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Lakeland, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 78,452 and is the largest city in Polk County. According to the 2004 U.S. Census Bureau's Estimates, the city had a population of 88,357. As of 2005, the population is approaching 90,000.

Lakeland, Florida

Country United States

State Florida

County Polk

Mayor Ralph L. "Buddy" Fletcher

Area

- City 52 mi² – 133 km²

- Land 46 mi² - 119 km²

- Water 6 mi² - 15 km²

Elevation 141 m

Population

- City (2005) 87,860 (estimated as of 2003)

- Density 1,711 mi² 660.8/km²

- Metro 541,840

Time zone EST (UTC-5)

- Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)

Website: http://www.lakelandgov.net/

Located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4, Lakeland was first settled in the 1870s, and developed as the railroad reached the area in 1884. Lakeland is home to Florida Southern College, the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, and one of the first Hindu temples in the United States. Publix Super Markets is also headquartered here. The first Red Lobster restaurant was opened here. The city is also the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers.

A few of the more notable sites in Lakeland are the Promenade of Lake Mirror, the Polk Theatre and the Polk Museum of Art. Lakeland also has several historic districts with many large buildings built during the 1920s and 1940s.

Lakeland's sister cities are; Richmond Hill in Canada, Imabari in Japan, and Bălţi in Moldova.

Contents

1 History

2 Geography

3 Demographics

4 Media

5 Education

5.1 High Schools

5.1.1 George W. Jenkins High School

5.1.2 Kathleen High School

5.1.3 Lakeland High School

5.1.4 Lake Gibson High School

5.1.5 Santa Fe Catholic High School

5.2 Colleges

5.2.1 Florida Southern College

5.2.2 Polk Community College

5.2.3 Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God

5.2.4 Other

6 Attractions and points of interest

6.1 Historic districts

6.2 Buildings and locations

7 Notable Lakelanders

8 Sister Cities

9 External links

History

A view of Lakeland's business district, early 1920'sLakeland, Florida was incorporated January 1, 1885. The town was founded by Abraham Munn, who purchased 80 acres of land in what is now downtown Lakeland in 1882 and platted the land for the town in 1884. Munn was a resident of Louisville, Kentucky. Among the names considered (and rejected) for the town by its residents were Munnville, Red Bug and Rome City.

The Florida boom resulted in the construction of many significant structures in Lakeland, a number of which are today listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes the Terrace Hotel, New Florida Hotel (Regency Towers), Polk Theatre, Park Trammell Building (formerly the Lakeland Public Library and today the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce), and others. This was Lakeland's golden age. The Cleveland Indians held spring training here from 1923 to 1927.

The "boom" period went "bust" quickly, and years passed before the city recovered. Part of the re-emergence was due to the arrival of the Detroit Tigers in 1934 for spring training. (The team continues to train here.) The development of the Lakeland Municipal Airport as a major facility in central Florida transportation was another factor. The 1930’s also featured the arrival of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1938 he came to Lakeland at the request of Florida Southern College President Ludd Spivey to design a "great education temple in Florida." For 20 years Wright worked on his "true American campus" creation. He planned 18 structures, 12 of which were completed and six left on the drawing board. He called his project "A Child of the Sun," so named from the architect’s own description of being "out of the ground, into the light, a child of the sun." It is the largest on-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the world.

Lakeland made national headlines on September 28th, 2006 when 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 Kathleen area of the town. The incident sparked outrage among the central Florida law enforcement community. More than five-hundred law officials came together in search of Angilo Freeland, the suspect wanted in connection with the murder. The next morning Freeland was found hiding under a fallen tree. He was shot 68 times, and died on the scene. Deputy Williams and Diogi were laid to rest on October 3rd, 2006 after a funeral that included an one-hour and 45 minute procession to Auburndale, FL.

Geography

Location of Lakeland, FloridaLakeland is located at 28°2′28″N, 81°57′32″W (28.041248, -81.958978)GR1. Lakeland is 141 feet above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 133.3 km² (51.5 mi²). 118.7 km² (45.8 mi²) of it is land and 14.5 km² (5.6 mi²) of it (10.90%) is water.

In July 2006, Lakeland temporarily lost one of its lakes, Scott Lake, to 5 sinkholes. See external links for details.

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 78,452 people, 33,509 households, and 20,373 families residing in the city. The population density was 660.8/km² (1,711.3/mi²). There were 38,980 housing units at an average density of 328.3/km² (850.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.52% White, 21.26% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.41% of the population.

There were 33,509 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,119, and the median income for a family was $40,468. Males had a median income of $32,137 versus $23,771 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,760. About 10.7% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

The local newspaper is The Ledger.

The local radio stations are:

WLKF 1430 AM

WONN 1230 AM

WWAB 1330 AM

WPCV 97.5 FM

WWRZ 98.3 FM

Education

High Schools

George W. Jenkins High School

2006 State of Florida Academic FCAT Performance Grade: B [1]

2006 State of Florida Academic "Adequate Yearly Progress": Yes[2]

Founded in 1993 and named after Publix founder George W. Jenkins, George Jenkins High School is a twenty-five million dollar facility situated on a ninety-five acre site in the southeast area of Lakeland. The school's mission statement is to "provide quality education for every student in a challenging and caring atmosphere through dedication to educational excellence and commitment to the community." [3] The school mascot is the Eagle. The school has received the "Five Star School" award from the Florida Commissioner of Education for 1995-1996, 1996-1997, and 1997-1998.[citation needed] The award recognized schools with exemplary community involvement.

Kathleen High School

2006 State of Florida Academic FCAT Performance Grade: D[4]

2006 State of Florida Academic "Adequate Yearly Progress": No[5]

Kathleen High School was the second high school in the city, pre-dating Lake Gibson by several decades. It was originally housed north of its present location, at the site of the current Kathleen Middle School. Ray Lewis, Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens, is an alumnus, as is Chris Richard, a forward on the 2006 National Champion Florida Gator basketball team. The school's colors, red and white, were chosen when the school formed its first football team: a local farmer donated red jerseys. The mascot, the Red Devil, has occasionally been a source of controversy for some of the community's more outspoken Christian leaders. It is currently the smallest of the city's public high schools, and draws its students from many of the city's poorest areas. However, recent development in the northern part of the city may alter this balance. The school's library features a little-known piece of student art, a red mural painted on a pane of glass in the late 1960s.

Lakeland High School

2006 State of Florida Academic FCAT Performance Grade: C[6]

2006 State of Florida Academic "Adequate Yearly Progress": No[7]

Lakeland High School was the original high school in the city. Its mascot is the dreadnaught. Named after the British battleship HMS Dreadnought, the name was brought to LHS in the 1920s by a stern but beloved Scottish schoolmaster. The school motto is nulli secundus -- second to none. Lakeland High is home to a highly competitive high school football team that was ranked number one nationally in 2005. [8] The school has three intra-city rivals: the traditional two being Kathleen and Lake Gibson, and the newest being George Jenkins High School.

Lake Gibson High School

Established: 1979 Mascot: Braves Colors: Garnet & Gold

Santa Fe Catholic High School

Established: 1961 Mascot: Crimson Hawk Colors: Crimson

Colleges

Florida Southern College

Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College has a strong liberal arts core, as well as notable pre-professional programs (including business, communications, pre-medical, pre-law, nursing, education, sciences, as well as others). The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and welcomes students from all faith backgrounds and cultures.

The college is nationally acclaimed for academic excellence, exceptional student life programs, and championship athletics. [citation needed] Florida Southern is consistently ranked in the Top 10 colleges in its U.S. News & World Report category.[citation needed] It is also listed in The Princeton Review’s Best Southeastern Colleges, based on FSC students’ satisfaction votes.[citation needed]

Polk Community College

Over 24,000 degrees have been awarded by Polk Community College since it's opening in 1964 and an even larger number of people have taken college courses for transfer or to obtain job entry skills. The main campus is located in the neighboring town of Winter Haven. In 1978, the College acquired a 130-acre citrus grove, adjacent to Traviss Technical Center, as the site of a second campus that would serve the population in the Lakeland and Bartow area.

Ten years later, PCC, in conjunction with the University of South Florida, opened the first of eight buildings (LAC) at the Lakeland campus. In August 1991, a second academic building (LLC) was completed on the Lakeland campus, relocating 25 full-time faculty and equipping the new library, classrooms and learning labs with over 125 PCs and associated hardware and software. Additional classrooms, offices, and labs are part of the USF/PCC Joint Use Technology Building set to open December 2006.

Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God

Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God, an Assemblies of God university, welcomes students from a variety of denominations.[citation needed] The setting for this Mediterranean-styled campus in Lakeland, Florida, consists of Palm trees and orange groves. Students enjoy a year-round average temperature of 72 degrees.[citation needed] Situated between two lakes on more than 68 acres, this location provides students easy access to the cultural and recreational opportunities of nearby Tampa, Orlando and the Florida Sun Coast.

Other

University of South Florida currently shares a campus with PCC, but has started plans for a 15,000-student, four-year campus just outside incorporated Lakeland.

Attractions and points of interest

Historic districts

Beacon Hill-Alta Vista Residential District

Biltmore-Cumberland Historic District

Dixieland Historic District

East Lake Morton Residential District

Lake Hunter Terrace Historic District

Munn Park Historic District

South Lake Morton Historic District

Buildings and locations

Central Avenue School

Cleveland Court School

John F. Cox Grammar School

Florida Southern College

Henley Field Ball Park

Lake Mirror Promenade

Lake Parker Park

Lakeland Center

Old Lakeland High School

Lakeland Public Library

Joker Marchant Stadium

James Henry Mills Medal of Honor Parkway

Oates Building

Polk Community College

Polk Museum of Art

Polk Theatre

Silver Moon Drive-In

Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God

University of South Florida, Lakeland campus

USA International Speedway

Winston School

Without Walls International Church

Notable Lakelanders

Lindsey Alley, former Mouseketeer of the New Mickey Mouse Club and actress.

Andy Bean, PGA golfer.

Lawton Chiles, now deceased former Senator and Governor of Florida.

Rhea Durham, Victoria's Secret model

Paul Edinger, NFL player.

Faith Evans, Singer.

Lee Janzen, PGA golfer who has won the U.S. Open twice.

George W. Jenkins, founder of Publix Super Markets.

Frances Langford, famous singer, actress, and radio star during the 1930s and 1940s.

Ray Lewis, NFL player; Super Bowl champion

Howard Marshall, Former NASA scientist, former Cypress Gardens ski performer, PCC Collegiate High School teacher.

Rocco Mediate, PGA golfer.

Freddie Mitchell, Former NFL Player

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Joe Nemechek and Wayne Anderson, NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers.

John Wesley "Boog" Powell, MLB player.

Andrew Reynolds, Professional skateboarder

Forrest Sawyer, NBC reporter and anchor.

Rod Smart, NFL player; former XFL player "He Hate Me".

John Daniel "J. D." Sumner, American singer and songwriter.

Keydrick Vincent, NFL player, Pittsburgh Steelers

Lance Neikro, Major League baseball player, San Fransisco Giants

Joe Neikro, former Major League baseball player

Lance Davis, former Major League baseball player, Cincinnati Reds

Matt Diaz, Major League baseball player, Atlanta Braves

Lou Whitaker, former Major League baseball player, Detroit Tigers

Denison Marrs, former emo/space rock band

Some members of Copeland, alternative/emo band

Sister Cities

Bălţi, Moldova

Imabari, Japan

Richmond Hill, Canada

External links

City of Lakeland official site

The Ledger newspaper

Lakeland Florida Youth Football

WLKF AM

WONN AM

WPCV FM

WWRZ FM

WWAB AM

News Information about Scott Lake's sink holes.

Information about Deputy Williams' funeral.

Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 28.041248° -81.958978°

Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local

Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia

Topographic map from TopoZone

Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

State of Florida

Topics Government | History | Floridians | Transportation | State Parks

Capital Tallahassee

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeland%2C_Florida"

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | Cities in Polk County, Florida | Lakeland, Florida

End of Wikipedia content on Lakeland, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeland,_Florida

Resources for Lakeland

Lakeland, FL – Government Web Site

Lakeland Chamber of Commerce – Lakeland Business Resources Listing

Lakeland Yellow Pages & Lakeland, FL Guide – Area Connect

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Other References for Lakeland

SAP Jobs & Education Search & Directory for Lakeland, Florida