About Orlando
Great Place To Live
Orlando offers just the right mix of laid-back Florida lifestyle and the amenities of a big city, making this up-and-coming city an excellent place for students to live. As one of the fastest growing cities in America, Orlando is culturally diverse with residents coming from all around the world. In fact, one out of every six residents was born outside of the country.
The average resident is 32 years old, making Orlando a young city with plenty to do—from hanging out at downtown clubs and art galleries to discovering unique shopping and dining spots to getting outdoors to local parks and waterways.
- 5,000 area restaurants
- 12 malls, including outlets
- Plenty of housing options
Opportunities For Advancement
Valencia’s industry and community ties provide opportunities for students to advance their studies outside the classroom, through internships and at the university level. Internationally recognized companies including Darden Restaurants, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Electronic Arts call Orlando home, and the city is rising as a national leader in health care and biotechnology with its rapidly growing Medical City.
Top Business Sectors:
- Medical and Biotech
- Hospitality and Entertainment
- Film and Digital Media
- Modeling, Simulation and Training
- Optics and Photonics
- Aviation/Aerospace
- Information Technology
Orlando is home to the nation’s second largest university—the University of Central Florida, which guarantees admission to Valencia graduates.
Industry leaders help develop our curriculum, offer internships and even teach our classes.
Things to do
Go to a game. We’ve got Orlando Magic basketball, UCF Knights college football, Orlando City soccer and baseball spring training for the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros.
Visit the attractions. There’s Walt Disney World®, Universal Studios® and SeaWorld, just to name a few.
Get outside. Central Florida has plenty of nature parks, more than 2,000 lakes, springs and rivers, and is about an hour’s drive to the beach.
Enjoy the arts. Visit the Orlando Museum of Art, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts or the Amway Center concert and entertainment venue.