Lake County, Florida
The story of Clermont
Everything below is a single verifiable claim with a citation attached. Where the record is a local legend rather than a document, it says so.
- 1884Established
- 1956Citrus tower built
- 2001National Training Center
founding
How it started
- 1884
Clermont was established in 1884, incorporated as a town on 9 June 1891, disbanded on 25 May 1895, and reincorporated as a city on 28 December 1916.
etymology
How it got its name
-
The city is named for the French hometown of A.F. Wrotnowski, who managed the Clermont Improvement Company.
industry
What it lived on
-
Orange and citrus groves dominated the county's economy into the mid-twentieth century, then dwindled fast under repeated freezes and suburban development.
claim to fame
What it is known for
- 1956
The Florida Citrus Tower, built in 1956, still stands over a landscape whose groves have largely gone - one of Florida's earliest roadside landmarks outliving the industry it was built to celebrate.
figure
Worth knowing
- 2014
Clermont adopted the slogan Choice of Champions in 2014, on the strength of the National Training Center established there in 2001.
landmark
What still stands
-
Waterfront Park on Lake Minneola, with swimming, fishing piers and a playground.
- 1956
The 1956 Florida Citrus Tower.