Lakeland

Sister cities

• Bălți
• Babahoyo

History

In the 18th century Native Americans groups, collectively called "Seminoles", moved into the areas left vacant. In 1823, the United States and the various tribes in Florida signed the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, which created a reservation in central Florida that included what is now Polk County. Starting in 1832, the United States government tried to move the Seminoles in Florida west to the Indian Territory. Most of the Seminoles resisted, resulting in the Second Seminole War, which lasted from 1835 to 1842. By the end of that war, most of the Seminoles had been sent west, with a few remnants pushed well south of what is now Polk County. 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. While most of Polk County's early history centered on the two cities of Bartow and Fort Meade, eventually, people entered the areas in northern Polk County and began settling in the areas which became Lakeland. Lakeland was first settled in the 1870s, and began to develop as the rail lines reached the area in 1884. Freedmen settled here in 1883, starting development of what became the African-American neighborhood of Moorehead. Lakeland was incorporated January 1, 1885. The town was founded by Abraham Munn (a resident of Louisville, Kentucky), who purchased of land in what is now downtown Lakeland in 1882 and platted the land for the town in 1884. Lakeland was named for the many lakes near the town site. In April 1898, the Spanish–American War began and started a crucial point in Lakeland's development. While the war ended quickly and had little effect on most of the nation, the Florida peninsula was used as a launching point for military forces in the war. The then…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and (10.90%) is covered by water. Lakeland is within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain, with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills. The dominant feature in Lakeland is the city's many lakes. 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 in size. Much of the culture of Lakeland revolves around its many lakes, and many people use the lakes as reference points in much the same way people in other towns use streets as reference points, such as "I live near Lake Beulah." 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. Swans are one of the most visible features on the lakes near downtown Lakeland. They have a long history, the first swans appearing around 1923. By 1954, the swans were gone, eradicated by alligators and pets. A Lakeland resident who mourned the passing of the swans wrote to Queen Elizabeth II. The royal family allowed the capture of two of the royal swans, and the swans now on the lakes of Lakeland are the descendants of the one surviving royal swan sent by the Queen. In July 2006, Scott Lake, one of the city's lakes, was almost totally drained by a cluster of sinkholes. Later the lake partially refilled. Lakeland, like most other parts of Florida north of Lake Okeechobee, 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…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,047
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,907
• White Ibis

  Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,788
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,601
• Anhinga

  Anhinga anhinga (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,886
• Osprey

  Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,770
• Palm Warbler

  Setophaga palmarum (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  7,697
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,543

Largest nearby schools

• GEORGE W. JENKINS SENIOR HIGH
  High · LAKELAND · 2,451 students · 22.5:1 ratio
• LAKE GIBSON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LAKELAND · 2,080 students · 22.9:1 ratio
• KATHLEEN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LAKELAND · 2,051 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• LAKELAND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LAKELAND · 2,043 students · 20:1 ratio
• MCKEEL ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY
  High · LAKELAND · 1,727 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · LAKELAND · 1,265 students · 19.8:1 ratio
• LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · LAKELAND · 1,218 students · 19.3:1 ratio
• SOUTH MCKEEL ACADEMY
  Elementary · LAKELAND · 1,200 students · 17.6:1 ratio