Polk County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. The county population was 602,095, as of the 2010 census. Its county seat is Bartow, and its largest city is Lakeland.
Bartow is 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. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 17,298 and an estimated population of 20,147 in 2019. It is part of the Lakeland−Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 584,383 in 2009. As of 2019, the mayor of Bartow is Billy Simpson.
Fort Meade is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,203. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was named for George Meade, at the time an Army lieutenant serving in Florida following the Second Seminole War. Fort Meade is home to Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School, several historic buildings, Streamsong resort and Patterson Park. The area is popular with kayakers and canoers.
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. The westernmost city in Polk County, it is part of the Tampa Bay Area. According to the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 112,136. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 33,874 at the 2010 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making it the second most populated city in Polk County. It is a principal city of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. He served as a United States senator from 1971 to 1989 and as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 to 1998.
The Dixieland Historic District is a United States historic district located in Lakeland, Florida. The district is bounded by Walnut Street, Florida Avenue, Lake Hunter, Hartsell Avenue and Belvedere Street. It contains 556 historic buildings.
The Munn Park Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Lakeland, Florida. It is named in honor of the city's founder, Abraham Munn. The district is bounded by East Bay Street, North Florida Avenue, East Orange Street, and East Main Street. It contains 48 historic buildings and 1 object.
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 national reliever facility for Tampa International Airport. The airport has a Class 1 Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 139 operating certificate allowing passenger airline flights.
The Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida is a historic theater located at 121 South Florida Avenue.
The Central Avenue School is a historic school in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It is located at 604 South Central Avenue. The school was designed by Albert Poteet and built in 1926. On July 22, 1999, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This building currently houses the West Area Adult School.
Lakeland Senior High School is the oldest public high school in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It is part of Polk County Public Schools. Lakeland Senior High School was the original high school in the city. It also shares its campus with Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. Harrison students attend academic classes at Lakeland Senior High School.
The Old Central Grammar School is a historic school in Haines City, Florida. Built in 1925, it was designed by architect Edward Columbus Hosford in the Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Revival style.
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 Frances Langford Promenade is a historic site in Lakeland, Florida. It is located between Lemon Street and Lake Mirror Drive. On January 27, 1983, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The project was built in two phases and completed in 1928. Charles Wellford Leavitt of New York was the designer.
Child of the Sun, is a collective of buildings for the campus of the Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Also known as the Florida Southern College Architectural District, it was designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright from 1941 through 1958. On March 2, 2012 it was designated a National Historic Landmark. The buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and together form the largest collection of buildings by the architect Frank Loyd Wright.
Rhea May Chiles was First Lady of Florida from 1991–98 during the tenure of her husband, Governor Lawton Chiles. In 2009, she was designated a Distinguished Floridian by the Florida Economics Club at an event hosted by former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Major B. Harding and keynoted by former United States Senator Sam Nunn.
Frederick H. Trimble was an American architect in Central Florida from the early 1900s through the 1920s. He worked in the Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Prairie Style.
Polk County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bartow, Florida, United States. The district serves Polk County.
Wilbur B. Talley was an architect in Florida. He worked in Jacksonville until the death of his wife Nellie and daughter Sarah, who were riding in a car hit by a train on December 21, 1919. After the accident, he moved to Lakeland, Florida where he continued working as an architect.
