The 1950s saw a technological revolution in America, as computers, space exploration, and the Cold War dominated the news. Orlando was no exception, as the Glenn L. Martin Company, builder of the Matador missile, spent nearly $2 million in 1956 to purchase 7,300 acres of land along the Orange Blossom Trail just south of Orlando. According to historian Jerrel Shofner, “Land was suddenly more valuable for urban or industrial use than for agriculture.” Later known as Martin-Marietta Orlando Aerospace, the company employed as many as 8,000 workers on the development and production of high-technology weapon systems and associated equipment. The Pershing missile was just one of the products designed at the Orlando plant whose presence also brought other related industries. (Courtesy of University of South Florida Special Collections.)
Arcadia
