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,
Florida.
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 (2000 km²) in Polk, Hillsborough,
Hardee, and Manatee Counties, provides approximately 75% of the nation's
phosphate supply and about 25% of the world supply. Approximately 200,000
acres (800 km²) or 15.3% 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 21st 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 (2536 km²) 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 (385 km²), 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.
Polk County is the sole county in the Lakeland Metropolitan Statistical
Area.
Adjacent counties
- Lake County, Florida - north
- Orange County, Florida - northeast
- Osceola County, Florida - east
- Okeechobee County, Florida - southeast
- Highlands County, Florida - southeast
- Hardee County, Florida - south
- Manatee County, Florida - southwest
- Hillsborough County, Florida - west
- Sumter County, Florida - northwest
- Pasco County, Florida - northwest
Polk County
website: http://www.polk-county.net/
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Electric |
Progress Energy |
800-700-8744 |
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Lakeland Electric |
863-499-6300 |
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Tampa Electric Company |
813-223-0800 |
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Gas
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People Gas System Lakeland |
863-686-3153 |
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Central Florida Gas |
863-293-2127 |
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Water
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Polk County |
863-534-6039 |
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Lakeland |
863-499-6300 |
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Winter Haven |
863-291-5678 |
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Telephone
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Verizon |
800-483-7762 |
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Cable
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Bright House Network |
800-255-7856 |
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Schools |
Polk County School Board |
863-534-0500 |
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Colleges and Universities |
Florida Southern College |
863-680-4111 |
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Polk Community College |
863-297-1000 |
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University of South Florida / Lakeland |
863-667-7000 |
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Libraries |
Bartow Public Library |
863-534-0131 |
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Haines City Public Library |
863-421-8633 |
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Lakeland Public Library |
863-284-4280 |
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Winter Haven Public Library |
863-291-5880 |
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Life Services |
Sheriff (information) |
863-533-0444 |
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Fire (information) |
863-499-2555 |
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Medical Facilities |
Bartow Memorial Hospital |
863-533-8111 |
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Heart of Florida Regional Center |
863-422-4971 |
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Lake Wales Medical Center |
863-676-1433 |
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Lakeland Medical Center |
863-687-1100 |
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Winter Haven Hospital |
863-293-1121 |
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Transportation |
Driver's Licenses |
863-499-2320 |
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Vehicle Registration and Tags |
863-534-4700 |
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Citrus Connection |
863-688-7433 |
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Amtrak |
800-872-7245 |
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Local Resources |
Post Office |
800-275-8777 |
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Homestead Exemption |
863-534-4777 |
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Business Resources |
Bartow Chamber of Commerce |
863-533-7125 |
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Lakeland Chamber of Commerce |
863-688-8551 |
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Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce |
863-676-3445 |
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Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce |
863-293-2138 |
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Attractions, Museums |
Sun 'N Fun Air Museum |
863-644-2431 |
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Fantasy of Flight Museum |
863-984-3500 |
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Explorations V |
863-687-3869 |
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Bok Tower Gardens |
863-676-1408 |
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Cypress Gardens |
863-324-2111 |
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The Lakeland Center |
863-499-8100 |
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Information courtesy of www.wikipedia.org/ |
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