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Polk County, Florida

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Polk County
County
Official seal of Polk County
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Polk County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 27°58′N 81°42′W / 27.96°N 81.7°W / 27.96; -81.7
Country United States
State Florida
Founded8 February 1861
SeatBartow
Population
 (2000)
 • Total483,924
Websitewww.polk-county.net

Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2004, the population was 524,389. The county seat is Bartow, Florida6. Its largest city is Lakeland, Florida.

History

Polk County became Florida's 39th county on February 8, 1861, when the State of Florida divided Hillsborough County into eastern and western halves. The eastern half was named Polk, in honor of the 11th President of the United States, James Knox Polk.

Following the Civil War, the county commission established the county seat on 120 acres donated in the central part of the county. Bartow, the county seat, was named after Francis S. Bartow, a confederate Colonel from Georgia who was the first confederate officer to die in battle during the first battle of the Civil War. Col. Bartow was buried in Savannah, GA with military honors, and promoted posthumously to the rank of brigadier general. Fort Blount , as Bartow was then known, in a move to honor one of the first fallen heroes of the Confederacy, was one of several towns and counties in the South that changed their name to Bartow. The first courthouse built in Bartow was constructed in 1867. It was replaced twice, in 1884 and in 1908. As the third courthouse to stand on the site, the present structure houses the Polk County Historical Museum and Genealogical Library.

Economy

Polk County's economy has been historically based on three primary industries: citrus, cattle, and phosphate mining.

The discovery of phosphate rock in the Peace River, near Fort Meade, Florida in 1881, initiated the mining of the world's largest deposit of phosphate rock, known as the Bone Valley Deposit. This deposit, which encompasses approximately 500,000 acres in Polk, Hillsborough, Hardee, and Manatee Counties, provides approximately 75 percent of the nation's phosphate supply and about 25 percent of the world supply. Approximately 200,000 acres or 15.3 percent of Polk County have been mined for phosphate rock. Polk continued to lead the state in 1998, with 14.7 million tons of phosphate rock mined. However, four straight years of low prices and weak demand for phosphate fertilizer led to a loss in sales in 2002. The industry's impact on the Polk County economy will continue to decline in the 21 st Century as phosphate mining moves south into Hardee and Desoto Counties. Chemical manufacturing plants located in Polk County are used to convert the insoluble phosphate rock into soluble products, such as diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate, which are used in fertilizers and other products. There are numerous, other industries located in Polk County which support and rely on the phosphate mining industry. In October 2004, IMC Global, Inc. and Cargill Crop Nutrition merged and became Mosaic Co. This merger created the world's second largest fertilizer manufacturer with annual sales estimated at $4.5 billion. Mosaic employs more than 3,000 workers in Polk County at five active mines, Four Corners, Fort Green, Kingsford, South Fort Meade and Hookers Prairie; and fertilizer plants, Bartow, Green Bay, New Wales (reputed to be the largest fertilzer plant in the world), and South Pierce.

Polk County has the 2nd largest amount of farmland in the state with an estimated 626,634 acres in 2002. Polk remains the sixth most productive agricultural county in Florida . The $878 million citrus industry employs approximately 8,000 people in Polk County . Polk ranked first in the state for total citrus picked for the 2003-04 season with an estimated total of 42.2 million boxes harvested. Polk also ranked first in the state in the amount of commercial citrus groves with approximately 95,050 acres (2004 estimate). In addition to citrus, Polk was ranked third in the state in 2004, in number of beef cattle with an estimated 105,000 head of beef and dairy cattle, according to the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service. Total receipts from the sale of crops and livestock in Polk County rose to $284.8 million in 2002 based upon a report released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Tourism is a strong economic force in Polk County and dates back to the dedication of Bok Tower Gardens in 1929 by President Calvin Coolidge. In the mid-1930's, the late Dick Pope, Sr. established the world famous Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven , Florida's first theme attraction. Today, millions of people visit Polk County each year to enjoy these two attractions as well as Fantasy of Flight, the Sun ‘N Fun Air Museum, and many more. Polk County is also located within a one hour drive of the Walt Disney World resort area, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Busch Gardens. In addition to these attractions, Polk is the spring training headquarters for the Detroit Tigers (Lakeland) and the Cleveland Indians (Winter Haven) baseball teams. The county had an estimated total of 11,500 hotel, motel, rental condominium units and vacation rentals in 2004.

In recent years, Polk County has gained notoriety as a preferred venue for recreational and competitive sports on all levels. In 2001, the county hosted 140 sporting events that pumped in excess of $84 million into the local economy. This is in addition to $72 million generated by the Spring Training operations of the Cleveland Indians, and the Detroit Tigers. Polk County Sports Marketing, the sports marketing arm of the Board of County Commissioners, was honored as Florida's “Sports Commission of the Year” by the Florida Sports Foundation for its success in promoting the county as a sports destination.

Today, phosphate mining, agriculture and tourism still play vital roles in the local economy. However, the county has successfully expanded and diversified its economic base in recent years. The primary mission of the Central Florida Development Council (CFDC) since its formation in 1985 by the Board of County Commissioners, has been to improve the standard of living for the citizens of Polk County by diversifying the economy through job creation in all industries. The CFDC has successfully worked with other industries to help them expand and relocate to Polk County . Polk County's central location within the large Florida marketplace has attracted numerous manufacturers and distribution centers in recent years.

The housing market remains strong in Polk County, just as it does around the country. Construction is a pillar of economic strength for Polk County with a record of 5,900 total permits issued for single family homes in 2004. This is an increase of approximately 68.7% over a total of 3,498 building permits issued in 2003 for single family homes. The total number of homes sold in 2004, was 5,300, an increase of 7.8% over a total of 4,918 homes sold in 2001.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,206 km² (2,010 mi²). 4,855 km² (1,874 mi²) of it is land and 351 km² (136 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.75% water.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 483,924 people, 187,233 households, and 132,373 families residing in the county. The population density was 100/km² (258/mi²). There were 226,376 housing units at an average density of 47/km² (121/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.58% White, 13.54% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.82% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 9.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 187,233 households, of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.40% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% have someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,036, and the median income for a family was $41,442. Males hae a median income of $31,396, versus $22,406 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,302. 12.90% of the population and 9.40% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.10% were under the age of 18 and 8.10% were 65 or older.


Municipalities

Incorporated

  1. City of Auburndale
  2. City of Bartow
  3. City of Davenport
  4. Town of Dundee
  5. City of Eagle Lake
  6. City of Fort Meade
  7. City of Frostproof
  8. City of Haines City
  9. Village of Highland Park
  10. Town of Hillcrest Heights
  11. City of Lake Alfred
  12. Town of Lake Hamilton
  13. City of Lakeland
  14. City of Lake Wales
  15. City of Mulberry
  16. Town of Polk City
  17. City of Winter Haven

Unincorporated

Government links/Constitutional offices

Special districts

Judicial branch

Miscellaneous

  • Polk Partners, founded by the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, Central Florida Development Council, and The Ledger.
  • Frisbie Collection over 900 images of the Polk County area from 1910 to 1950 gathered by Louise Frisbie, regional historian and author. From the State Library & Archives of Florida.
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