PINE HILLS, FLORIDA

'Pine Hills' is a census-designated place, an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Orlando, Florida. The population was 41,764 at the 2000 census. Pine Hills comprises the area from just west of Hiawasse Rd east to the Orlando city limits and from Clarcona-Ocoee Rd south to SR 408 (East-West Expressway).
The area that would become Pine Hills was established in the early 1950s with the first subdivisions built along the newly constructed Pine Hills Rd north of Colonial Dr. (SR 50) and was one of the first suburbs of Orlando. It gradually grew to serve as a bedroom community for the blue-collar employees of Martin-Marietta (now, Lockheed-Martin) and was once primarily comprised of upper-middle class families. Pine Hills was complete with (at the time in the 1950s) a modern shopping mall and country club. The shopping mall still stands as the Pine Hills Marketplace, now a strip-mall with an AutoZone and discount stores. The country club was closed and apartment complexes were built on the site in the 1990s.
During the 1980s an effort was made by the City of Orlando to annex Pine Hills. The long time homeowners rejected this measure fearing larger taxes and little representation. During this time, as Orlando's growth absorbed Pine Hills, many other original families left Pine Hills and moved into newer and relatively safer neighborhoods in nearby Ocoee, Winter Garden and MetroWest. Pine Hills fell into a state of decline during the 1990s as much of the housing became low rent and government subsidised, resulting in higher crime and little representation from the local government. Many homeowners now embrace the idea of Orlando annexing Pine Hills, arguing the potential benefits are better police protection and city beautification services. However, given the area's reputation of high-crime and undesirable image, annexation does not appear likely in the near future. Unfortunately, the reputation has also given rise to the community's nickname, "Crime Hills".
Despite its shortcomings, Pine Hills could arguably be considered the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in Orlando. Pine Hills has a sizeable Caribbean population including Haitians, Jamaicans, and Puerto Ricans; and a large Asian population of Vietnamese, Koreans, and Cambodians. Along Pine Hills Rd are located many immigration offices, Caribbean & Asian restaurants, and West Indian grocery stores. To reflect the growing ethnic diversity in Pine Hills, developers are building another "Chinatown" for Orlando along West Colonial Dr. with Asian-themed grocery stores, restaurants, and retail outlets.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

★ 1970....13,882 ★ 1980....35,771 ★ 1990....35,322 ★ 2000....41,764

Education

Transportation

Celebrities

Bears

External links

Geography

Pine Hills is located at (28.574876, -81.457267).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 20.5 km² (7.9 mi²). 19.9 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (3.03%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 41,764 people, 13,358 households, and 10,031 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,099.6/km² (5,436.7/mi²). There were 14,125 housing units at an average density of 710.1/km² (1,838.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 33.93% White, 51.42% African American, 0.28% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.86% from other races, and 5.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.07% of the population.
There were 13,358 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,455, and the median income for a family was $34,997. Males had a median income of $25,613 versus $21,099 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,257. About 14.8% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
=== Pine Hills' Population History from the U.S. Census Bureau =

★ 1970....13,882

★ 1980....35,771

★ 1990....35,322

★ 2000....41,764

Economy ==
The primary industry in Pine Hills is retail. Major companies with a presence in Pine Hills are Target, Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Lowes, Circuit City, Publix Supermarkets, and Winn-Dixie.
Light industry is located along east Silver Star Rd.
Due to its relatively central location, Pine Hills enjoys close proximity to Orlando's burgeoning business and tourism centers. Many residents commute to Downtown Orlando, less than 5 miles east, the northern suburb of Maitland, or to the International Dr Universal Orlando, and Walt Disney World tourist districts filling one of the many service jobs.

Education

The Elementary Schools in Pine Hills are: Pine Hills, Mollie E. Ray, and Rolling Hills, Lake Gem Elementary, and Ridgewood Park.
The Middle Schools in Pine Hills are: Robinswood and Meadowbrook.
Maynard Evans High School is located in Pine Hills with a separate 9th Grade Center 4 miles away from the main campus along West Silver Star Road.
There are also several private schools located within the many community churches.
Pine Hills is located less than 3 miles north of Valencia Community College West Campus.

Transportation

West Colonial Dr. or SR 50 and SR 408 are the major thoroughfares in Pine Hills. The secondary highways are Pines Hills Rd which runs north and south and is paralleled by Hiawassee Rd to the west. Silver Star Rd is the secondary east-west connector to Hwy 441 or Orange Blossom Trail.
Lynx, the public transportation system serving Metropolitan Orlando has many stops in Pine Hills.

Celebrities

Celebrities from Pine Hills:
- Brian McKnight - Singer
- Chucky Atkins - NBA Basketball Player
- Kenard Lang - NFL Denver Broncos

Bears

On many occasions, the local television news has reported bears wandering into Pine Hills from the woods outside of town. Once, a bear was chased up a tree in Pine Hills by a Persian cat. Pine Hills is jokingly considered, by many residents, to be full of bears. Since 2004, bear-watching has been gaining popularity as a local past-time.

External links

★ Pine Hills Offical Community Page