Highlands County is a county located in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,235. Its county seat is Sebring.
Avon Park is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 8,836, and in 2018 the estimated population was 10,695. It is the oldest city in Highlands County, and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
Lake Placid is a town in Highlands County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,223 and in 2018 the estimated population was 2,439. It is part of the Sebring Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Sebring is a city in south-central Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District. It is the county seat of Highlands County, and is the principal city of the Sebring Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2022 United States Census estimates, the population is 11,379; however, the broader Sebring metropolitan area has a population of 105,618, making it the 21st largest metropolitan area in the state of Florida. The disparity in population between the city proper and the metropolitan area is due to the relatively small size of the annexed area of the city, with most all of the landmass west of Lake Jackson technically in unincorporated Highlands County
Sebring International Raceway is a road course auto racing facility in the southeastern United States, located near Sebring, Florida.
South Florida State College is a public college in Florida with campuses in Highlands, DeSoto and Hardee counties. The college is part of the Florida College System. South Florida State College was founded in 1965 and serves around 19,000 students a year. The 228 acres (0.92 km2) Highlands Campus is located two miles (3 km) south of Avon Park, Florida. The college is on an isthmus, bounded on the north by Lake Lelia, to the south by Lake Glenada, and to the west by U.S. Highway 27. It is a public college offering college credit certificates, career certificates, and associate degrees in over 73 fields of study as well as several bachelor's degrees.
Highlands Hammock State Park is a 9,000-acre (3,640 ha) park 4 miles (6 km) west of Sebring in Highlands County, Florida, off U.S. 27. The park opened in 1931, four years before the Florida state park system was created. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
The Sun 'n Lake of Sebring improvement district is a special district and unincorporated community in Highlands County, Florida, United States. It is located northwest of Sebring, off US 27. It has a similar name to nearby Sun 'n Lakes South, a subdivision south of Lake Placid, also in Highlands County.
Spring Lake is an unincorporated community in Highlands County, Florida, United States, southeast of Sebring, just outside the city limits of Sebring, adjacent to the Sebring International Raceway. It is mostly made up of senior citizens and established families with children, and The Spring Lake Golf Resort consists of three different golf courses, with many available homes and land for sale.
Sebring station is a train station in Sebring, Florida, United States. It is currently served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Located on East Center Avenue, the station was constructed in 1924 by the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Approaching the transfer of passenger services to Amtrak, the station was used by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad for the Silver Meteor,Silver Star and the Palmland. The latter train ended in 1971, while the Silver Meteor and Silver Star remain operated by Amtrak to the present. Amtrak trains formerly using the station included the Floridian,Palmetto,Sunset Limited and the short-lived intrastate Tampa-Miami Silver Palm service.
WSRQ-FM is a 5,000 watt radio station, located in the Florida Heartland. The station is licensed to the city of Zolfo Springs, in rural Hardee County. Its coverage area includes Hardee, DeSoto, and Highlands counties, serving the communities of Wauchula, Zolfo Springs, Arcadia, Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid. Its studio facilities are near downtown Sarasota.
Sweetwater Ranch is an Unincorporated community in the southeast section of Hardee County, Florida, United States. Long/Lat: 27°24.6’ N and 81°42.2’ W Peak altitude is 82 feet, but the topography varies. Sweetwater is 15 minutes by car southeast of Zolfo Springs, Florida, and is bordered by U.S. 17 to the west, SR 66 to the North, and the unincorporated communities of Crewsville to the east and Fish Branch/Gardner to the South. It contains a significant portion of the Oak Creek watershed and borders on the Charley Creek watershed, both of which empty into Peace River. For many years, Sweetwater was the location of Hardee County's only lake, Lake Frances, which is privately owned. Sweetwater is only 15 minutes from Highlands Hammock State Park, and 20 minutes by car from Highlands County, and the city of Sebring, which offers regional shopping, recreational and medical centers.
WWTK is a commercial radio station in Lake Placid, Florida, broadcasting to the Sebring area. WWTK's format is news/talk, and they run a slate of conservative commentators including The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Sean Hannity Show, Doctor Joy, Jerry Doyle and Jim Bohannon. The late night program is Coast to Coast AM. Sundays are dominated by religious programming. The station fares moderately well in the Sebring radio market, pulling a relatively stable 5.2 share, placing them sixth in the market.
WITS is a commercial radio station in Sebring, Florida, United States, broadcasting to the Sebring area on 1340 AM. WITS is one of the more popular stations in the Sebring market, consistently placing among the top four stations in the market.
WJCM is a commercial radio station in Sebring, Florida, broadcasting to the Sebring area on 1050 AM. WJCM's format is sports, with programming from ESPN Radio.
The Florida Heartland is a region of Florida located to the north and west of Lake Okeechobee, composed of six inland, non-metropolitan counties—DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee. In 2000, The US Census Bureau recorded the population of the region at 229,509. In 2010, The US Census Bureau recorded the population of the region at 253,399, a growth rate of 11.0%. The most populous county in the region is Highlands County, and the region's largest cities are Avon Park and Sebring, both with slightly more than 10,000 people. Unlike the coastal areas to the east and west, the rural nature of the Florida Heartland is culturally closer to the Deep South than the rest of South Florida and has traditionally been inhabited by Americans of predominantly English ancestry. While located in Palm Beach County, the nearby rural cities of South Bay, Belle Glade and Pahokee as well as the census-designated place of Lake Harbor, located on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, are more associated with the Florida Heartland than the remainder of South Florida. The same could also apply to the Collier County communities of Immokalee, Ave Maria and Harker as well as to the Martin County community of Port Mayaca. Occasionally included are the southern Polk County communities of Fort Meade, Frostproof and River Ranch as well as Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County.
Avon Park Executive Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of Avon Park, a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States.
Avon Park Lakes (APL) is a residential community of about 2,500 people in northwest Highlands County, Florida. It is bounded by Polk County, Florida, on the north and Hardee County, Florida, on the west. On the northeast it is bounded by Lake Adelaide. The development, roughly "C" shaped, reaches to the south a block north of State Road 64 and nearly to the northeast of U.S. Route 27. It is bordered along the middle of the "C" by the city limits of Avon Park, Florida. Avon Park Lakes is unincorporated, but has a homeowners association, the Avon Park Lakes Association.
Fort Basinger is an unincorporated town in Highlands County, Florida that arose around the Second and Third Seminole War fortification: Fort Basinger. The fort was situated 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Okeechobee. Just North of Fort Basinger is Lorida, and just above that is Sebring.
Sebring High School is a public high school in Sebring, Florida. Around 1,600 students currently attend the school.
