In 1880 the South Florida Railroad completed a line from Sanford to Orlando, and a flag stop was established at Snowville or Snows Station where the railroad crossed SR436. By 1886 the line connected New York City to Tampa via Altamonte. For tourist reasons, the community of Snowville became Altamonte Station and finally Altamonte Springs after a spring was found on the southwest shore of Lake Adelaide. In 1882 Boston capitalists chartered the Altamonte Land Hotel and Navigation Company to build a winter Florida Boston Town, purchasing 1200 acres along the shores of Lakes Adelaide and Orienta, building a hotel at what is now the southwest corner of SR436 and Maitland Avenue, and dividing nearby land into building lots. A horse drawn tram carried visitors between the railroad station and the hotel, which opened only for the winter season and hosted many families and notable visitors before burning in 1953. Many winter visitors started nearby citrus groves, while pineapples and sugarcane were also grown. Because agriculture needed year round labor, black as well as white workers became permanent residents. The great freezes of 1894-95 wiped out citrus throughout the state, but Altamonte Springs survived because of its wealthy tourist base while many local citrus centers disappeared as people abandoned their properties and moved elsewhere. During the early part of the 20th century, Asparagus Plumosis ferns and oranges were grown there. Altamonte was incorporated as a town in 1921, year round residents took control of the city government in 1947, and Altamonte Springs was reorganized as a city in 1967.