the 2010 census.[4] Christmas is home to the world's largest alligator-shaped building, measuring at just over 200feet; to Fort Christmas Historical Park, a recreation of the Second Seminole War Fort Christmas; and to Fort Christmas Folk School, a nonprofit school dedicated to teaching folk arts. Every year, Christmas sends a large amount of mail from its post office from people who mail letters from the town so they can have the "Christmas" postmark on their holiday mailings.[5]

Christmas is the birthplace of the American sculptor James Hughlette "Tex" Wheeler, who is best known for his bronze sculpture of the famed racehorse Seabiscuit which holds a place of honor at Santa Anita Park racetrack in California and his "tribute to the American folk humorist, Will Rogers at Claremore, Oklahoma".[6] Wheeler is buried in the Fort Christmas Cemetery.

Christmas is home to many Orlando digital TV stations' transmission towers.

History

On December 25, 1837, a force of 2,000 U.S. Army soldiers and Alabama Volunteers arrived in the area to construct a fort, which they named Fort Christmas. The fort was one of over 200 forts built during the Second Seminole War. In 1892, a Post Office opened at Christmas.[7]

Geography

Christmas is located at (28.5324, -80.9940).[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the Christmas CDP (Census Designated Place) has a total area of 8.9sqkm, all land.[9]

Popular culture

Christmas is one of the many settings in John Green's 2008 novel Paper Towns. In the book, three Orlando high school students embark on a journey to find their friend, who has recently gone missing. An old abandoned mini-mall in Christmas is one of the places where they search for her and find clues vital to her case.

Demographics

US Census 2020

Christmas racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[10] !Race!Number!Percentage
White (NH)1,16088.5%
Black or African American (NH)675.1%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)00.0%
Asian (NH)00.0%
Pacific Islander (NH)00.0%
Some Other Race (NH)00.0%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)00.0%
Hispanic or Latino836.3%
Total1,310

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,310 people, 546 households, and 450 families residing in the CDP.

US Census 2000 and 2010

As of the census[11] of 2010, there were 1,146 people (down from 1,162 in the 2000 Census), 422 households (up from 420 in the 2000 Census), and 304 families (the same as in the 2000 Census) residing in the Christmas CDP (Census Designated Place).[12]

As of the 2000 Census, the population density was 125.7/km (325.3/mi²). There were 446 housing units at an average density of 48.2/km (124.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the Christmas CDP was 95.44% White, 0.43% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population.

As of 2010 there were 422 households, of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 (up from 30.5% in the 2000 census) living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together (up from 49.5% in 2000), 12.1% had a female householder with no male present (down from 14.0% in the 2000 Census), 9.5% had a male householder with no female present (data from the 2000 Census is not available) and 28% were non-families (up from 27.6% in 2000). 25.4% of the households had individuals 65 years of age or older (a dramatic increase from the 8.3% in 2000). The average household size was 2.72 (2.77 in 2000) and the average family size was 2.99 (down from 3.08 in 2000).

In the Christmas Census Designated Place (CDP), as of the 2010 Census, the median age was 41 years old (up from 37 years old in the 2000 Census). In 2010, 46.9% of the residents of the Christmas CDP were women and 53.1% were males.

The median income for a household in the Christmas CDP was not available for the 2010 Census.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. October 31, 2021.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website . . 2008-01-31 .
  3. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  4. Web site: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Christmas CDP, Florida . . September 21, 2012 .
  5. News: What's in a name? . Ocala Star-Banner . May 10, 1999 . 7 June 2015 . Clark, Alisson . 3C.
  6. Dickinson, J. W. (2006). Remembering Orlando: Tales from Elvis to Disney. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press.
  7. Web site: United States Postal Service Postmaster Finder . United States Postal Service . 2017 . 2017-11-30.
  8. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. 2011-04-23. 2011-02-12.
  9. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Christmas CDP, Florida . . September 21, 2012 .
  10. Web site: Explore Census Data. June 5, 2023. data.census.gov.
  11. Web site: U.S. Census website . . 2008-01-31 .
  12. Definition of the acronym "CDP" as used here was found on the U.S Census Bureau's website on 2 October 2012.
  13. All 2010 U.S. Census data provided here was quoted from the US Census Bureau's website on 2 October 2012