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Neighborhood Spotlight on Parramore

Parramore is one of Orlando’s oldest, historically black neighborhoods. It’s got history, good food, community and culture. Parramore is also home to our biggest sporting venues, both Amway Arena and Orlando City Soccer Stadium and will soon house the new Creative Village and the UCF Downtown and Valencia campuses. To say it’s changing rapidly is an understatement. Whether these changes are seen as positive or not to everyone (they’re not), they’re still happening.

The neighborhood was established in the 1880s by Orlando’s fourth mayor, James B. Parramore, as a place to “house the blacks employed in the households of white Orlandoans”.  And for 60 years, it grew into a thriving black community with 18,000 residents and streets lined with vibrant schools, theaters, local shops, family-owned restaurants and hotels. But in the 1950s and 1960s, amidst civil unrest at the end of the Jim Crow era, new construction cut Parramore off from the rest of the area and the community suffered greatly.

This historic neighborhood has dealt with poverty, crime, and economic hardship, but longtime residents are set on building it up and returning it to its former glory days — hoping to help Parramore grow while also trying to preserve its rich history.

Get to know the nonprofit, Page15 — an organization working to address literacy amongst neighborhood children; meet Nick Aiken, chef of the beloved southern comfort restaurant Nikki’s Place; and learn the history of the 72-year Parramore staple, Palmer Feed — a feed store where locals can purchase live animals, gardening necessities and hardware.

We also answered one of your questions about the impact the Central Florida Regional Housing Trust will have on the community.