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.
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.
Fort Meade is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. As of 2020, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,100. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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. The town 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.
The Bartow Downtown Commercial District is a historic district in central Bartow, Florida. Composed of an area bounded by Davidson and Summerlin Streets and Broadway and Florida Avenues, the district includes twenty-one contributing properties. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The Biltmore–Cumberland Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Lakeland, Florida. The district is bounded by South Ingraham Avenue, East Lime Street, Bartow Road, Hollingsworth Road, and McDonald Place. It contains 201 historic buildings.
The Northeast Bartow Residential District is a historic district in Bartow, Florida. Composed of an area bounded by Jackson and 1st Avenues and by Church and Boulevard Streets, the district includes twenty-six contributing properties. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The Bartow Downtown Commercial District is a historic district in central Bartow, Florida. Composed of an area bounded by Floral and 1st Avenues and Main and Vine Streets, the district includes 204 contributing properties. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The Old Polk County Courthouse is an historic courthouse in Bartow, Florida, 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.
The Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida is a historic theater located at 121 South Florida Avenue.
The Benjamin Franklin Holland House is a historic home in Bartow, Florida. It is located at 590 East Stanford Street. Benjamin Franklin Holland was the father of Spessard Holland, one of Florida's governors as well as a United States senator representing the state. On April 3, 1975, the house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The John J. Swearingen House is a historic home in Bartow, Florida, designed by B. Clayton Bonfoey. It is located at 690 East Church Street. On May 13, 1982, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Lawrence Brown House, better known as the L.B. Brown House, is the home built by Lawrence Bernard Brown a self-made businessman, community leader, and master carpenter in Bartow, Florida. It may be the only home built by a former enslaved person left in Florida. The house "stands as a living testimony to one person's triumph over adversity."
The Oak Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Bartow, Florida. It is located on West Parker Street. On February 12, 2003, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. People interred there include Confederate General Evander M. Law.
The following buildings in Bartow were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Bartow Multiple Property Submission.
Polk County Courthouse may refer to:
Child of the Sun is a collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on the campus of the Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. The twelve original buildings were constructed between 1941 and 1958. Another of Wright's designs, a Usonian house originally intended for faculty housing, was completed in 2013, and is now part of the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center. 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 Lloyd Wright.
Lake Howard is a fresh water lake, located in Winter Haven, Florida. The lake is part of the headwaters of the Peace River watershed. Lake Howard is a prominent lake in Winter Haven's Chain of Lakes. Lake Howard is on the southern chain of lakes. It is connected to Lake Cannon, to the north-west, and Lake May, to the south-east. Lake Howard has a surface area of 624 acres. It has a mean depth of 10.9 feet (3.3 m), and maximum depth of 18.7 feet (5.7 m).
Thompson and Company Cigar Factory is a national historic site located at 255 North Third Street, Bartow, Florida in Polk County. It was used by the Thompson Cigar, established in Florida in 1915.
Mann Manor is a national historic site located at 325 West Main Street, Bartow, Florida in Polk County.
