About us

History

The Orlo Vista Chamber of Commerce is better known to many as The Orlo Vista Community Center, located at 38 South Hastings Street, just South of the OC Fire Department / Station 30, and the new Orlo Vista Elementary School.  In May of 1927, Orlo Vista became an incorporated town, with a mayor and aldermen, and its own Post-Office! With the collapse of the Florida land boom and the start of the Great Depression, Orlo Vista had to give up its corporate status. The community survived hard times and continues today-small but active!  One of its oldest organizations is the Orlo Vista Chamber of Commerce. It had its humble beginning in a little frame building, built in 1937 by the National Youth Administration, located on the property which is now the aforementioned Orange County Fire Department Station 30.  Over the years, the Chamber hosted many groups, furnishing members and services to such as 4-H Club, Home Demonstration Club, Women’s Club, Wordmen of the World, County Health Clinic, Townsend Club, Progressive Citizens League, and later on such as “Grandma’s Joint” (it really jumped on Saturday nights!)  It is hard to separate the Chamber from the early days of having a Fire Department here, they were so closely associated. The Chamber was actively involved in getting fire service started here in 1953, and it remained an active volunteer Department for many years, until Orange County took over the fire services in the early ‘80s. Orange County’s early plans were to move the fire service out and farther west - a plan which riled some of our “activist” residents, and a petition of over 900 resident names was presented to Orange County officials, along with a delegation of Orlo Vista citizens- a real “grass roots” effort - and the local fire service was saved! 

Now, once again the O.V. Chamber building has been renovated with paint and a new roof coating.  Our worth builds since we celebrated our 75th Anniversary.  More recently Floods have devistated some of our homes.  We are reorganizing to find ways to improve our circumstances.

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