Kissimmee, Kissayou

Founded in the mid-19th century as Allendale, it was renamed Kissimmee when incorporated as a city in 1883. Its growth can be credited to Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia, who based his two-million acre (8,000 km²) drainage operation out of the small town. Disston had contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to drain its southern lands, for which he would own half of all he successfully drained. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the United States.

Disston’s dredging and land speculation required a small steamboat industry to transport people and goods along the new waterway. The Kissimmee shipyard was responsible for building most of these steamships, which were just one jump ahead of civilization — with Kissimmee as the jumping off point. Concurrently, the South Florida Railroad was growing and extended the end of its line from Sanford down to Kissimmee, making the town on Lake Tohopekaliga a transportation hub for Central Florida. On February 12, 1885, the Florida Legislature incorporated the Kissimmee City Street Railway.

But the heyday of Kissimmee was short lived. Expanding railroads began to challenge the steamships for carrying freight and passengers. By 1885, the South Florida Railroad had extended its tracks again to Tampa. The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression the U.S. had experienced, crushing land speculation and unsound debt. Hamilton Disston closed his Kissimmee land operation. Back to back freezes in 1894 and 1895 wiped out the citrus industry. The freezes, combined with South Florida‘s growth and the relocation of steamship operations to Lake Okeechobee, left Kissimmee dependent on cattle raising.

Saint or St Geniès de Fontedit – a village in a sea of vineyards!

The village of St Geniès de Fontedit (or St Genies de Fontedit) is situated in the very heart of the Languedoc wine country, which is probably the most prolific wine producing region of France. There is no escaping this fact in the village, as all around it you will see hectares upon hectares of vines, diligently tended all year round.

Typical Languedoc style

St Geniès de Fontedit itself is typical of the region. Built from local stone, the houses are a mixture of natural stone and crépi, the distinctive render with which many houses in this region are treated. St Geniès de Fontedit is built around its church, in traditional ‘circulades’ fashion, and this lovely building forms a natural and impressive centrepiece

A Grand café… and a frog fountain!

Watching the world go by from a great café is a time honoured way of life in France, particularly here in the south, where time seems to have even less meaning. The Grand café, in the village, is one of the best, and has a stunning mural to enjoy as well. Once fortified by your coffee, you could take a little walk around St Geniès de Fontedit, stopping to admire the quaint and unusual frog fountain on your way.

A butcher, a baker… and a hairdresser!

For a rural village, St Geniès de Fontedit has an excellent selection of shops and amenities. There is a butcher, a baker, a grocer and a post office, for life’s little necessities, and for life’s little luxuries there is the café, the wine cave, a florist and the all important hairdresser! This is, after all, France, home of the coiffure.

Places to go and things to do…

Due to its enviable location, there is a huge choice of places to go and things to do in the immediate area around St Geniès de Fontedit. The first that comes to mind is a trip to one or more of the wine domains, to see how the wines are produced, and to taste one or two to find your personal favourite. After this, you may like to visit nearby city of Béziers, whose history encompasses the tragic Cathars and the wars of religion. The modern city is excellent for shopping and dining, and there is plenty of culture too, so make a day of it.