The Town of Oakland, Florida, incorporated in 1887, is a friendly, unpretentious semi-rural community of about 1,300 residents, located 17 miles / 28 kilometers west of downtown Orlando, and 25 miles / 42 kilometers north of Walt Disney World.

Oakland's residents often equate the Town to a "sophisticated Mayberry," a place where residents are wired and well educated, and "good 'ol boy" politics are a distant memory, yet the police officers and Postmaster still know most residents by name, residents wave as they drive past each other on the clay roads, and the water clerk calls everyone "sweetie." Drive through Oakland, and you instinctively slow down -- not because of the speed limit signs, but because the town's character instills a slower pace of life. You notice the way light shines through the trees, the kids racing their bicycles down the road, the little old lady walking her dog, the men walking back from the Town Pier with their fishing rods, tackle boxes and daily catch. Day-to-day life scenes seem more special.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Petris Avenue was the heart of Oakland's then bustling downtown. Today Petris Avenue is a quiet residential drive, surfaced in clay and draped by ancient Live Oaks.

Many Oakland residents commute to downtown Orlando or Walt Disney World; others run successful home-based businesses in professional fields and the visual arts. Oakland residents represent a cross-section of America, and include descendants of original pioneer families and freed slaves that settled in the area, independent senior citizens, recent immigrants from Europe, Asia and South Africa, blue and white collar families, and empty nesters. New residents are primarily young professional couples with children and empty nesters, many of whom have relocated from outside West Orange County and Central Florida. Most new residential development consists of move-up and higher end homes, but the Town is committed to maintaining the socioeconomic diversity that contributes to its character.

Strict design regulations ensure tasteful architecture and quality site planning in commercial zoned areas. Town officials are working to ensure that Oakland will enjoy a diverse, vibrant commercial environment that will not be dominated by any particular type of use -- that West Colonial Drive won't grow to become an "Auto Row," "RV Row" or "Furniture Row." The Town's vision is to maintain and enhance the unique character of Oakland; and shun the "growth for growth's sake" philosophy that has resulted in lowest common denominator development and the loss of a sense of place elsewhere.

Oakland's local government is small, accessible, and friendly, yet skilled and professional. The Town's elected officials and employees are committed to maintaining and enhancing Oakland's treasured small town character, in the face of rapid growth and increasing development pressure in West Orange County.

Although many residents see it that way, Oakland is not a perfect little "Olde Florida" town. It's not a "new urbanist" or "neotraditional" community where even the tiniest detail is planned and executed precisely. It faces the same challenges as many other Central Florida communities; growth pressures, increasing traffic, "teardowns," preserving a "sense of place" in an environment that is evolving from rural to exurban to suburban, and revitalization of blighted areas while ensuring long time, low income residents are not displaced.