Polk City is a city in Polk County,

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 ...

, United States. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven metropolitan statistical area. Its population was 2,713 at the 2020 census.

History

Polk City was incorporated as the Town of Polk City in 1925, and changed by ordinance to the City of Polk City in 2005. The city was named after the county, itself named after

James Knox 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 History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, the 11th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Geography

The exact coordinates for the City of Polk City are . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Polk City 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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills.

Climate

The climate for the City of Polk City is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Polk City 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 ...

zone, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 2,713 people, 945 households, and 661 families were residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, 1,562 people, 659 households, and 456 families livedin the city.

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, 1,516 people, 542 households, and 422 families resided in the town. The population density was . The 596 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.13% White, 1.91% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 1.78% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.11% of the population. In 2000, of the 542 households, 39.1% had children under 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were not families. About 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.07. In 2000, the age distribution was 29.8% under 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $32,083, and for a family was $36,705. Males had a median income of $28,158 versus $20,579 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 town was $14,108. About 13.6% of families and 13.4% 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 11.2% of those under 18 and 5.7% of those 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

A yearly Founder's Day festival is held in midtown park located at the beginning of General James A. Van Fleet State Trail.

Museums and other points of interest

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 ...

, an aviation-related attraction, takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight,

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 beyond. The museum closed in April 2014, but was planned to reopen later in a downscaled form. Polk City Community Library, a public library, is a member of the Polk County Library Cooperative. It provides free computer use and interlibrary loan services. The library is located at 215 S. Bougainvillea Avenue.

Sports

While small in both size and population, Polk City offers its residents a vast array of activities throughout the year. Children are offered Tee-Ball and Little League baseball, and Pee-Wee football.

Government

Polk City has a council-manager form of government, and is governed by a five-person council that elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

from its membership.

Utilities

The Polk City power grid is supported by distribution lines from Lakeland Electric and TECO.

Infrastructure

Transportation

* – Located just south of the city, it is a major highway in

Central Florida Central Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, in ...

, leading westward to Lakeland and

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 eastward to

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 ...

. * – Called Commonwealth Avenue, this road leads south to Lakeland and northd across the Green Swamp, toward Groveland. * – This road leads south to I-4 and Auburndale.

References

External links

Polk City Florida Official Website
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Polk City {{authority control Cities in Polk County, Florida Populated places established in 1925 Cities in Florida 1925 establishments in Florida