Lake Placid, Florida | |
---|---|
Town | |
Nickname(s): The Caladium Capital of the World, Town of Murals | |
Coordinates: 27°17′42.9″N81°22′21.5″W / 27.295250°N 81.372639°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Florida |
County | Highlands |
Settled | 1912 |
Incorporated (as Lake Stearns) | 1 December 1925 |
Incorporated (as Lake Placid) | 6 June 1927 |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor-council (Strong Mayor) |
• Mayor | John Holbrook |
Area | |
• Total | 4.71 sq mi (12.21 km2) |
• Land | 4.66 sq mi (12.07 km2) |
• Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) 1.4% |
Highest elevation | 173 ft (53 m) |
Lowest elevation | 72 ft (22 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,360 |
• Density | 506.22/sq mi (195.47/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP Codes | 33852, 33862 |
Area code | 863 |
FIPS code | 12-38625 |
GNIS feature ID | 285272 [5] |
Website | Town of Lake Placid |
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. [6] It is part of the Sebring Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The town has two nicknames: "Town of Murals" and "The Caladium Capital of the World". Lake Placid has 47 murals painted on buildings throughout the town, [7] and 98 percent of the world's caladium bulbs come from Lake Placid. [8] There are 14 caladium farms, spanning 1,200 acres, and these plants have been grown in the area since the 1940s. [9] In 2013, Reader's Digest named Lake Placid America's Most Interesting Town. [10] [11]
The town is home to the Lake Placid Tower, a closed concrete block observation tower that is 240 feet (73 m) tall according to early sources [12] or 270 feet (82 m) tall according to late sources. [13] However, government sources exclude a 270-foot height, allowing only a 240-foot height. [14] [15]
Lake Placid, which was formerly called "Lake Stearns", was chartered on December 1, 1925. Dr. Melvil Dewey, the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System, and the founder of the Lake Placid Club in Lake Placid, New York, proposed that Lake Stearns change its name to "Lake Placid". On April 29, 1927, the Lake Stearns Commissioners accepted Dr. Dewey's proposal. Subsequently, they submitted a request to the Florida State Legislature. On June 6, 1927, the community was chartered as the town of Lake Placid.
Lake Placid is located in central Highlands County at 27°17′42.9″N81°22′21.5″W / 27.295250°N 81.372639°W (27.29525, –81.37263). [16] U.S. Route 27 passes through the town, leading north 16 miles (26 km) to Sebring, the county seat, and south 58 miles (93 km) to Clewiston.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Lake Placid has a total area of 3.650 square miles (9.45 km2), of which 3.599 square miles (9.32 km2) are land and 0.051 square miles (0.13 km2), or 1.4%, are water. [16]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1930 | 582 | — | |
1940 | 340 | −41.6% | |
1950 | 417 | 22.6% | |
1960 | 1,007 | 141.5% | |
1970 | 656 | −34.9% | |
1980 | 963 | 46.8% | |
1990 | 1,158 | 20.2% | |
2000 | 1,668 | 44.0% | |
2010 | 2,223 | 33.3% | |
2020 | 2,360 | 6.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [17] |
As of the census of 2010, [18] there were 2,223 people, 841 households, 490 family households, and 1,040 housing units in the town.
The racial makeup of the town was 69.6% White, 7.1% Black and African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 18.9% Some Other Race, and 2.7% from Two or More Races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.1% of the population. [18]
There were 841 households, of which 58.3% were family households – with one or more people related to the householder or related to one of a same-sex couple by birth, marriage or adoption; and 41.7% were nonfamily households – including same-sex couples with no other relatives. Family households included 29.0% with their own children under 18 years, 37.0% were a husband-wife family, 6.4% were a male householder with no wife present, 14.9% were a female householder with no husband present. Nonfamily households consisted of 12.2% males living alone – 5.8% 65 years and older – and 19.7% females living alone – 19.7% 65 years and older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age of the population was 34.4 years. [18]
From the 2016 American Community Survey, the population was spread out, with 10% under 5 years old, 15.3% from 5 to 14, 45.2% from 15 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older (significant margins of error causes total to exceed 100%). The sex ratio was 106.3 males per 100 females. The educational attainment of the population who were a high school graduate or higher was 59.2%, while 12.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher. The poverty rate of the population 25 years and older was 61.0% if less than a high school graduate, 52.2% if a high school graduate, 26.8% with some college, and 13.4% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The median earnings of the population 25 years and over during the past 12 months was $14,938, consisting of $10,625 if less than a high school graduate, $15,187 if a high school graduate, $18,988 with some college, and $147,961 with a bachelor's degree. The per capita income was $17,318. 54.7% of all people had incomes below the poverty level. All figures from the survey had significant margins of error. [18]
Lake Placid is located in a fringe viewing area; its television stations originate in distant cities. Local television services offer signals from WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, WINK, the CBS affiliate in Fort Myers/Naples, WFLA, the Tampa Bay area NBC affiliate, and WTVT, the Tampa Bay area Fox affiliate. There are no TV stations whose studios or broadcasting towers are located in Lake Placid.
Lake Placid is part of the Sebring radio market, which is ranked as the 288th largest in the United States by Arbitron. [19] It is the city of license for WWTK 730 kHz and is in that station's primary coverage area, however, there are no radio stations whose studios or broadcasting towers are located in Lake Placid.
The Highlands News-Sun, a Sebring-based newspaper published daily, is currently the only commercial newspaper circulating in Lake Placid. The Journal, a locally based weekly publication, had circulated for almost 60 years in Lake Placid, but ceased publication.
The structure, built by Ridge Builders, and previously called the Happiness Tower, is a closed concrete block observation tower located on US Highway 27. [20] It is 240 feet (73.2 m) tall according to early sources (before 1982), [12] although later sources (after 1986) have indicated that it is 270 feet (82.3 m) tall. [13] Because its antennae are 392 feet (119.5 m) above sea level, [15] and it rests on ground 142 feet (43 m) above sea level [14] (392–142=250), only the 240-foot architectural height is plausible. It has three observation levels, at 192 feet (58.5 m) behind windows, at 200 feet (61.0 m) on a balcony, and at 225 feet (68.6 m) atop the elevator shaft. [12] It was designed by architect A. Wynn Howell of Lakeland, built in 1960, and opened January 1, 1961. [12] [21] [22] It was the tallest concrete block structure in the world when it opened. [12]
For years, the tower was open to tourists who could take a 65 second elevator ride to the observation deck. [23] Because of sluggish sales, the tower closed in 2003 and is now a cell phone tower. [24] [25]
The Old Lake Placid Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, now the Historical Society Depot Museum of the Lake Placid Historical Society, is a historic Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot in Lake Placid, Florida. It is located at 12 East Park Street and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There are 47 large murals on the sides of buildings in Lake Placid's "uptown" area. These have become a tourist attraction. [26] The Welcome Center sells a booklet with a map of the murals that provides specifics about the history that each one depicts, as well as information about the artist(s). [27]
The murals were planned in 1992 by Harriet and Bob Porter [28] and were painted in subsequent years by various artists, most depicting the history of the area. Some feature the trompe-l'œil technique. [29]
Lake Placid is home to the American Clown Museum and School, which was founded in 1993. [30] Here more than 700 significant pieces of clown memorabilia can be found. [31]
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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.
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Placid Lakes is an unincorporated community in Highlands County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,054 according to the 2000 census, at which time it was a census-designated place (CDP). Placid Lakes is a predominantly residential community southwest of the town of Lake Placid and due south of Lake June.
Sebring is a city in south-central Florida, 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
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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.
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Samaritan's Touch Care Center is a nonprofit outpatient medical clinic with two Highlands County, Florida, locations - one in Sebring and one in Lake Placid. It considers itself a Christian ministry and says many persons who have been helped by it "have dedicated their lives to Christ and began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." It provides free health services to persons who meet these criteria:
The Lake Placid Tower in Lake Placid, Florida, formerly named Placid Tower, Tower of Peace or Happiness Tower, is a closed observation tower 240 feet (73.2 m) tall according to early sources or 270 feet (82.3 m) tall according to late sources. However, no physical modification of the tower occurred in the interim that would explain a 30-foot increase in height.