Sanford is a principal city of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 2,134,411 people as of the 2010 U.S. Census.
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 in the area thousands of years before the city was formed. The Seminoles would arrive 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 that is currently known as Mellonville Avenue. The city sits approximately 20 miles northeast of Orlando.
Sanford is home to Seminole State College of Florida and the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The Orlando Sanford International Airport, which headquarters the Aerosim Flight Academy (formerly the Delta Connection Academy), functions as the secondary commercial airport for international and domestic carriers, in the Orlando metropolitan area.