Polk City, Florida
Encyclopedia
Polk City is a city in Polk County
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,516 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,515. It is part of the Lakeland
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

Winter Haven
Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,487 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk County...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area. Polk City was incorporated in 1925 and, like the county, is named after James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

.

Polk City is governed by a five-person council who elect a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 and vice mayor from their membership.

Geography and climate

Polk City is located at 28°10′48"N 81°49′35"W (28.180052, -81.826318).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all land. Polk City is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic coastal plain has both low elevation and low relief, but it is also a relatively flat landform extending from the New York Bight southward to a Georgia/Florida section of the Eastern Continental Divide, which demarcates the plain from the ACF River Basin in the Gulf Coastal Plain to...

 with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills.

Polk City is located in the humid subtropical zone (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

: Cfa).

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,516 people, 542 households, and 422 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,966.2 inhabitants per square mile (760.2/km²). There were 596 housing units at an average density of 773.0 per square mile (298.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.13% White, 1.91% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 1.78% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.11% of the population.

There were 542 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,083, and the median income for a family was $36,705. Males had a median income of $28,158 versus $20,579 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $14,108. About 13.6% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

  • Interstate 4
    Interstate 4
    Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...

     - Located just south of town, this freeway is a major highway in central Florida, leading westward to Lakeland
    Lakeland, Florida
    Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

     and Tampa and eastward to Orlando.
  • SR 33
    Florida State Road 33
    State Road 33 is a road running through Lake and Polk counties in Florida.-Route description:State Road 33 begins in Lakeland off US 92 and heads north to Polk City. From there, it traverses through mostly rural farmland into Lake County and Groveland. In Groveland, it intersects and begins a ...

     - Called Commonwealth Avenue, this road leads southward to Lakeland
    Lakeland, Florida
    Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

     and northward across the Green Swamp, toward Groveland.
  • SR 559
    Florida State Road 559
    State Road 559 is a Florida State Road located entirely in Polk County. Florida. It is accessible to Auburndale and Polk City...

     - This road leads southward to I-4 and Auburndale
    Auburndale, Florida
    Auburndale is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,032 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 12,381...

    .

Recreation

While small in both size and population Polk City offers its residents a vast array of activities throughout the year. For children there are Tee-Ball and Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...

 as well as a Pee-Wee football league. Also, there is a yearly Founder's Day festival in midtown park located at the beginning of General James A. Van Fleet State Trail
General James A. Van Fleet State Trail
General James A. Van Fleet State Trail is a rail trail in Florida, named after General James A. Van Fleet, who was a distinguished combat commander in both World Wars and the Korean War....

.

Existential controversy

, a controversy has arisen over fiscal problems in the city where some citizens have organized to propose dissolution of the city polity and return to unincorporated Polk County
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...

. A "a petition drive seeking a special election to dissolve the city and return the area to unincorporated
Unincorporated
Unincorporated may refer to:* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress has determined that only select parts of the U.S...

Polk County" is underway.

External links

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