An Overview of the City of Clermont, FL

Located in Lake County, FL about 22 miles west of Orlando and 22 miles southeast of Leesburg lies one of Florida’s fastest growing suburban cities, Clermont. Clermont is home to one of Florida’s first landmarks, the Florida Citrus Tower as well as some of Florida’s most beautiful landscapes, nestled in the rolling hills between Lake Minneola and Lake Minnehaha.

History:

Clermont was founded in 1884 and incorporated as a city in 1916. Clermont got its name after the French birthplace of one of the founders of the city, A. F. Wrotnoski, who worked for the Clermont Improvement Company. Seeing the potential for large’ scale citrus growing in 1922, a developer named Edward Denslow started “The Postal Colony Company” and then purchased 1,000 acres to grow citrus. The retired employees of the postal company tended the groves. From this point on, Clermont became one of the major citrus growing cities in Florida. A drive through historic downtown Clermont can immerse one in an “old Florida” setting, for historic downtown Clermont hasn’t changed much since the 1950s. Unfortunately, like most of the central Florida citrus industry, Clermont’s citrus empire came to an end during the freeze in the 1980’s. Since then, Clermont has become a thriving residential suburb full of retail and commercial businesses.

Demographics:

Clermont makes up a little more than 16 square miles of Florida, 2.13 of these square miles are water including lakes, ponds, and rivers. Estimated 2016 population of Clermont is around 34,000 people. From 2000 to 2010, Clermont experienced a rapid population growth of more than 200%. The median age of Clermont residents is 41 years old, a year younger than the Florida median age. The age among Clermont residents is around 24.8% ages sixty-five and older, 24.7% of residents are forty-five to sixty-four years old, 24% of residents are twenty-five to forty-four, and 20.1% of Clermont residents are under the age of eighteen. The race distribution in Clermont is 54.5% white or Caucasian, 26% Hispanic, 11.8% Black or African American, and 5.4% Asian.
The median household income for Clermont residents is just over $59,000, which is $9,000 higher than the Florida median household income. The median house value for Clermont in 2016 was just over $210,000 compared to the Florida median house value of $197,700. According to City-Data, the median gross rent in Clermont is just over $1,100. The cost of living index in the city of Clermont is 92, which is lower than average (100 is the United States average). The unemployment rate for Clermont is lower than the average Florida unemployment rate (5.4%) at 4.8%.

The two main roads that go through the town of Clermont are US-27, which is a major roadway that travels north-south through the United States east coast and State Road 50, which is a major east-west highway that runs from Titusville to Weeki Wachee Springs.

The most common industries in the city of Clermont are Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation at 20%, Construction at 20%, Retail Trade at 8%, and Manufacturing at 7%. The two most common occupations in Clermont are Management Occupations at 13% and Sales Occupations at 11%.

There are many great things you can do in Clermont, Florida.