Downtown Clermont

Yesterday

Founded in 1884, Clermont was named after the French birthplace of A.F. Wrotniski, the manager of the Clermont Improvement Company. It was incorporated as a city in 1916, when its hallmark industry was orange and citrus production which thrived well into the 1960s.

Today

Today, Clermont is the largest city within Lake County, one of the top 5 fastest growing counties in Florida. Clermont is ranked by Niche.com as the #1 Best Place to Live in Lake County and #1 for Best Places for Young Professionals in Lake County. Clermont boasts a robust healthcare cluster with some of the best cancer treatment and robotic urologic services in the world. Major employers include Publix Supermarkets, AdventHealth, and Orlando Health South Lake Hospital. It also benefits from easy access to major roadways including the Florida Turnpike, Highway 27, and State Road 50, and a convenient 30-minute drive to downtown Orlando. Clermont is a “Bicycle Friendly Community,” a designation given by the League of American Bicyclists and as a “Runner Friendly Community” by the Road Runners Club of America, partly because of its beautiful 25.1-mile South Lake Trail. The trail will eventually be a part of the much anticipated Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail. Once complete, the 250-mile trail will run from Titusville on the Atlantic coast all the way across the state to St. Petersburg on the Gulf coast. Victory Pointe, a $9.5 million 10-acre park, is an innovative lakeside greenspace in downtown Clermont that connects the South Lake Trail to Lake Minneola. It’s the year-round home to festivals and athletic competitions, including the triathlons. Downtown Clermont has the added bonus of having a public beach, a rare feature for inland Florida towns. The city’s Waterfront Park is located on the southern edge of Lake Minneola along the South Lake Trail. It boasts a beautiful white sand beach, pavilions, and the popular Champions Splash Park.

Tomorrow

Clermont has advanced its Downtown-Waterfront Master Plan, which includes more than 30 new high profile projects that span public spaces, trails, streetscape, and infrastructure improvements. These enhancements are fusing its recreational attractions with downtown’s emerging art scene and indie shopping and dining establishments to catalyze renewed energy in this charming lakeside destination.