When I meet Koreans living in other states in the U.S., the question that often comes up is, "Where do you live?"

"I live in Orlando, Florida."

Interestingly, not many people seem to know exactly where Orlando is located.

Even if they know Florida, there are quite a few who get confused about where Orlando is on the Florida map.

Most people know Miami because it has such a strong image of being at the very bottom of Florida.

Many have heard of Tampa due to baseball or football, and Jacksonville is also fairly well-known because it is such a large city.

But when it comes to Orlando, people often pause and ask, "Is that near Miami?"

In these cases, the simplest explanation is:

"It's where Disney World is." Suddenly, their expression changes.

"Oh, that place!"

Interestingly, while they may not know Orlando, everyone knows Disney World.

Even Koreans who have lived in the U.S. for a long time often connect Disney World to their memories of honeymoon trips or family vacations.

However, Orlando is actually located more inland than many might think. It is not a coastal city like Miami.

It is situated in the central part of the Florida peninsula, and it takes about an hour by car to reach the eastern Atlantic coast.

The Gulf Coast towards Tampa is also not right next door.

So, first-time visitors might think, "Since it's Florida, there must be a beach right in front of my house," but if you live in Orlando, you have to make an effort to find the beach.

Instead, there are a lot of lakes. As you drive around the neighborhood, you'll see many large and small lakes, and it's common to find small ponds in residential areas.

While everyone knows that Orlando is a tourist city, it is also quite a large residential area.

In addition to Disney World, there are tourist attractions like Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, as well as hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and various service industries that make up a huge economy.

Orlando International Airport is also usually bustling with tourists.

Still, when explaining to Koreans, Disney World ultimately serves as the best map reference.

Interestingly, when I show them a map of Florida and ask them to point out Orlando, most end up pointing to some random beach area.

Now, I don't explain in detail anymore. Just saying it's the city in the middle of Florida with Disney World is the quickest way to end the conversation.

In a way, Mickey Mouse does a better job of explaining the location than the name Orlando itself.