Clermont

History

Before European colonization and settlement, the area which is today Clermont was originally inhabited by the indigenous Timucua people. Urriparacoxi was reportedly a chieftain in the area during the 1539-40 Hernando de Soto expeditions. The population of the Timucua were whittled by epidemics of infectious diseases introduced by Europeans, then by attacks and slave raids largely conducted under Spanish colonial rule. The Seminole were ultimately ethnically cleansed by federal troops in the Seminole Wars or driven out on the Trail of Tears. The region was geographically called the High Sand Hills by Americans, according to maps by Washington Hood. The first white settlers arrived in the area in 1853, soon after the Seminole Wars. Clermont was founded in 1884, and named for the French birthplace of A.F. Wrotnowski, manager of the Clermont Improvement Company, a company to develop land. The municipality was incorporated as a town from June 9, 1891, then disbanded on May 25, 1895. It was reincorporated as a city on December 28, 1916. Much of the county was developed as orange and other citrus groves, which was the basis of the economy through the mid-20th century. Apshawa Groves, which owned and worked large expanses of land in the county, became a major real estate company. Tourism also became increasingly important. The groves, which were the namesake of the Citrus Tower, dwindled rapidly because of recurrent freezes and suburban development in the late 20th century and into the 2000s. The regional economy shifted from agricultural production to real estate. The population growth attracted numerous companies to the area. From 2000 to 2020, the population grew more than 250 percent amid real estate development and urban sprawl in Central Florida. This brought…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (8.54%) is water. The Clermont area lies on the northern part of the Lake Wales Ridge. There are rolling hills atypical of the Florida peninsula. Nearby are the Clermont chain of lakes and Lake Apopka. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Clermont has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Race & ethnicity