Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Polk County () is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the central portion of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. The county population was 725,046, as of the 2020 census, and estimated to be 818,330, as of July 1, 2023. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Bartow, and its largest city is Lakeland. Polk County comprises the Lakeland–Winter Haven metropolitan statistical area (MSA). This MSA is the 77th-most populous one and the 89th-most populous
primary statistical area The United States federal government defines and delineates the nation's metropolitan areas for statistical purposes, using a set of standard statistical area definitions. the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defined and delineated 393 ...
of the United States as of July 1, 2012. The center of population of Florida is located in Polk County, near the city of Lake Wales. Polk County is home to one public university, one state college, and four private universities.


History


Early history

The first people to inhabit the area now called Polk County were the
Paleoindians Paleo-Indians were the first peoples who entered and subsequently inhabited the Americas towards the end of the Late Pleistocene period. The prefix ''paleo-'' comes from . The term ''Paleo-Indians'' applies specifically to the lithic period in ...
who arrived in Florida at least 12,000 years ago, late in the last ice age. With large amounts of water locked up in continental ice caps, the sea level was more than lower than at present. The Florida peninsula was twice as wide as it is today, and Florida was cooler and much drier, with few, if any, flowing rivers. Both animals and humans were dependent on scattered water holes, such as
sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...
s, deep holes in otherwise dry river beds, and rain-fed lakes perched on impervious clay. Most Paleoindian campsites found in Florida have been found at water holes. The largest collection of late (more than 9,500 years ago) Paleoindian
microlith A microlith is a small Rock (geology), stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 60,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Austral ...
ic tools known from Florida were found in
Lake Weohyakapka Lake Weohyakapka is a lake in Polk County, Florida, in the United States. The name is derived from the Creek language, most likely meaning "walking on water". The turpentine settlement of Walinwa (Walk In Water) was once located by the lake and w ...
, near Nalcrest in Polk County. As sea levels rose and Florida became warmer and wetter, the Paleoindian period was followed by the Archaic period, which ended 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, with the emergence of recognizable archaeological cultures in Florida. In eastern Polk County, the
Kissimmee River The Kissimmee River is a river in south-central Florida, United States that forms the north part of the Everglades wetlands area. The river begins at East Lake Tohopekaliga south of Orlando, flowing south through Lake Kissimmee into the large ...
valley was occupied by people of the
Belle Glade culture The Belle Glade culture, or Okeechobee culture, is an archaeological culture that existed from as early as 1000 BCE until about 1700 CE in the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee and in the Kissimmee River valley in the Florida Peninsula. Major a ...
, which persisted from about 3,000 years ago until the collapse of the Native American population in Florida after 1700. Native American people in western Polk County were part of, or influenced by, the
Manasota culture The Manasota culture was an archaeological culture that was practiced on the central Gulf coast of the Florida peninsula from about 500 BCE until about 900, when it developed into the Safety Harbor culture. From about 300 to 700 the Manasota cu ...
, which flourished from 2,500 years ago until around 800 AD, when it was replaced by the Safety Harbor culture, from ''circa'' 800 until after 1700. The
Peace River The Peace River () is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the ...
valley may have hosted a distinct culture during the Safety Harbor period. In 1539,
Ponce De Leon Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) *Ponce (streamer) (born 1991), French streamer *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 * USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican comp ...
sent a detachment (between 80 and 180 men) of his expedition from his landing place on
Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...
across northern Polk County to visit
Urriparacoxi Urriparacoxi, or Paracoxi, was the chief of a Native American group in central Florida at the time of Hernando de Soto's expedition through what is now the southeastern United States. "Urriparacoxi" was a title, meaning "war leader". There is no kn ...
, a powerful chief based in southern Lake County or eastern Orange County. For the next 280 years, the Spanish (and, between 1763 and 1783, the British) ruled Florida, but did not venture into the interior of the Florida peninsula south of the Oklawaha River valley (
Acuera Acuera (Timucua: ''Acuero''?, "Timekeeper") was the name of both an indigenous town and a province or region in central Florida during the 16th and 17th centuries. The indigenous people of Acuera spoke a dialect of the Timucua language. In 1539 th ...
Province). The indigenous peoples of the Florida peninsula declined in numbers, and the people who became known as the
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
moved into central Florida.


United States control

In 1821, Florida became a U.S. territory as a result of the Adams-Onis Treaty. In 1823, the
Treaty of Moultrie Creek The Treaty of Moultrie Creek, also known as the Treaty with the Florida Tribes of Indians, was an agreement signed in 1823 between the government of the United States and the chiefs of several groups and bands of Native Americans living in the p ...
created a reservation in central Florida for the Seminoles and other Native Americans in Florida. What is now Polk County was within the boundaries of that reservation. An attempt to remove all Native Americans in Florida to west of the Mississippi River, starting in 1832, led to the
Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...
. Most of the fighting in the early years of the war occurred north of Polk County. By 1837, the Seminoles were being pushed south, and late that year, Colonel
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...
, as part of a coordinated push against the Seminoles, led a column east from
Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River (Florida), Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native S ...
(today's Tampa) into what is now Polk County, and then south between the Kissimmee and Peace River valleys, culminating in the
Battle of Lake Okeechobee The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was one of the major battles of the Seminole Wars. It was fought between 1,000 U.S. Army troops of the 1st, 4th, and 6th Infantry Regiments and 132 Missouri Volunteers under the command of Colonel Zachary Taylor, ...
. By 1843 the few Seminoles remaining in Florida were confined to an informal reservation in southern Florida. While Florida gained statehood in 1845, Polk County was not created until a month after Florida had seceded from the Union. It was formed from the eastern part of Hillsborough County and named in honor of former US President
James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...
, who had been popular with Southerners for supporting the expansion of slavery and whose 1845 inauguration was on the day after Florida became a state. Following the Civil War, the county commission established the county seat on donated in the central part of the county. Bartow, the county seat, was named after
Francis S. Bartow Francis Stebbins Bartow (September 6, 1816 – July 21, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician from Georgia. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives and became a politician in the Confederate States of America. Ba ...
, a Confederate colonel from Georgia who was the first Confederate brigade commander to die in battle. Colonel Bartow was buried in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, with military honors, and promoted posthumously to the rank of brigadier general. The original name of the town was Fort Blount. Several other towns and counties in the South changed their names to Bartow to honor the brigade commander. The first courthouse built in Bartow was constructed in 1867. It was replaced twice, in 1884 and in 1908. As the third courthouse to stand on the site, the present structure houses the Polk County Historical Museum and Genealogical Library. After the Civil War, some 400 Confederate veterans settled here with families before the end of the century.


Post-Reconstruction era to World War II

In the post-Reconstruction period, black railway workers were among the first African Americans to settle in Polk County, in 1883 south of Lake Wire. The following year, they founded St. John's Baptist Church, which also served as the first school for
freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...
's children. Other workers arrived for jobs in the phosphate industry. This area became the center of a predominately African-American community later known as Moorehead, after Rev. H.K. Moorehead, called to St. John's in 1906. The community developed its own businesses, professional class, and cultural institutions. Its students had to go to other cities for high school until 1928, when the first upper school to serve blacks was established here. White violence rose against blacks in the late 19th century in a regionwide effort to establish and maintain
white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
as Southern states disenfranchised most blacks and imposed
Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
. Whites
lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...
20 African Americans in Polk County from 1895 to 1921;Kimberly C. Moore, "Lynchings, Klan activity part of Polk’s history"
''The Ledger'', May 7, 2018.
Three black men, whose names were not recorded, were murdered in a mass lynching on May 25, 1895, accused of rape. While others were killed for alleged crimes (never proven), one black man was lynched for supposedly insulting a white woman. The man, Henry Scott, was a porter on a train from Lakeland to Bartow. While he was preparing a berth for one woman on May 20, 1920, another white woman became angry that he made her wait. She sent a telegram to the next station where he was met by a sheriff, arrested, and then turned over to a mob that shot him 40-50 times. Columbia County also had 20 such lynching murders; these two counties had the second-highest total of lynchings of African Americans of any county in the state. In the first few decades of the 1900s, thousands of acres of land around Bartow were purchased by the
phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...
industry. The county seat became the hub of the largest phosphate industry in the United States, attracting both immigrants and African-American and white workers from rural areas. Polk County was the leading citrus county in the United States for much of the 20th century, and even the county seat Bartow has had several large groves. In 1941, the city built an airport northeast of town in the county. The airport was taken over by the federal government during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and was the training location for many Army Air Corps pilots during the war. The airport was returned to the city in 1967 and renamed as Bartow Municipal Airport.


Mid-20th century to present

In the 20th century, the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
revived and was active in Polk County, even after World War II. Klansmen were photographed in hoods and robes in 1958 in a church in Mulberry. During the 1960s, violence related to civil-rights movement was attributed to the Klan. In 1967, a white man shot and severely wounded a popular African-American high-school football player who was integrating Lake Ariana Beach. A Klan group marched in Lakeland in full regalia in 1979, their last public march by the Confederate monument in Munn Park. Fred Rochelle, 16, was burned alive in a public spectacle lynching before thousands in Polk County, Florida, in 1901. Since the late 20th century, growth in Polk County has been driven by its proximity to both the
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa'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 t ...
and
Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
metropolitan areas along the Interstate 4 corridor. Recent growth has been heaviest in Lakeland (closest to Tampa) and the northeast areas near Haines City (nearest to Orlando). From 1990 to 2000, unincorporated areas grew 25%, while incorporated areas grew only 11%. In addition to cottage communities that have developed for commuters, Haines City has
suburban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
into unincorporated areas. Despite the impressive growth rate, the unemployment rate of Polk has typically been higher than that of the entire state. For example, in August 2010, the county had an unemployment rate of 13.4%, compared to 11.7% for the entire state. During the
2004 Atlantic hurricane season The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was a very deadly, destructive, and active Atlantic hurricane season, with over 3,200 deaths and more than $61 billion (2004 USD, $95.77 billion 2022 USD) in damage. More than half of the 16 trop ...
, three hurricanes, Charley,
Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...
, and Jeanne, all tracked over Polk County, intersecting in a triangle that includes the city of Bartow. Winter Haven was best known as the home of the
Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens was a botanical garden and theme park near Winter Haven, Florida that operated from 1936 to 2009. As of 2011, the botanical garden portion had been preserved inside the newly formed Legoland Florida. History Billed as Florida' ...
theme park, which operated from 1936 to September 23, 2009.
Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separately ...
has since been built on the site of former Cypress Gardens, and has preserved the botanical garden section. Winter Haven was the location of the first Publix supermarket ''circa'' 1930; today, Publix's corporate offices are located in Lakeland. In 2018, the Lakeland City Commission voted to move the Confederate monument from Munn Park, where it was installed in 1910, to Veterans Memorial Park. What is now Veterans Memorial Park was first settled in 1883 as the community of Moorehead, the original African-American community in the area. Owners were bought out in 1967 by eminent domain for county civic development of a conference center and the later Veterans Memorial Park. Some members of the black community have objected to the Confederate monument being relocated to the site of what had been their historic community in Lakeland, saying it would be more appropriate to be located in the cemetery with numerous Confederate graves.Kimberly C. Moore, "Confederate vets, former slaves form Lakeland’s history"
''The Ledger'', May 9, 2018; accessed June 27, 2018.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which (10.6%) are covered by water. It is the fourth-largest county in Florida by land area and fifth-largest by total area. Polk County is within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain, with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills. Part of the Lake Wales Ridge runs through eastern Polk County, which is known for its rolling hills with unique wildlife and plants. The highest elevation in the county is Crooked Lake Sandhill at 305 feet, with the second-highest being Iron Mountain, the location of Bok Tower at 295 feet above sea level. Several artificial raised phosphate tailings ponds in the center of the county rise up to 375 feet.


Adjacent counties

In addition, at its northeast corner, Polk County touches Orange County at a
quadripoint A quadripoint is a point on Earth where four distinct political territories meet. The territories can be of different types, such as national and provincial. In North America, several such places are commonly known as Four Corners (disambiguatio ...
called
Four Corners, Florida Four Corners is an unincorporated suburban area and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Florida, located in the region around the intersection of Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Polk counties. Its population was 56,381 at the 2020 ce ...
; Lake and Osceola Counties lie between.


Climate

Polk County, like most of Florida, has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Cfa''). It lies in the USDA plant hardiness zone ''9b'', where the average annual minimum temperature is . The last measurable snow in the county fell in 1977, but snow flurries and sleet fell on January 8, 2010, over the course of an hour on an exceptionally cold day. During the summer
rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...
from June to September,
sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...
s from both coasts move inland, where the moist air is heated and rises to form thunderstorms. On many days, the sea-breeze thunderstorms from both coasts move inland, colliding in Polk County to form especially strong thunderstorms. Polk County is located in the middle of "lightning alley", which has more lightning annually than any region in the United States. Largely due to its size, the county receives the overall highest number of lightning strikes in the area. The Green Swamp is prone to fog in winter. In the predawn hours of January 8, 2008, smoke from a prescribed burn contributed to especially dense fog on Interstate 4 that caused a major pileup involving 70 vehicles in 10 separate crashes that resulted in five deaths.


Tropical cyclones

The eyes of 12 hurricanes have passed through the county at hurricane strength in recorded history, including
Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...
(2017, category 1),
Hurricane Jeanne Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin since Mitch in 1998, and the deadliest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2004. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the se ...
(2004, category 1),
Hurricane Charley Hurricane Charley was the first of four separate hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the United States. It was the third named sto ...
(2004, category 2),
Hurricane Donna Hurricane Donna, known in Puerto Rico as Hurricane San Lorenzo, was the strongest hurricane of the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season, and caused severe damage to the Lesser Antilles, the Greater Antilles, and the East Coast of the United States, ...
(1960, category 2),
Hurricane King Hurricane King was the most severe hurricane to strike the city of Miami, Florida, since the 1926 Miami hurricane. It was the eleventh tropical storm and the last of six major hurricanes in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. The cyclone formed ...
(1950, category 1), the 1949 Florida hurricane (category 2), the
1945 Homestead hurricane The 1945 Homestead hurricane, known informally as Kappler's hurricane, was the most intense tropical cyclone to strike the U.S. state of Florida since 1935. The ninth tropical storm, third hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season, it ...
(category 1), the
1933 Treasure Coast hurricane The 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane was the second-most intense tropical cyclone to strike the United States during the active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. The eleventh tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the seaso ...
(category 1), the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane (category 2), Hurricane Four of the 1894 season (category 1), and Hurricane Three of the 1871 season, and Hurricane Eight of the 1859 season (category 1). Additionally, four storms were downgraded from hurricane strength at a location outside the county to tropical storm force at some point within the county and, given the hours between
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
updates (modern era) or earlier estimates, it is not clear whether these brought hurricane-force sustained winds to Polk County:
Hurricane Frances Hurricane Frances was the second most intense tropical cyclone in the Atlantic during 2004 and proved to be very destructive in Florida. It was the sixth named storm, the fourth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic h ...
(2004),
Hurricane Erin (1995) Hurricane Erin was the first hurricane to strike the contiguous United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The fifth tropical cyclone, fifth named storm, and second hurricane of the unusually active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season, Erin dev ...
Hurricane Two of the 1939 season, and the 1910 Cuba hurricane (category 1). Numerous tropical storms have passed through the county. Hurricane Charley in 2004—the first of three hurricanes to hit the county in six weeks—is the strongest storm in recent history to pass through the county, mainly impacting the eastern half of the county. The Lake Wales Fire Department recorded an unofficial maximum wind speed of sustained and a gust of . The hurricane entered the county south of Fort Meade, shortly after it passed Wauchula (in Hardee County), where a maximum wind gust of was recorded by emergency management officials. The hurricane-force wind field was relatively narrow, with the most intense wind damage being within of the center of the eye. For example, maximum recorded winds were only sustained and a gust of at Gilbert Airport on the northwest side of the city.


Demographics


2020 Census

As of the 2020 United States census, 725,046 people, 240,879 households, and 165,183 families were residing in the county.


2010 Census

U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Ethnic/Race Demographics: * White (non-Hispanic) (75.2% when including
White Hispanic White Hispanic and Latin Americans, also called Euro-Hispanics, Euro-Latinos, White Hispanics, or White Latinos, are Americans who self-identify as white of European (diaspora) or West Asian descent with origins from Hispanic countries or Lat ...
s): 64.6% * Black (non-Hispanic) (14.8% when including
Black Hispanic Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, also called Afro-Hispanics, Afro-Latinos, Black Hispanics, or Black Latinos, are classified by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, and other U.S. government agencies as Black ...
s): 14.2% * Hispanic or Latino of any race: 17.7% * Asian: 1.6% * Two or more races: 2.4% * American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.4% * Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1% * Other races: 5.5% In 2010, the largest ancestry groups were: 12.2% German, 11.6% American, 11.2% English, 10.8% Irish, 7.6% Mexican, 5.8% Puerto Rican, 4.1% Italian, 2.6% French, 2.1% Polish, 2.0% Scotch-Irish, 1.8% Scottish, 1.5% Dutch, and 1.2% Cuban. Of the 227,485 households, 27.3% had children under 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% (3.4% male and 7.6% female) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59, and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the age distribution was 23.5% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,946, and for a family was $51,395. Males had a median income of $37,768 versus $30,655 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $21,881. About 11.5% of families and 15.2% 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 ...
, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those aged 65 or over. In 2010, 10.7% of the county's population was foreign-born, with 37.8% being naturalized American citizens. Of foreign-born residents, 70.4% were born in Latin America, 11.5% Europe, 10.2% Asia, 4.9% North America, 2.6% Africa, and 0.4% were born in Oceania.


2000 Census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, 483,924 people, 187,233 households, and 132,373 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 226,376 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 79.58% White (74.6% were
Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
), 13.54% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.82% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. About 9.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2000, only 37% of county residents lived in incorporated metropolitan areas.Polk County Demographic Profile (Central Florida Development Council)
– retrieved June 1, 2007
Of the 187,233 households, 29.0% had children under 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were not families; 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the age distribution was 24.4% under 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.1 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,036, and for a family was $41,442. Males had a median income of $31,396, versus $22,406 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $18,302. 12.90% of the population and 9.40% of families 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 ...
. Of the total population, 19.1% were under 18 and 8.1% were 65 or older.


Languages

As of 2010, 81.80% of all residents spoke English as their
first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...
, while 14.34% spoke Spanish, 0.70% French Creole (mostly
Haitian Creole Haitian Creole (; , ; , ), or simply Creole (), is a French-based creole languages, French-based creole language spoken by 10 to 12million people worldwide, and is one of the two official languages of Haiti (the other being French), where it ...
,) and 0.51% of the population spoke French as their
mother language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...
. In total, 18.20% of the population spoke languages other than English as their
primary language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...
.


Economy

Polk County's economy is supported by a workforce of over 275,000 in 2010. Traditionally, the largest industries in Polk County's economy have been
phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...
mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
,
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, and
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
. Notable companies headquartered in Polk County include
Publix Publix Super Markets, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Publix, is an employee ownership, employee-owned American supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a Privately h ...
(an employee-owned grocery chain) and Florida's Natural (an agricultural cooperative).


Top employers

The top employers of Polk County are as follows: # Polk County Public Schools (13,000) #
Publix Publix Super Markets, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Publix, is an employee ownership, employee-owned American supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a Privately h ...
(11,721) # Lakeland Regional Health (5,605) #
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
(5,100) # City of Lakeland (2,300) #
GEICO The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is an American vehicle insurance company headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In addition to auto insurance, GEICO provides motorcycle, ATV, RV, boat, snowmobile, travel, pet, event, hom ...
(2,222) # Polk County Board of County Commissioners (2,200) # Winter Haven Hospital (2,079) # Polk County Sheriff's Office (1,955) # Watson Clinic (1,851) #
Southeastern University Southeastern University is a Private university, private Christian university in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama, as Southeastern Bible Institute, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became ...
(1,557) #
Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separately ...
(1,500) # The Mosaic Company (1,380) #
Sykes "Sykes" is a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origins, which generally has topographical roots as it original linguistic origin. The name derives from the Old Norse word "sík" or "síkja", meaning a small stream, marshy hollow, or gully. It eventua ...
(1,150) #
State Farm Insurance State Farm Insurance is a group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1922, it is the largest property, casualty and auto insurance provider in the United ...
(1,000) #
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
(1,000) # GC Services (1,000) #
Polk State College Polk State College (PSC) is a public college based in Winter Haven, Florida, United States, and is part of the Florida College System. Established in 1964, PSC operates its main campuses in Winter Haven and Lakeland, with additional education c ...
(932) # Rooms to Go (900) # Florida's Natural Growers (645) #
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...
(599) ::'


Sports

Polk County is home to professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
teams and boasts a rich history of collegiate sports competition at a number of its institutions of higher learning, including perennial
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
national championship contender and titleholder (in multiple sports),
Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. It offers undergraduate, gradua ...
. Professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
, especially major league
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
, was historically a major generator of tourist traffic for Polk County. Today, however, only the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
remain for spring training. Additionally, the
Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...
Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...
play in
Joker Marchant Stadium Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a baseball field in Lakeland, Florida. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and R ...
after spring training. Professional basketball made its debut in 2017 when the
Lakeland Magic The Osceola Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Kissimmee, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season as the Lakeland Magic, and now play their ho ...
took the court in its home venue,
RP Funding Center The RP Funding Center (formerly the Lakeland Civic Center and the Lakeland Center) is a multipurpose entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Formerly, it was the home of the Lakeland Magic, ...
. The team is the
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
developmental affiliate of the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
's
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
. In 2023, the team relocated from Polk County to Osceola County. College sports are also popular in Polk County. The
Florida Southern Moccasins The Florida Southern Moccasins (also shortened to Florida Southern Mocs) are the athletic teams that represent Florida Southern College, located in Lakeland, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Moccasins compete as members of ...
play in
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
in the
Sunshine State Conference The Sunshine State Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its member institutions are located in the state of Florida, which is popularly k ...
. The
Southeastern Fire The Southeastern Fire are the athletic teams that represents Southeastern University, located in Lakeland, Florida, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the ...
play in NAIA
Sun Conference The Sun Conference (TSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Eight of the ten full member institutions are located in Florida, with two in Georgia. The Sun Conference co ...
.


Government and politics

The executive and legislative powers of the county are vested in the five-member board of county commissioners. While the county is divided into five separate districts, each commissioner is elected
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
, countywide, requiring them to gain majority support. Each term lasts for four years, with odd-numbered districts holding elections in presidential election years, and even-numbered districts holding elections two years later. Like all elected officials in the state, county commissioners are subject to recall. The commissioners elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually. The chairman selects the chairs of each committee, who work with the county manager to establish the policies of the board. The commission meets twice a month- generally every other Tuesday. Additional meetings take place as needed, but must be announced per the Florida sunshine laws. Among the most important duties of the county commission is levying taxes and appropriations. The''
ad valorem An ''ad valorem'' tax (Latin for "according to value") is a tax whose amount is based on the value of a transaction or of a property. It is typically imposed at the time of a transaction, as in the case of a sales tax or value-added tax (VAT). A ...
''millage rate levied by the county for county government purposes is 6.8665. The commission is responsible for providing appropriations for other countywide offices including the sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector, and supervisor of elections. The county and circuit court systems are also partially supported by the county budget, including the state attorneys and public defenders. A portion of the county's budget is dedicated to providing municipal-level services and regulations to unincorporated areas, such as zoning, business codes, and fire protection. Other services benefit both those in municipalities and in unincorporated Polk County, such as those that provide recreational and cultural opportunities. The current Sheriff of Polk County is
Grady Judd Grady Curtis Judd Jr. (born March 10, 1954) is an American law enforcement officer and serves as the Sheriffs in the United States, sheriff of Polk County, Florida, Polk County, Florida since 2005. Early life and education Grady Curtis Judd J ...
.


Party registration

As of April 30, 2025. Since 1976, Polk County has supported the Republican candidate in every election, often by comfortable margins, though Democrats usually obtain over 40% of the vote. In 2024,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
performed better than any Republican in the county since
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
in 1988, and held
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
under 40% of the vote for the first time since 1992.


Education

Polk County Public Schools serves the county.


Universities and colleges


State University System of Florida (public)

*
Florida Polytechnic University Florida Polytechnic University (Florida Poly) is a public university in Lakeland, Florida, United States. Created as an independent university in 2012, it is the newest of the 12 institutions in the State University System of Florida. It is the ...


Florida College System (Public)

*
Polk State College Polk State College (PSC) is a public college based in Winter Haven, Florida, United States, and is part of the Florida College System. Established in 1964, PSC operates its main campuses in Winter Haven and Lakeland, with additional education c ...
(previously known as Polk Community College)


Private institutions

*
Southeastern University Southeastern University is a Private university, private Christian university in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama, as Southeastern Bible Institute, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became ...
(affiliated with the
Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...
) *
Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. It offers undergraduate, gradua ...
*
Warner University Warner University is a private Christian university in Lake Wales, Florida, United States. It is affiliated with the Church of God. History "Warner Southern College" was founded in 1968 by the Southeastern Association of the Church of G ...
(affiliated with the Church of God) *
Webber International University Webber International University (Webber or WIU) is a private university in Babson Park, Florida. History Webber International was founded as "Webber College" by Roger Babson, an entrepreneur and business theorist in the first half of the 20t ...
*
Keiser University Keiser University is a private university with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, Florida. Additional campuses are located in other parts of Florida and internationally. Keiser provides ...
, Lakeland Campus (not-for-profit) * Southern Technical College, Auburndale Campus


Library cooperative

The Polk County Library Cooperative was formed October 1, 1997, through an interlocal agreement between the 13 municipalities with public libraries and the board of county commissioners. The cooperative enables the city-owned and -operated public libraries to open their doors to all residents of the county, including those in the unincorporated areas.


Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offers library patrons the opportunity to request and receive books that are not owned by the Winter Haven Public Library. Through ILL, not only do patrons have access to the circulating book collections of all the library systems in Polk County, but also all of the library systems in Florida, as well as universities and public library systems throughout the United States.


Cooperative member libraries


Services


Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library


History

The Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library was established in 1937, and opened to the public in January 1940. The library was first located in the office of the county attorney and its holdings were all housed in a metal bookcase. Since then, the library has been housed in several different locations within the old Polk County Courthouse. In 1968, the library hired its first full-time employee. By 1974, the library added a second employee and was moved to a new location on Hendry Street. In 1987, the library relocated back to the 1908 Courthouse. It was renovated during a 10-year process that included expansion to take over and adapt all three floors of the eastern wing of the courthouse. As of 2013, the library is located in the east wing of the historical courthouse in Bartow. It is governed by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners and administered by the Neighborhood Services Department and the Leisure Services Division. The library holds one of the largest genealogical and historical collections in the Southeastern United States.


Collections and services

The Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library holds more than 40,000 items in its collection, which includes books, microfilm, and periodicals with information about the history and genealogy of the entire Eastern United States. The selection of materials related to the history of Polk County contains local newspapers dated back to 1881, aerial photography to 1938, city directories to 1925 and property tax rolls to 1882. Four full-time staff members are available for assistance at the library. The library also offers local obituary searches and basic looks-ups via email.


Sites of interest

*
Bok Tower Gardens Bok Tower Gardens is a contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain, north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, created by Edward Bok in the 1920s. Formerly known as the Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, t ...
*
Child of the Sun Child of the Sun is a collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on the campus of the Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. The twelve original buildings were constructed between 1941 and 1958. Another of Wright's designs, ...
* Dundee station * Explorations V Children's Museum *
Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Kendall-Tamiami E ...
*
Florida Air Museum The Florida Air Museum, formerly known as the International Sport Aviation Museum and the SUN 'n FUN Air Museum, is designated as Florida's "Official Aviation Museum and Education Center." It features a display of aircraft including one-of-a-k ...
* Homeland Heritage Park * Lake Kissimmee State Park * Lake Wales station *
Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separately ...
* Mulberry Phosphate Museum * Old Fort Meade School House * Polk County Historical Museum *
Polk Museum of Art The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College (The AGB), formerly known as the Polk Museum of Art, is a private, non-profit, and nationally accredited art museum in Lakeland, Florida. It is a member of the Florida Associatio ...
* Polk's Nature Discovery Center * Posner Park * Saddle Creek Park *
Water Ski Hall of Fame and Museum The Water Ski Hall of Fame and Museum is the hall of fame, museum, and archive of the sport of water skiing. Founded in 1980 and currently located in Davenport, Florida, the organization is administered by the USA Water Ski Foundation. History ...


Media

Polk is part of the Tampa Bay media market.


Newspapers

* ''The Polk County Democrat'' 1931–present * ''The
Lakeland Ledger ''The Ledger'' is a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Florida, and the Polk County area. History The paper was founded on August 22, 1924, as the ''Lakeland Evening Ledger''. In 1927, it bought its main competitor, the morning ''Lakeland S ...
'' 1924–present; owned by
New Media Investment Group Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...
* ''The Winter Haven News Chief'' 1911–present * ''The Business Observer'' 1997–present


Radio


Television

*
WMOR-TV WMOR-TV (channel 32) is an independent television station licensed to Lakeland, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Hillsborough Avenue in east Tampa, and its transm ...
(licensed to Lakeland, with studios in Tampa)


Transportation


Airports

*
Lakeland Linder International Airport Lakeland Linder International Airport is a public airport five miles southwest of Lakeland, in Polk County, Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a na ...
In 2017 Linder welcomed its first international flight, and in 2018 the name was changed to reflect the airport's international status. *
Bartow Municipal Airport Bartow Executive Airport is a public airport four miles (6 km) northeast of Bartow, in Polk County, Florida. It is owned by the Bartow Airport Authority. Facilities The airport covers and has three asphalt runways: * Runway 5/23: 5,000 ...
* Lake Wales Municipal Airport * Jack Browns Seaplane Base *
Winter Haven's Gilbert Airport Winter Haven's Gilbert Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Winter Haven, a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of W ...
* South Lakeland Airport * Chalet Suzanne Air Strip * River Ranch resort Airport


Highways

* Limited Access Highways ** (
Interstate 4 Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning along a generally southwest–northeast axis ...
) – This interstate highway cuts across the northern part of the county, entering from Tampa and Plant City in the west, bypassing Lakeland, Auburndale, and Haines City, and heading northeast toward the greater Orlando area. ** (or Polk Parkway) – With endpoints at I-4, this toll road traverses primarily around Lakeland, intersecting with several major routes in southern Lakeland and additionally providing access to Winter Haven and Legoland via SR 540, and Auburndale via US 92. It exists as SR 570. ** Central Polk Parkway (Under Development) ** Heartland Parkway (proposed) *
U.S. Highways The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
** – This U.S. highway enters Polk County from the southwest, bypassing Fort Meade on its way to Bartow, and eventually through Eagle Lake into Winter Haven. North of Winter Haven, in Lake Alfred, it joins with US 92 to form a concurrency that continues north and east through Haines City and Davenport toward Kissimmee and Orlando. ** – This primary thoroughfare in eastern Polk County bypasses several cities, including Frostproof, Lake Wales, Dundee, Lake Hamilton, Haines City, and Davenport. Its interchange with I-4 is a gateway to the Orlando area. ** – This route essentially parallels I-4 to the south over its journey through Polk County. From Plant City to the west, it enters Polk County and crosses Lakeland, emerging and continuing on through Auburndale. It joins US 17 in Lake Alfred. ** – This route crosses northwest to southeast across Polk County. Entering from Pasco County, it cuts through Lakeland and leads to Bartow. In Bartow, it begins a concurrency with US 17 through Fort Meade, where it jogs over to meet US 27 in Frostproof. US 98 is concurrent with US 27 as it exits Polk County to the southeast. ** – This highway has its western terminus at US 27 along the border of Polk and Lake Counties. It runs eastward from this junction to provide access to Disney World, the Orlando area, and the Space Coast. * Major
State Roads State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
** – This scenic highway winds parallel to the east of US 27, running through the downtown areas of Lake Wales, Dundee, Lake Hamilton, and Haines City. ** – It stems northward from Lakeland and leads to Polk City, and continues northward through the Green Swamp. ** – Also called South Florida Avenue, this road connects Mulberry to southern Lakeland. ** – The major route of southern Polk County and the county's largest state road, it connects Mulberry and Bartow with Lake Wales on its route from coast to coast in Florida. ** – This road leads from Highland City in the Lakeland area to Winter Haven as Winter-Lake Road, then jogging over at US 17 and providing access to Legoland and US 27 as Cypress Gardens Boulevard. ** – This road travels through central Polk County, connecting downtown Winter Haven to US 27 and Dundee. ** – This road leads first from Auburndale to Winter Haven as Havendale Boulevard, and continues north and east as a scenic route to southern Haines City. ** – This route straddles Lake Ariana in Auburndale and connects this city with Polk City, also providing access to I-4.


Intercity rail

Polk County has two
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
train stations, in Winter Haven and Lakeland. Both stations are served by Amtrak's ''
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
'', with the Winter Haven station alone also served by Amtrak's ''
Silver Meteor The ''Silver Meteor'' is a Long-distance Amtrak routes, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was t ...
.''


Communities

According to the 2010 Census, just under 38% of the population of the county lives in one of Polk's seventeen incorporated municipalities. The largest city, Lakeland, has over 112,000 residents and is located in the western edge of the county. The other core city of the metropolitan area, Winter Haven, is located in the eastern part of the county and has 34,000 residents. The county seat, Bartow, is located southeast of Lakeland and southwest of Winter Haven and has over 17,000 residents. The cities of Bartow, Lakeland, and Winter Haven form a roughly
equilateral triangle An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length, and all three angles are equal. Because of these properties, the equilateral triangle is a regular polygon, occasionally known as the regular triangle. It is the ...
pointed downward with Bartow being the south point, Lakeland the west point, and Winter Haven the east point. The other major cities in the county with a population over 10,000 include Haines City, Auburndale, and Lake Wales. Haines City is in the northeast part of the county and has over 20,000 residents. Auburndale is located northwest of Winter Haven and Lake Wales is around 16 miles east of Bartow.


Cities

* Auburndale * Bartow *
Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...
* Eagle Lake *
Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States military bands#Army Field Band, United States Army Field Band, and the head ...
*
Frostproof Frostproof is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The city is located in southern Polk County on the Lake Wales Ridge. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,877 at the 20 ...
* Haines City * Lake Alfred * Lakeland * Lake Wales *
Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
* Polk City * Winter Haven


Towns

*
Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
* Hillcrest Heights * Lake Hamilton


Village

* Highland Park


Census-designated places

* Alturas * Babson Park * Bradley Junction * Combee Settlement * Crooked Lake Park * Crystal Lake *
Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens was a botanical garden and theme park near Winter Haven, Florida that operated from 1936 to 2009. As of 2011, the botanical garden portion had been preserved inside the newly formed Legoland Florida. History Billed as Florida' ...
*
Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...
* Fuller Heights * Fussels Corner * Grenelefe * Highland City *
Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...
* Inwood * Jan Phyl Village * Kathleen * Lakeland Highlands * Loughman * Medulla * Poinciana * Wahneta * Waverly * Willow Oak


Other unincorporated communities

* Acton *
Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
* Gibsonia *
Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
* Lakeshore * Mountain Lake * Nalcrest *
Pittsburg Pittsburg may refer to: Places United States Cities, towns, townships and counties *Pittsburg, California * Pittsburg, Florida *Pittsburg, Kansas, Crawford County *Pittsburg, New Hampshire * Pittsburg, Oklahoma *Pittsburg, Texas *Pittsburg Coun ...
* Winston


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Polk County, Florida


Notes


References


Further reading

*
online review of Brown, Canter, Jr. ''In the Midst of All That Makes Life Worth Living: Polk County, Florida, to 1940.'' (2001). 325 pp.

online review of Brown, Canter, Jr. ''None Can Have Richer Memories: Polk County, Florida 1940–2000'' (2005)


External links


Government links/Constitutional offices


Polk County Government / Board of County Commissioners
official website
Polk County Clerk of Courts

Polk County Supervisor of Elections

Polk County Property Appraiser

Polk County Sheriff's Office

Polk County Tax Collector


Special districts


Polk County Public Schools

South Florida Water Management District

Southwest Florida Water Management District

Lake Region Lakes Management District "Canal Commission"


Judicial branch


Public Defender, 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida
servings Hardee,
Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...
, and Polk Counties
Office of the State Attorney, 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida

10th Judicial Circuit of Florida


Miscellaneous


Polk Partners
founded by the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, Central Florida Development Council, and ''
The Ledger ''The Ledger'' is a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Florida, and the Polk County area. History The paper was founded on August 22, 1924, as the ''Lakeland Evening Ledger''. In 1927, it bought its main competitor, the morning ''Lakeland S ...
''.
''Polk County Democrat''
local newspaper for Polk County, Florida fully and openly available in th
Florida Digital Newspaper Library

''Polk County Guide''
online guide to attractions & events in Polk County, Florida
Polk County Collection on the RICHES Mosaic Interface
{{coord, 27.96, -81.70, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-FL_source:UScensus1990 Charter counties in Florida 1861 establishments in Florida Populated places established in 1861