St. Cloud, Florida is a charming lakefront senior community and vacation area.

St. Cloud FL History

In the early 1880’s, draining swamps and digging canals made new agriculture ventures possible in the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area. Hamilton Disston erected the first sugar factory at the St. Cloud Plantation at East Lake Tohopekaliga. It was reported that the sugar mill was the largest in America. A railroad was used to transport the product resulting in the Sugar Belt Railway. However, by 1894 a number of setbacks led to the loss of sugar profits. This and depressed land values destroyed Disston’s Sugar Plantation. When he died in 1896, his family was not interested in his drainage and sugar ventures in Florida and they abandoned the project.

A small town had developed at Disston’s sugar works. “Sunny Side” was the name of the community of Disston employees. In 1909, the land surrounding the Disston Plantation was purchased by the Seminole Land and Investment Company as the town site for a colony of Veterans of the Civil War. It was reported that the company searched all over Florida for the perfect site for a veterans’ colony, particularly one especially suited for “health, climate, and productiveness of the soil.” The new town was named St. Cloud.

St. Cloud Florida – Lakefront Family-Oriented Town

Today, St. Cloud Florida is a small family-oriented town located right outside of Orlando. It has 2.5 miles of beautiful lakefront and an extensive parks program. Many seniors choose to retire here after visiting this charming community.