Author Description

In 1879, the new post office south of the steamboat wharfs on Lake Jesup was named Oviedo for a city in northern Spain to blend with the old La Florida. Oviedo has grown from a farm town to become the cultural and commercial center for Black Hammock, Geneva, Chuluota, Snow Hill, Slavia, Jamestown, Gabriella, Mills Lake, and Taintsville ("taint" Oviedo, "taint" Chuluota). Around Oviedo is more than a title--it is a sense of place. Lakes, rivers, and conservation lands surround Oviedo, forever preserving its frontier Florida heritage. Neighboring University of Central Florida has drawn professors, engineers, and tech-development professionals to spin-off office parks. The city and business and community groups, including the volunteers at TOPP (the Oviedo Preservation Project), maintain the rural heritage and protect old structures in and around Oviedo. In a state where many cities look exactly like the next, no matter how many university professors and high-tech engineers live in Oviedo, downtown's free-range and well-fed chickens prove the town still has its celery- and sod-farming traditions.