Lakeland

Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. The first Paleo-Indians reached the central Florida area near the end of the last ice age, as they followed big game south. By the time the first Spanish conquistadors arrived, an estimated 350,000 Native Americans were living in what is now the state of Florida. European-American settlers arrived in Lakeland from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina in the 1870s. The city expanded in the 1880s with the arrival of rail service, with the first freedmen railway workers settling here in 1883. Lakeland is home to the 1,267-acre Circle B Bar Reserve. The town was founded by Abraham Munn (a resident of Louisville, Kentucky), who purchased 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land in what are now downtown Lakeland in 1882 and platted the land for the town in 1884. In April 1898, the SpanishAmerican War began and started a crucial point in Lakelands' development. The then small town of Lakeland housed over 9,000 troops. The 10th Cavalry Regiment, one of the original Buffalo Soldier regiments, were housed on the banks of Lake Wire. Soon after being stationed there, the black population faced conflict with the local white population. In one event, a local druggist refused to sell black soldiers a gun, which resulted in the soldiers being shot in two.

History

The first Paleo-Indians reached the central Florida area near the end of the last ice age, as they followed big game south. By the time the first Spanish conquistadors arrived, an estimated 350,000 Native Americans were living in what is now the state of Florida. The arrival of the Spanish turned out to be disastrous to these Native American tribes. Within 150 years, the majority of the pre-Columbian Native American peoples of Florida had been wiped out. Little is left of these first Native Americans cultures in Polk County except for scant archaeological records, including a few personal artifacts and shell mounds. Florida became a state in 1845, and Polk County was established in 1861. After the American Civil War, the county seat was established southeast of Lakeland in Bartow. The town was founded by Abraham Munn (a resident of Louisville, Kentucky), who purchased 80 acres (320,000 m2) in 1882 and platted the land for the town in 1884. Lakeland was named for the many lakes near the town site. Freedmen settled here in 1883, starting development of what became the African-American neighborhood of Moorehead. The Florida Boom resulted in the construction of many significant structures in Lakeland, a number of which are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cleveland Indians held training there from 1923 to 1927 at Henley Field. In the mid-1930s, the city's Flying State League team, the Lakeland Tigers, trained there.

Geography and climate

Thirty-eight lakes are named, with a number of other bodies of water unnamed, mostly phosphate mine pits that eventually filled with water. The largest of these is Lake Parker, which is 2,550 acres (10.3 km²) in size. In July 2006, Scott Lake, one of the city's lakes, was almost totally drained by a cluster of sinkholes. The city is in the humid subtropical zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). Typically, summers are hot and humid with high temperatures seldom dropping below 90 °F and 70 °F for the overnight low. Winters in Lakeland are drier and warm, with frequent sunny skies. High temperatures range in the mid 70s during the day, with lows in the 50s. Cold snaps drop temperatures below freezing twice a year on average. The first swans appeared around 1923. By 1954, the swans were gone, eradicated by alligators and pets. The royal family allowed the capture of two of the royal swans. The swans on the lakes of Lakeland now are the descendants of the one surviving royal swan sent by the Queen. They have a long history, the first swan appearing around 1923, and are now the most visible feature of the town. In addition to Lake Parker, some of the more prominent lakes in the Lakeland area are Lake Hollingsworth, Lake Morton, Lake Mirror, and Lake Gibson. Lake Gibson is located near Lake Okeechobee.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the city was 20.9% Black or African American, 70.8% White, 0.3% Native American, 1.8%. Of the population 12.6% were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. Those who spoke only English at home accounted for 91% of all residents, while 9% spoke other languages at home. Christianity makes up the largest religious group in Lakeland. As of 2013, an estimated 300 churches existed with an address in the city. Lakeland is home to the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, which was established in 2005. In 1994, the first and only mosque in the county was established. It was called Masjid Aisha, but is now called the Islamic Center of Lakeland, which opened in 1994. In 2008-2012, the median household income was $40,284. Persons below the poverty line in 2008-2012 were 17.5% according to the US Census. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.1 males. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was2.82. In 2000, the Median income for a household in the City was $16,119, and for a family was $17,468. About 47% of families and 35% of the population were below the Poverty line, including 97% of those under age 18.

Economy

Citrus growing dates back to the early settlers who planted trees in the area in the 1850s. Publix is one of the largest regional grocery chains in the United States with over 1,200 stores across the American South. Phosphate mining is still important to the economy of Lakeland, although most of the mining now takes place farther south. The Bone Valley produced 25% of the U.S. phosphate supply. FedEx Freight and FedEx Services and the Saddle Creek Corporation employ over 600 people in the Lakeland area. Amazon, GEICO, Rooms To Go, and Lakeland Regional Health are other large employers in the region. Lakeland is the largest city on Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa. It is located in Polk County, Florida and Polk County is in the central part of the state. The city is home to the University of Central Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History. It also has the Florida International University, which was founded in 1883. The University of Florida has a campus in Lakeland that was once the site of the Florida National Guard. The university is now the home of the College of Veterinary Medicine, which opened in 1989. The Lakeland-Polk County Airport is the only airport in the state with a direct route to Tampa. The airport is located on the Florida Turnpike, which runs from Orlando to Tampa and connects to the rest of the country via Interstate 4. It was built in the 1950s and is the first airport in Florida to be built on a main highway.

Culture

The Lakeland History Room is a special collections archive established in 1987 housed within the Lakeland Public Library's main branch. The LHR provides one-on-one assistance with historic research, a history lecture series with prominent local historians, a DIY Digitizing Lab for personal material preservation, and genealogical programs and resources. In 2019, an initiative led by Lakeland City Commissioner Phillip Walker, was first presented to the City Commission to create the City's first History and Culture Center. The project was unanimously approved by the Commission and funds were allocated for the project's construction; although, the exhibit's content design would be funded by local donations and grant funding. Construction on the project is currently underway and it is unknown when the project will be completed. The Lakeland public library was eventually chosen as the location of the future exhibit space due to its central location within the city, its status as a community hub, and because it was the current home of the city's local archive, the Lakelands History Room, which would be expanded into the History and culture center. The City of Lakeland has a large digital collection with over 7,000 images of its landmarks, significant historical moments, cultural institutions, and prominent citizens. The city also has a collection of documents, photographs, maps, building plans, scrapbooks, specialty items like citrus crate labels, artwork, yearbooks, posters, and postcards. The lakeland history room is located in the main branch of the public library.

Sports

The Lakeland Magic is a basketball team playing in the NBA G League and is an affiliate of the Orlando Magic. The Florida Tropics SC is an indoor soccer team. Sun 'n Fun was home to Lakeland's only roller derby league, the Lakeland Derby Dames; however, the team was dissolved in November 2015. The Lakeland Center briefly played host to the indoor version of the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer team in the 1980s. The U.S. Basketball League once had a team here as well called the Lakelands Blue Ducks. The Detroit Tigers hold spring training in the city, as well as their Lakeland Flying Tigers class-A Florida State League and GCL Tigers rookie-league Gulf Coast League minor league baseball teams. The city also hosts the Florida High School Athletic Association's state basketball finals. It is home to the Florida International University football team, which plays in the Florida Intercollegiate Football Association. The University of Florida has a women's volleyball team that competes in the National Women's Volleyball League. It has also hosted a few hockey teams, including the Lakeland Ice Warriors and the Lakeland Prowlers. It also has an outdoor soccer team, the Florida Tropics, which competes in the Premier Development League. The City of Lakeland has a history of hosting professional sports teams. It was the home of the American Football League's Florida Tarpons, which played in the American Arena League for one season in the 1990s.

Government and politics

Lakeland is governed by a six-member city council. Four members are elected from single-member districts; the other two are elected at-large. The mayor is one of seven members of the City Commission, acting as the board chair. Mayors can be on the board for up to 12 years in a lifetime, or 16 years in combination with holding a regular commission position. In 2021, the Lakeland Police Department hired numerous former NYPD officers. Two of the new hires failed to disclose that they had been disciplined by the NYPD. One new hire used to work in the NYPD's notorious anti-crime units which were disbanded after high-profile scandals. In 2006, Polk County Sheriff's Deputy Vernon "Matt" Williams and his K-9 partner Diogi were shot and killed after a routine traffic stop in the Wabash area of Lakeland. More than 500 police officers from a variety of law enforcement agencies joined in a search for Angilo Freeland, suspected of murdering Williams and stealing his gun. Freeland was found hiding in a rural area the next morning and shot by nine officers from five different agencies. A total of 110 shots were fired, and he was hit 68 times, killing him instantly. Multiple investigations concluded the officers' use of force was justified. In 1980, Carrie R. Oldham became Lakeland's first African-American female mayor. The first female mayor was Lois Q. Searl, who served in 1965. In 1972, Dr. John S. Jackson became the first black mayor for the city.

Education

Polk County is home to 28 elementary schools, seven middle schools, six traditional high schools, and three magnet-choice high schools. Southeastern University is the largest university in the area, with undergraduate enrollment around 6200. Florida Southern College is the home of the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Lakeland and Polk County are within its own radio market. Charter Spectrum is the cable television franchise serving Lakeland, which offers most television stations from the Tampa Bay market, as well as WFTV, the ABC affiliate from Orlando. The Ledger, a local newspaper owned by Gannett, publishes a magazine, The Lakelander. Local radio stations include: WLLD 94.1 FM, WKES 91.1FM, and WMOR-TV, an independent television station, with its studios in Tampa and its transmitter in Riverview. Most major stations from Tampa Bay and a few from Orlando are also available in the Lakeland area. The Lakeland Metropolitan Campus of Webster University offers on-site, regionally accredited graduate degree programs in business and counseling at their Lakelandropolitan Campus. The town has a population of just over 2,000, with most of its residents living in Polk County, Florida. It is located on the Florida Turnpike, which runs between Tampa and Orlando. It also has a large population of Seminole, near St. Petersburg, Florida, which is part of the statewide Moody Radio Florida network, with studios in Seminole.

Infrastructure

Interstate 4 is the main interstate in central Florida linking Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, and Daytona Beach. SR 570 (or Polk Parkway), is a tolled beltway around Lakeland with both ends terminating at Interstate 4. Lakeland was the third city in the state of Florida to have electric lighting powered in 1891 by The Lakeland Light and Power Company after Jacksonville and Tampa. Water and wastewater in the Lakeland area is managed by Lakeland Water Utilities, municipal water supply is treated at local water plants, T.B. Williams and C. Wayne Combee. The water is mainly supplied by wells that draw from the Floridan aquifer. The last coal unit at C.D. McIntosh Power Plant is slated to phase out in 2024 a plan presented by the lakeland Electric staff in 2019. Lake-To-Lakes Trail, which runs from Lake Parker through downtown, past several lakes, ending at Lake John. Other routes include University Trail, connecting Polk State College to Florida Polytechnic University, and the Fort Fraser Trail, running along US Highway 98 from Polk State college to Highway 60 in Bartow. The city is the largest city on Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando, the city is an important transportation hub. The county nickname, Imperial Polk County, was coined because a large bond issue in 1914 enabled wide roads between the cities of Polk County. The important freeways and highways in Lakeland today are: US 92, US 98, SR 33, and SR 540.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lakeland, 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 80. 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 Lakeland = 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 112,641 individuals with a median age of 39 age the population grows by 11.25% in Lakeland, Polk County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,699.27 residents per square mile of area (656.09/km²). There are average 2.2 people per household in the 37,877 households with an average household income of $39,774 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.00% 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 17.76%. The number of physicians in Lakeland per 100,000 population = 143.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lakeland = 49.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 118. 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 50.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 26, 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 Lakeland, Polk County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 52.40%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 30 years with median home cost = $76,230 and home appreciation of -16.84%. 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. 6.58% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.66% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.62% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).