Sanford, Florida

Sanford, Florida
City
The Sanford Grammar School in January 2007
Seal Wordmark
Nickname:  "Celery City"
Location in Seminole County and the U.S. state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°47′21″N 81°16′33″W / 28.78917°N 81.27583°W / 28.78917; -81.27583[1]
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Seminole
Incorporated	September 29, 1877
Founded by	Henry Shelton Sanford
Government
• Type	Commission–Manager
• Mayor	Art Woodruff
• Commissioners	Sheena Rena Britton, Patrick Austin, Patty Mahany, and Kerry S. Wiggins, Sr.
• City Manager	Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr.
• City Clerk	Traci Houchin
• City Attorney	William L. Colbert
Area [2]
• City	27.18 sq mi (70.39 km2)
• Land	23.58 sq mi (61.07 km2)
• Water	3.60 sq mi (9.32 km2)
Elevation [1]	39 ft (12 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	61,051
• Density	2,589.21/sq mi (999.68/km2)
• Urban	1,510,516 (32nd U.S.)
• Metro	2,267,846 (26th U.S.)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	32771, 32773
Area code(s)	321, 407, 689
FIPS code	12-63650
GNIS feature ID	2405418[1]
Website	sanfordfl.gov

Sanford is a city and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Known as the "Historic Waterfront Gateway City", Sanford sits on the southern shore of Lake Monroe at the head of navigation on the St. Johns River. Native Americans first settled the area thousands of years before the city was formed.^{[citation needed]} The Seminoles arrived in the area in the 18th century. During the Second Seminole War in 1836, the United States Army established Camp Monroe and built a road now known as Mellonville Avenue. Sanford is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Orlando.

Sanford is home to Seminole State College of Florida and the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Its downtown attracts tourists with shops, restaurants, a marina, and a lakefront walking trail. The Orlando Sanford International Airport, in the heart of the town, functions as the secondary commercial airport for international and domestic carriers in the Orlando metropolitan area.