Lake Wales

Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. The population was 14,225 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,759. Lake Wales is located on the Lake Wales Ridge, a sandy upland area running roughly parallel to both coasts in the center of the peninsula. In 2004, the eyes of Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, and Hurricane Jeanne all passed near the town. In 2016, a Lake Wales police officer, Travis Worley, was accused by a whistleblower of calling a black suspect the N-word. The department suspended Worley for one day, but denied that he had used a racial slur. In 2019, he was named Lake Wales Officer of the Year. The city has a commission/manager form of government. Five city commissioners are elected to serve two-year terms. Four of the commission members are elected by the citizens at large but must reside in the district represented by the seat to which they are elected. The other commission member is elected byThe mayor of Lake Wales can serve as mayor and can reside in any district of the city. In 2017, Hurricane Irma brought more hurricane-force winds to Lake Wales. The town lies in the humid subtropical zone of the (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) The city is part of the LakelandWinter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the cities of Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Lakeland-Winter Haven.

History

Lake Wales is the primary city name, but also Highland Park are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Lake Wales, Florida. The land around the present city was surveyed in 1879 by Sidney Irving Wailes. In 1925 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built a new line from Haines City joining lines to Everglades City. The City of Lake Wales was officially incorporated in April 1917. In 2004, Lake Wales endured the effects of three hurricanes which came through the area: Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne. The three hurricanes brought hurricane-force winds to the Lake Wales area within a space of 44 days. In 2017, Hurricane Irma brought more hurricane- force winds to Lake Wales. The spelling Wales was used for the city, although the lake is still generally spelled Lake Wailses. The city was established near the lake in 1911-1912, planned by theLake Wales Land Company. The name Lake Wales is now used to refer to the city and the surrounding area. The lake is now known as Crystal Lake and the city is known as Lake Wales, but the name is still used as a reference to the name of the original lake, which was known as Watts Lake. It is also known as the Lake of the same name by some locals as it was once called Watts Lake, and is now called Crystal Lake by others. The current spelling of the lake, Crystal Lake, is also used by some residents. The town was established in 1911, and was named after the Crystal Lake in which it is located. It was officially established in 1917, and became a city in 1922. It has a population of about 2,000.

Geography

Lake Wales is located in the humid subtropical zone of the (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) In 2004, the eyes of Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, and Hurricane Jeanne all passed near the town. Virtually all physical damage has been restored. Grassy Lake Preserve is a 185 acres (0.75 km²) preserve located behind Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School. Lake Wales is on the Lake Wales Ridge, a sandy upland area running roughly parallel to both coasts in the center of the Florida peninsula. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36 km²), of which 13.4square miles (35km²) is land and 0.7sq miles (1.8km²), (4.71%) is water. The town lies near the geographical center of Florida's Florida peninsula, and is located on the shores of Lake Wales, a small lake that is part of the Lake Wales National Wildlife Refuge. The city is located near the intersection of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and the Florida Turnpike, and has a population of about 2,000. It is the only city in the state to be on the Atlantic Seaboard and the only one on the Gulf Coast to be located on both sides of the Panhandle, which is a peninsula in the southern part of Florida. It has an average annual rainfall of 1.8 inches (3.2 m).

Government and politics

In 2016, a Lake Wales police officer, Travis Worley, was accused by a whistleblower of calling a black suspect the N-word. The department suspended Worley for one day, but denied that he had used a racial slur. In 2019, he was named Lake Wales Officer of the Year. The whistleblower said she was subsequently targeted for punishment by the Lakes Wales police department and ultimately resigned. Worley has subsequently been accused on at least two occasions of using theN-word, including once in front of students at the local high school. Lake Wales, Florida has a commission/manager form of government. Five city commissioners are elected to serve two-year terms. Four of the commission members are elected by the citizens at large but must reside in the district represented by the seat to which they are elected. The other commission member is elected bythe citizens atlarge to serve as mayor and can reside in any district of the city. The city has a population of 2,000. It is located in the central part of the Florida panhandle and is located on the Florida Turnpike, which runs through the state's southern tip. The town is home to the University of Florida, which has a campus of more than 1,000 students. It also has a high school, a college, a hospital and a community center. It has a public library, which is open to the public for free, as well as a number of other public services, such as trash collection and recycling.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,225 people (2014 Estimate put the population at 15,140, according to the U.S. Census Bureau), 5,038 households, and 3,778 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 65% White, 27.5% African American, 0.50% Native American,0.8% Asian, 3.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.6% of the population. The median income for a household in theCity was $36,285, and the medianincome for a family was $47,785. The per capita income for the City was $16,106. About 20.8%. of families and 26.5%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 42.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9%. of those age 65 or over. For every 100 females, there are 88.7 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there is 81.1 males. The city is located on the Mississippi River, which runs through the center of the town. The Mississippi River is a tributary of the Red River. The Red River flows through the city and into the Arkansas River. It is the only river in the town that flows through both the Red and the Arkansas rivers. The Arkansas River is the main source of water supply for the city, as well as a source of drinking water.

Local attractions

The commercial historic district in the heart of the old town contains important examples of architecture from the period of the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The district's tallest building, the Walesbilt Hotel, has been boarded up for many years but has been purchased and is in the process of being restored. The Lake Wales History Museum is a history museum funded by a public-private partnership. It is housed in the old Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot (Lake Wales, Florida). It offers exhibits and artifacts from the pre-Columbian era to modern. The Shrine of Ste Anne des Lacs is located across from the agricultural cooperative Florida's Natural (located across from their processing plant) The Lake Welsh Riverwalk is a popular tourist attraction in Lake Wales. The town is also home to the Bok Tower Gardens and Camp Mack's River Resort, both of which are located in the historic district of the town. The Town of Lake Wales is home to a number of tourist attractions, including the Lake Wales Country Club and the Florida Museum of History and Science, which is located on the banks of the Clearwater River in the town's historic downtown area. The city is also the site of the World's Largest Watermelon Festival, which runs through the end of the year. It also hosts the annual Florida State Fair, which draws thousands of visitors each year. The City of Wales is the home of the American Museum of Natural History, which has a collection of more than 2,000 pieces of art, including works by Picasso, Van Gogh, and Picasso.

Transportation

Lake Wales Municipal Airport (FAA LID: X07) is a public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the central business district of the city of Lake Wales in Polk County, Florida. The airport is publicly-owned. Chalet Suzanne Air Strip is a single grass strip four miles north of downtown serves light aircraft arriving at the Chalet Suzanne Inn and Restaurant, a local landmark. Bus service is provided to Winter Haven and Frostproof by Winter Haven Area Transit. State Road 60 leads eastward to Florida's Turnpike and Vero Beach. Westward the highway leads to Bartow and the Tampa Bay region. The Scenic Highway runs through the center of town, paralleling US 27 southward to Frostproof and northward to Haines City. The city is home to the Lake Wales Country Club, which was established in the early 1900s. It is located on the banks of the Clearwater River, which is a tributary of the Apalachicola River. The town is also home to Lake Wales High School, which dates back to the 17th century. The school was founded in the 18th century and was the first public high school in the state of Florida. It was also the site of the University of Florida, which opened in 1875. The lake is also the home of the Florida Museum of History and Science, which has been there since 1881. The museum is located in the town's downtown area.

Education

The district is home to 4,675 students: 56.56% White, 31.38% Black, 0.3% Asian, 11.66% Hispanic and 0.11% Native American. Lake Wales is also home to two colleges, Warner University and Webber International University. The J.D. Alexander Center, a satellite campus of Polk State College is located in downtown Lake Wales in 2009. The school district has a K12 charter system. The district also has three private schools, Lake Wales Lutheran School, Candlelight Christian Academy, and The Vanguard School. It has a high school that was converted to charter status in the Fall of 2004. The high school was converted into a charter school in the fall of 2008 to create a seamless K12 system. It is the only high school in Lake Wales that is still a traditional public school. It was the first charter school to open in the U.S. in the state of Florida in the late 1990s. It opened its doors to the public in the summer of 2000. It closed its doors in the spring of 2007. It reopened in the Spring of 2008. It now has six charter schools, three of which are traditional public schools. It also has a private school that is a part of the Lake Wales Christian School district. The public school district is made up of four elementary schools and three middle schools. The elementary schools are: Dale R Fair Babson Park Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Janie Howard Wilson Elementary, Polk Avenue Elementary and Lake Wales High School.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida = 71. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 46. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 79. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Lake Wales = 6.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 16,361 individuals with a median age of 34.5 age the population grows by 12.16% in Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 868.19 residents per square mile of area (335.22/km²). There are average 2.43 people per household in the 4,565 households with an average household income of $33,040 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.50% of the available work force and has dropped -5.62% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 16.26%. The number of physicians in Lake Wales per 100,000 population = 143.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lake Wales = 50.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 111. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 240. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 48.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 25, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 47.83%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 33 years with median home cost = $73,160 and home appreciation of -16.93%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.74 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,976 per student. There are 15 students for each teacher in the school, 446 students for each Librarian and 440 students for each Counselor. 4.72% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.92% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.34% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).