Polk County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. 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 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 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.
Bartow is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first brigade commander of the Confederate Army to die in combat during the American Civil War. It is part of the Lakeland−Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 787,404, as of July 1, 2022. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 19,309.
Haines City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Its population was 26,669 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 16,361 at the 2020 census.
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along I-4 east of Tampa and west of Orlando, it is the most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lakeland is situated among several lakes including Lake Morton downtown and is sometimes locally referred to by the nickname "Swan City" due to its sizeable population of swans, all of whom are descendants of two mute swans given to Lakeland by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Lakeland is home to several colleges and universities. Lakeland Linder International Airport is in Lakeland as is the corporate headquarters of Publix, a supermarket chain.
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is located about 51 miles (82 km) east of Tampa and about 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Orlando, with neighboring Lakeland located to its west. The city's population was 49,219 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populated city in Polk County after Lakeland. It is a principal city of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Poinciana is a settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Osceola and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It is part of the Greater Orlando area. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 69,309.
The Downtown Haines City Commercial District is a U.S. historic district located in Haines City, Florida. The district is bounded by Hinson and Ingraham Avenues, and 4th and 7th Streets. It contains 20 historic buildings.
The Old Polk County Courthouse is an historic courthouse in Bartow, Florida, United States, located at 100 East Main Street. It was ostensibly designed in the Classical Revival style by architect Edward Columbus Hosford. On August 7, 1989, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, located at 102 North 9th Street in Haines City, Florida is an historic Carpenter Gothic church. On March 17, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Polk Hotel is a historic hotel in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. It is located at 800–810 Hinson Avenue in Haines City, Florida.
The Old Haines City National Guard Armory is a historic site in Haines City, Florida. It is located at 226 South 6th Street. On March 2, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Lake Wales City Hall is a historic site in Lake Wales, Florida. It is located at 152 East Central Avenue. On August 31, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Roosevelt School is a historic school in Lake Wales, Florida. It is located at 115 E Street. On March 29, 2001, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Originally this school served the African-American Community or the Northwest community in Lake Wales. Currently it is an ESE vocational school specifically designed to teach and train students in grades 6–12 with learning disabilities to adapt and excel in society
Haines City Senior High School (HCHS) is a public high school in Haines City, Florida. Haines City Senior High School is administered by Polk County Public Schools. It was the original high school in the city, opening in 1922. The school has existed in three separate locations.
The Old Lakeland High School, also formerly known as the Polk Opportunity Center, is an historic 3-story redbrick school building located at 400 North Florida Avenue in Lakeland, Florida, U.S.. Built in 1926, it was designed by architect Edward Columbus Hosford in the late Gothic Revival architectural style.
Polk County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bartow, Florida, United States. The district serves Polk County.
Mountain Lake is a private community and U.S. historic district north of the City of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, off the FL 17 Scenic Highway.
Wilbur B. Talley was an architect in Florida. He worked in Jacksonville until the death of his wife Nellie and daughter Sarah, who were killed when the car they were riding in was hit by a train on December 21,1919. After the accident, he moved to Lakeland, Florida where he continued working as an architect.
The Baynard Boulevard Historic District is a national historic district located at Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. It encompasses 77 contributing buildings with examples of Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Queen Anne architecture. The area developed after being laid out in 1893, and is a prime example of a turn-of-the-20th-century American suburb, or "streetcar suburb." The dwellings date between 1895 and 1930. The district is predominantly residential. Also located in the district is the McCabe United Methodist Church, Beth Shalom Synagogue, Hanover Presbyterian Church, and No. 30 School.
