A combination of favorable factors have made Orlando the site of a growing high-tech military research/simulation center. Pentagon spending already employs 9,000 more Floridians than the state's hallowed agriculture industry, writes Richard Reep.
From article at New Geography:
"Defense growth in one of the most unlikely places – Orlando, Florida – has already begun to diversify the region's income stream, create a new urban corner of Central Florida, and tap into some of the natural allies and partners that already exist here. Mickey Mouse is now sharing Orlando with Uncle Sam as the militarization of the local economy increases."
The natural allies and partners in the region, writes Reep, include: NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Lockheed Martin, the University of Central Florida, Electronic Arts, and Florida's premier high-tech medical research park, Lake Nona.
"With Navy, Air Force, and Marines research and training, the Simulation Center has quietly become the world's largest military simulator."
FULL STORY: Orlando: Uncle Sam Meets Mickey Mouse
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