Apopka

History

The earliest known inhabitants of the Apopka area were the Acuera people, members of the Timucua confederation. They had disappeared by 1730, probably decimated by diseases transmitted through Florida by Spanish colonists. The Acuera were succeeded by refugees from Alabama and Georgia, who formed the new Seminole Indian tribe. They called the area Ahapopka. Aha, meaning "Potato," and papka, meaning "eating place". By the 1830s, this settlement numbered about 200, and was the birthplace of the chief Coacoochee (known in English as "Wild Cat"). At the conclusion of the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Congress passed the Armed Occupation Act of 1842, forcing surviving natives at Ahapopka to abandon their village and seek refuge deeper in the wilderness of the Florida peninsula. The early American settlers built a major trading center on the foundations of the earlier Indian settlement. Their population was large enough by 1857 to support the establishment of a Masonic lodge. In 1859 the lodge erected a permanent meeting place at what is now the intersection of Main Street (U.S. Highway 441) and Alabama Avenue. The settlers in the vicinity of "The Lodge" were largely isolated during the Civil War, but the area rebounded once peace was re-established, and a population boom followed the construction of railroad lines through the region. In 1869, the Apopka Post Office opened. In 1882, the one mile in each direction of "The Lodge" or "Fudge Hall" was officially incorporated under the name "Town of Apopka City". In the 1890s, the town was contracted in size more than once due to difficult times. In 1905, the Apopka City Council authorized incorporation of the Apopka Water, Light, and Ice Company. Councilman A.M. Starbird was appointed its manager, but it was not until…

Geography

Apopka is about 16 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (4.15%) is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Apopka has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  43,636
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,794
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  31,507
• Red-shouldered/Broad-winged Hawk

  Buteo lineatus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  30,440
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,336
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

  Polioptila caerulea (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  27,273
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,294
• Palm Warbler

  Setophaga palmarum (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  25,468