Maitland One of the oldest incorporated municipalities in Central Florida, Maitland is a city steeped in history. A “historical corridor” has been established that encompasses old residences still occupied in the Lake Lily-Lake Catherine area and extending through the central portion of the city. Also, the Florida Audubon Society was founded in Maitland and continues in its protection of wild birds on Lake Sybelia. Lake Sybelia is one of the prettiest lakes in the Orlando area, a peaceful setting for observing unfettered wildlife and foliage. The Maitland Art Center, designed and established in 1937 by famed sculptor Andre Smith, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Yet, Maitland is also a burgeoning business area, home to the sprawling Maitland Center Business Park, located adjacent to Interstate 4. Since the 1960's, Maitland has been a quintessential bedroom community. Some of the area's first suburbs were built there to attract young families looking for large lawns and good schools. In the late 1970s a sprawling office park called Maitland Center was built near the I-4 interchange, giving the city a distinctive business identity as well. The 190-acre development contains a hotel, 45 office buildings and 400 businesses. More than 12,000 people work here. Numerous big projects are in the works that promise to give Maitland's somewhat nebulous downtown district a more cohesive look. On the south side of downtown, The Morgan Group plans to build the Village at Lake Lily, a nine-acre, mixed-use project encompassing condominiums, apartments and 45,000 square feet of retail space. Clearly, Maitland is a thoroughly modern place. Ye tit has actually been in existence longer than most Central Florida communities. It was established in 1838 as Fort Maitland, named in honor of Captain William S. Maitland, a hero of the Second Seminole War. In 1937 sculptor Andre Smith founded the Mayan themed Art Center at Maitland, which was originally intended to be a compound where artists could live and work. The center, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features an open-air chapel that has become a popular spot for weddings. Today Maitland is home to the Enzian Theatre, the regions's only art-house cinema and the setting for the annual Florida Film Festival. And two large art festivals are help in Maitland: One in October, sponsored by the Maitland Rotary Club, and one in April, sponsored by the Maitland/South Seminole Chamber of Commerce. Adjacent to Maitland is Eatonville, founded in 1887, which is thought to be the oldest city in the country incoporated by African-Americans. Folklorist Zora Neal Hurston lived in Eatonville for a time and wrote about the community in books such as Their Eyes Were Watching God. Visit Maitland's Website 
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