Polk County, FL FAQs
Is Polk County Florida A Good Place to Live?
Polk County, FL
Polk County is located in Central Florida where home buyers could appreciate much of this region’s strong tourist orientation and deep agricultural background. There is much to see and plenty of things to do in Polk, as it is Florida’s fourth largest in terms of landmass and the largest county north of the Everglades. All told, the county’s acreage and water assets total 2,010 square miles.
This territory was drawn from the eastern part of Hillsborough County when Polk was created as a county on February 8, 1861. It was named in honor of James K. Polk who served as 11th U.S. President from 1845 to 1849 and who also has the distinction of the first president to have governed the state of Florida for a full term.
The county seat of Polk is Bartow which was named after the first KIA Confederate officer during the American Civil War, Francis S. Bartow. Lakeland is the largest city out of Polk County’s 17 municipalities, any one of which can meet the demand homes for sale Polk in County.
Strengths in Aggie and Mining
Polk County is notably the top citrus-producing county in Florida, and it is likewise often referred to as “Central Florida’s food capital.” The county seat Bartow isn’t only known for its citrus groves but is also a major mining town for sand and phosphate, an economic contribution that it has shared with Polk County since the discovery of phosphate rock in its area in 1881.
Employment opportunities from big companies which chose to locate in Polk County provide a strong boost to demand on local housing. The retail giant Publix, which has its head office in Lakeland, counts as one of Polk’s top employers. The agricultural coop Florida Nature is another notable business operation providing a significant contribution to the county’s economy, including job creation and stimulus to business opportunities.
Tourists’ Delight
Polk’s tourism earnings are derived from such sources as Legoland Florida, the Fantasy of Flight, the Sun ‘n’ Fun Air Museum, and spring training facilities of the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland and Cleveland Indians in Winter Haven. The county likewise prides itself as
“The Water Ski Capital of the World,” thanks to its 554 lakes.
Tailwinds to Polk’s growth are also being generated by the county’s proximity to several economic dynamos of Florida. These metro areas include Tampa, which is nearest to Lakeland, and also Orlando, which helps the wheels of progress turn a bit faster in the nearby Haines City in Polk County.
Wheels of Commerce
Well-established transport infrastructures, like the Interstate 4 corridor and its arterial roads, enhance Polk’s linkages with its neighboring cogs of commerce and industry. The county’s airports, including the Lakeland Linder International Airport and the Bartow Municipal Airport, further propel the county’s presence in the radar screen of both home buyers and business locators.
The county’s revered academe is as instrumental as well in firing up the economy of Polk County, especially in the training of local manpower. These institutions of higher learning include the public Polk State College and the Florida Polytechnic University. There are several private universities and colleges in the county as well, including the Southeastern University, Florida Southern College, Warmer University, Webber International University, the Lakeland campus of Keiser University, and the Auburndale campus of Southern Technical College.
References:
Are there any Polk County, FL sinkhole news?
LAKELAND, FL
June 2006 – Two giant sinkholes almost completely drained a lake, leaving dead fish rotting on oozing mud flats and alligators and snapping turtles fighting for their lives.
FROSTPROOF, FL
January 2010 – A 90-foot-wide sinkhole has swallowed a shed and is threatening to take a nearby house and neighborhood in Frostproof
WINTER HAVEN, FL
May 2014 – A sinkhole has developed in a Winter Haven shopping plaza parking lot across from the entrance to Legoland. The hole was approximately 70 feet around and 15 feet deep.
WINTER HAVEN, FL
July 2016 – Small sinkhole closed lane of Cypress Gardens Boulevard in Winter Haven. The hole was about 3 feet deep and 3 feet wide.
MULBERRY, FL
July 2016 – A massive sinkhole that opened underneath a gypsum stack at a Mosaic phosphate fertilizer plant in Mulberry may have dumped at least 215 million gallons of contaminated water into the Floridan Aquifer. A 45-foot-wide sinkhole opened at the New Wales plant, where phosphate rock mined elsewhere is converted into fertilizer.
LAKE WALES, FL
January 2017 – A sinkhole opened in the parking lot at 2404 Hunt Brothers Road in Lake Wales citrus grove and packinghouse and was about 60 feet around.
Check the latest Florida Sinkhole News >>
Check our Florida Sinkhole Alley Guide >>