Conway

The Conway area of southeast Orlando carries one of the region's oldest origin stories. Fort Gatlin, built by the U.S. Army in 1838 during the Second Seminole War, occupied a ridge overlooking the Conway Chain of Lakes, and the soldiers and families who stayed after the fort's 1849 abandonment planted citrus and raised cattle across land that would eventually become Orange County's seat of government. The community's modern residential character took shape primarily in the late 1950s through the 1970s, when postwar families drawn to Orlando's growing economy settled along the shores of the Conway Chain — four interconnected lakes covering nearly 1,800 acres with a hard sandy bottom and clear water.

Development was largely organic rather than master-planned, with individual builders and smaller subdivisions filling in the lakefront and interior lots across what became known as the 32812 zip code. The chain's position between downtown Orlando and Orlando International Airport gave the community an enduring locational advantage that kept demand steady even as newer master-planned communities rose further south. By the late 2000s, original mid-century ranch homes were increasingly joined by teardown rebuilds and major renovations as buyers recognized the value of established lakefront lots.

Today Conway represents one of the last pockets of attainable lakefront real estate within minutes of downtown Orlando. The neighborhood's lack of a single master developer means an eclectic mix of eras and styles — a hallmark that veterans of the area either love or work around — but the Conway Chain itself remains the constant draw: ski-quality water, no-wake coves, and direct access to all four connected lakes from a single dock.