As home of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Orlando has quite a lofty reputation. Walt Disney put the city on the map when he opened the Walt Disney World Resort 50 years ago. Many now equate the area with cartoon characters, theme rides and souvenir shops. But this city in the center of the Sunshine State has a lot more to offer.

Orlando ranks in the nation's top five cities for entrepreneurs, according to Business Week magazine. The metropolitan area was also named “Major Market of the Year” by Southern Business & Development in 2004 and 2005.

Orlando does, however, still embrace its Disney renown. The park has made the area an international tourist destination that attracts more than 40 million visitors annually. Disney World also employs 55,900 people, making it Orlando's top private employer, according to data from the City of Orlando.

Many notable corporate headquarters are also located in Metro Orlando, including Hughes Supply Inc., Darden Restaurants Inc., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, AirTran Airways and Tupperware. Linda Gray, assistant vice president and director of news and information at the University of Central Florida, said the business sector is a huge draw for young people.

“Lots of students come here because they know they can get a job in the Orlando area,” she said. “Orlando has a lot of opportunity.”

More than 130,000 students attend the area's colleges and universities. One of the most popular institutions in the region is the University of Central Florida. With nearly 45,000 students, it is the ninth largest American university. There's also Valencia Community College with more than 53,000 students. This two-year school has one of the highest graduation rates of any community college in the country.

The beautiful location also brings people to the area. Orlando has a subtropical climate with an average temperature of 72.4 degrees, statistics from the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau indicate. It's also a short drive from the beach with Cocoa Beach a 45-minute drive to the east and Daytona Beach about an hour northeast. “It is a wonderful location,” Gray said. “We like to think it's our quality academic offerings that bring people here, but we recognize the weather and location are also factors.” “A lot of people come from northern states,” said Jeremy Dunstan, a communications specialist at Rollins College. “Who wouldn't want to get out of the snow and into the Florida sun?”

The area is expected to continue to thrive in the coming years, according to data from Downtown Orlando, a collaboration of the Downtown Development Board and the Community Redevelopment Agency. More than $2 billion in construction is planned or under way in downtown Orlando. Plus, the downtown population is predicted to grow 7.4 percent by 2009.

Following is a list of institutions in the metro Orlando area:

• University of Central Florida
• Rollins College
• Florida Metropolitan University
• Palm Beach Atlantic University
• Valencia Community College
• Seminole Community College
• Lake-Sumter Community College

Metro Orlando also has an abundance of professional and technical schools with specialties including aviation and aerospace, digital media, health services, computer software, nursing, customer service, hospitality management and law. Full Sail Real World Education, for example, focuses on media arts. There's also Florida Christian College for those pursuing a life in the ministry.

With so many different schools, it's no surprise the areas of study are just as varied. Gray said education and business are favored at UCF, as is hospitality management.

“It's particularly applicable in this area,” she said of the hospitality program, which covers hotel, restaurant, theme park and golf course management.

Business is also big at Rollins College. In fact, the MBA program is ranked number one overall in Florida by Forbes magazine.

“The Forbes ranking is not a popularity contest but rather an unbiased evaluation of the economic value of a Crummer School (at Rollins College) degree. The fact that we have consistently been a top ranked program speaks to the quality of the graduate programs we offer,” said Crummer School's Dean Craig McAllaster.

At the other end of the spectrum, Rollins' theater program attracts a lot of students as well, Dunstan said. “Our liberal arts programs are also popular,” he added. “A lot of students are looking for a good, broad-based education.” He said many students go on to pursue a graduate degree. Statistics show 45 percent of Rollins' graduates continue their education at business and professional schools.

UCF has also developed a reputation as a research university. The campus is located adjacent to the Central Florida Research Park, recognized as one of the top 10 research parks in the world, according to the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. UCF, along with the University of South Florida in Tampa and the University of Florida in Gainesville, anchor Florida's High Tech Corridor. “We're more engaged in undergraduate research,” Gray said. “That's something students don't usually do until the graduate level.”

UCF and Brevard, Lake-Sumter, Seminole and Valencia community colleges are also working together to increase access to higher education by streamlining transfers and expanding program offerings.

The institutions' boards of trustees have created a statewide agreement that allows community college students with associate degrees to transfer to a state university to complete their bachelor's degrees. “The expansion of associate, bachelor's and graduate degree production in Florida through the consortium will meet the educational and workforce needs of the burgeoning Central Florida area and allow for students to move further in their educational goals without having to leave their communities while taking care of family and work,” said David Harrison, vice provost for Regional Campuses at UCF.

Individual schools also offer different awards. Rollins, for example, has the Alonzo Rollins Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship, the Donald Cram Science Scholarship and the Centennial Award. Also, Valencia Community College aids students through the Valencia Foundation, and Seminole Community College provides scholarships through the Seminole Community College Foundation. Students are also encouraged to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA can help students access federal Pell Grants, Stafford Loans and other grant and loan programs. More information is available through the schools' financial aid offices.

Students at the University of Central Florida can also take advantage of the neighboring research park. “We have a great relationship with those businesses, many of which are high tech, and we have great relations with the city and the county,” Gray said. The university currently maintains corporate and industrial affiliations with companies such as Electronic Arts, Oracle, Siemens and Lockheed Martin. Rollins has a list of nearly 400 local internships and offers national internships as well. Students can also create their own internships.

Valencia also offers internship placement for students of all majors. In addition, the school has a Civic Leadership Internship program designed for students interested in public service or public office.

The metropolitan area also has a $10 million technology industry, according to the EDC. EDC projections show the work force growing to more than 1 million by 2009. The current unemployment rate of 4.6 percent is expected to remain steady during that growth period.