Cloud, FL urban area had a 2020 population of 418,404, making it the 100th largest in the United States.

[2] The area was originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J. H. Allen, who operated the first cargo steamboat along the Kissimmee River—the Mary Belle.

[8] Its growth can be credited to Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia, who based his four-million acre[9] (8,000 km2) drainage operation out of the town.

Disston's dredging and land speculation required a small steamboat industry to transport people and goods along the new waterway.

The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression the U.S. had experienced up to that time, crushing land speculation and unsound debt.

The freezes, combined with South Florida's growth and the relocation of steamship operations to Lake Okeechobee, left Kissimmee dependent on open range cattle ranching.

[12] Ranching remained an important part of the local economy until Walt Disney World opened nearby in 1971.

On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed through Kissimmee with winds in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), damaging homes and buildings, toppling trees and cutting electrical power to the entire city.

The downtown area consists largely of restaurants, small shops, and historic residences.

The University of Central Florida has a business incubator in the area that is an important part of the economic engine downtown.

[15] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild, dry, and sunny winters.

[22] Out of Kissimmee's 58.93% Hispanic or Latino residents in the 2010 US census, 33.1% were Puerto Rican, 5.1% Dominican, 4.0% Colombian, 3.9% Mexican, 2.6% Cuban, 1.4% Venezuelan, 0.9% Ecuadorian, 0.7% Salvadoran, 0.7% Peruvian, 0.6% Honduran, and 0.6% were Nicaraguan.

The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring has also called Osceola County Stadium home since 1994.

Austin-Tindall Regional Park is an athletic facility in the area that hosts a variety of annual events.

The Silver Spurs Arena has hosted many acts, from Hilary Duff and Bob Dylan to an annual rodeo.

In 2008, a number of English and Spanish conventions were held by the Witnesses, bringing thousands of delegates to the Kissimmee area for the three-day events.

It runs along the environmentally sensitive Shingle Creek, and was included on President Obama's America's Great Outdoors list.

High schools include: Kissimmee features a multi-modal transportation hub between Neptune Road and Monument Street.

The major roads in the Kissimmee area are Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 4, Osceola Parkway, and US 192.

Among other important routes are US 17/92 that join with US 441 into the Orange Blossom Trail (OBT) and the John Young Parkway.