Hillcrest Heights is a town in

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. The population was 254 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

is 294. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

In 1917, the Lakeside Club was built on the south shore of Crooked Lake. A year later, this club burnt to the ground and was rebuilt and named the Hillcrest Lodge. This lodge was well known and many celebrities stayed there including Bobby Jones,

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

and

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

. In 1923, the Village of Hillcrest Heights was incorporated. A year later, the town's dirt roads were all paved.

Geography and climate

Hillcrest Heights is located just south of Babson Park and east of Crooked Lake. The town is approximately nine miles south of

Lake Wales Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. The population was 14,225 at the 2010 census. , the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,759. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Wales is ...

and five miles (8 km) north of

Frostproof Frostproof is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The city is located in southern Polk County on the Lake Wales Ridge. The population was 2,992 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,273 ...

. Hillcrest Heights is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Hillcrest Heights is located in the humid

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

zone (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: ''Cfa'').

Government

Hillcrest Heights has a town council made up of five members including a mayor and vice mayor. The town does not have a city manager and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the town. Police services are contracted through the Polk County Sheriffs Office Department. The town's annual operating budget is less than $100,000. In the most recent 2009 elections, only the incumbent commissioners qualified and were elected by default.

Annexations

Although the town is only , the residents and government of Hillcrest Heights have been aggressive in keeping the status quo in the town. Because of encroaching annexations by the City of Frostproof, the town is exploring the possibility of annexing Crooked Lake and nearby shores which would increase the size of the town to . Although the annexation would not increase the population of Hillcrest Heights, it would help stop development of nearby areas. Many residents of adjacent census-designated place (CDP) of Babson Park, with a population of over 1,000 are also fearful of the Frostproof annexations, and the Babson Park Visioning Group is considering either incorporating the CDP or asking for annexation by Hillcrest Heights.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 266 people, 99 households, and 75 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 138 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.62%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.88%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.75%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 0.75% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.88% of the population. There were 99 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $60,556, and the median income for a family was $62,143. Males had a median income of $40,833 versus $33,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $20,802. About 2.9% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 5.7% of those 65 or over.

Media

Hillcrest Heights is part of the

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

St. Pete St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

television market, the 13th largest in the country and part of the local Lakeland/Winter Haven radio market, which is the 94th largest in the country.

Transportation

* State Road 17 – The Scenic Highway going through the center of town, leading northward to Highland Park and

, and southward to

. *

US 27 U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 1 in Florida, US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in India ...

– A divided highway six miles (10 km) west of town.

Education

There are no public schools in Hillcrest Heights. Generally students will attend elementary school at nearby Babson Park Elementary, and then go on to Frostproof Middle/High School or take advantage of the

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

system.

Warner University Warner University is a private Christian university in Lake Wales, Florida. It is affiliated with the Church of God. History Warner Southern College was founded in 1968 by the Southeastern Association of the Church of God in Anderson, Indi ...

is a few miles west of town.

References

External links

Town website
{{authority control Towns in Polk County, Florida Populated places established in 1923 Towns in Florida