Downtown is removed from the tourist areas located in the southwestern half of the city, but it draws visitors seeking to experience the "Real Orlando".

With such close proximity to the Central Business District for working professionals, this has become a valuable area for those who seek the convenience of work/play/live in downtown Orlando.

It is a residential area with a large number of high-intensity entertainment and office institutions; such as the Amway Center, Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, US Courthouse for the Mid-District of Florida, Florida A&M University School of Law, county & state buildings, and Orlando Police Department headquarters.

[8][9] In addition to the plethora of bars and corporate offices, the district hosts several prominent theaters including the Mad Cow Theater [10] and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts,[11] home to Steimetz Hall, one of the world's most acoustically perfect halls, designed to achieve an N1 sound rating.

[12] Orlando City Council on March 20, 2023, approved an ordinance to establish a permit for alcohol service after midnight in a district called the downtown entertainment area (DEA).

The ordinance included a requirement to hire extra-duty police officers to patrol the central business district's entertainment area, depending on the size of a venue, on Fridays-Sundays from 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.

The businesses alleged that the ordinance is an unconstitutional financial burden, claiming the mandated extra-duty police officers costs them an annual $591,120 combined while other permit holders were not required to pay.

Every Independence Day, the park is host to a large fireworks display which draws thousands of people to downtown.

The area is similar to the Lake Eola Heights neighborhood in that it contains historic homes and the streets are paved with bricks, although it is roughly half the size.

Prior to the arrival of European settlers in 1837, the Orlando area was occupied by the Native American Creek and Seminole tribes.

In 1856, Jernigan was relieved of his command of the post office due to "notorious acts" and the area was renamed "Orlando".

The federal government's Works Progress Administration programs during the Great Depression helped Orlando remain economically stable.

Orlando became a major military center when World War II brought the development of McCoy Air Force Base and Pinecastle AFB, located southeast of downtown.

Walt Disney World's 1971 opening in southwest Orange County brought major development to Orlando, but relatively little to the downtown area.

During this time, development in downtown was mainly focused upon the construction of office towers, such as the Citrus Center and the original Sunbank building.

The San Juan was eventually demolished in 1980, but the Angebilt Hotel at 37 N Orange Ave which was built in 1923 would be transformed in modern times into an office building with retail on the ground floor.

In addition, downtown department stores and family owned businesses closed or moved to the newly constructed Orlando Fashion Square mall.

Bob Snow opened Rosie O'Grady's in 1974 at Church Street Station, which quickly became a popular attraction.

On the other hand, downtown's population base still had yet to rebound to previous levels and major corporations were still opening locations outside of the city center.

In 2005, the term "Manhattanization" was locally applied to Orange Avenue when a large number of construction cranes loomed over downtown.

In 2011, construction began on phase one of the long-awaited Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts across from City Hall along Orange Ave.

There has never been an "official" reason why, but local architects speculate it is due to the Orlando Executive Airport location just east of downtown.

The airport's flight path is over the city center, thus the Federal Aviation Administration has imposed height restrictions.

[citation needed] Downtown Orlando is served by three main arteries, two limited access highways, several secondaries, and many byways.

Lynx Operates a zero-fare bus route called Lymmo (Link 31) along a completely separate and dedicated right-of-way.

Because this bus system runs on its own right-of-way and controls the traffic signaling, in most cases it is superior to automobile travel within the downtown area.

[28] Downtown Orlando's skyline can be seen in the films Paper Towns, Passenger 57, Ernest Saves Christmas, D.A.R.Y.L., Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Lethal Weapon 3 (doubled for Los Angeles), and Miami Connection.

The Triple Crown for Downtown, a construction initiative involving three high intensity public works projects, began in 2010 and is almost complete.

[29] A more ambitious project currently under construction is completely transforming the Orlando Centroplex, the home of the former Amway Arena, into a "Creative Village".