Orlampa, Florida
Orlampa is a fictional entity lying halfway between Orlando and Tampa, Florida. On a lot on the north side of Interstate 4 near mile 45, just east of the Polk City exit, a sign visible from the Interstate announces the "Future Site of Downtown Orlampa". The sign was installed soon before March 2002.[1] A more recent sign, put up in late 2004 or January 2005, thanks the Florida Department of Transportation for "paving the way to Orlampa's future" (referring to the ongoing widening of I-4 to six lanes). Between the two signs is an oil well pump labeled "Orlampa Oil & Gas Co, Ltd", also put up several years ago.
The property is owned by developer Kermit Weeks, who also owns the nearby Fantasy of Flight aviation museum. On the Fantasy of Flight property, facing I-4 west of the Polk City exit, is an identical oil well pump labeled "Green Swamp Oil & Gas Co, Ltd" (Green Swamp is a nearby swamp).
The Orlampa site includes the Orlampa Citrus Packing Company, opened September 24, 2004. The packinghouse, formerly owned by Barfield Citrus, has been remodeled to look like a 1950s "Old Florida" packinghouse, and includes a gift shop and fruit store.
The name of Orlampa obviously comes from a concatenation of Orlando and Tampa. Similarly named real places include Sanlando Springs, Florida, SeaTac, Washington and the BosWash megalopolis. Orlando and Tampa have no plans for a similar metropolis, though they have been moving towards regional cooperation, including the Florida High-Tech Corridor Council (in charge of promoting high-tech business along Interstate 4) and the failed 2012 Olympic bid.
External links
- Fantasy of Fruit, Lakeland Ledger September 23, 2004
- The Road to Cooperation, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce Chamber News October 7, 2002
- Maps and aerial photos
Categories: Fictional locations | Polk County, Florida