Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998. An older agricultural and resort area, Sanford is home to the Delta Connection Academy, Seminole State College of Florida and the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The city is situated beside Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Sanford has a beautiful newly developed "River Walk" on Lake Monroe, along with a large indoor mall, and international airport, just 15 minutes away from Riviera Bella.
The opening of Walt Disney World in October 1971 shifted the economy of Central Florida further toward tourism and residential development, the center of which is Orlando. But because of Sanford's former preeminence as a trade center, the city retains a significant collection of older commercial and residential architecture, on streets shaded by live oaks hung with Spanish moss. Its location on Lake Monroe and access to the navigable waterway of the St. Johns River has made it Central Florida's additional center for numerous marinas, allowing access for pleasure boats and commercial vessels to and from the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway via Jacksonville and Mayport to the north.
More Information: www.ci.sanford.fl.us