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its location near the Osceola line and near several major roadways
has attracted a growing list of builders and developers.
Other municipalities in the county, including Lakeland and
Winter Haven, are south of Interstate 4 toward the center of
the county.
LAKELAND
With a population of more than 108,000, Lakeland is the
largest city in Polk County. It’s 35 miles from Tampa; 56 miles
from Orlando. It’s home to several institutions of higher learning,
including Southeastern University, Florida Polytechnic
University and Florida Southern College, which houses the
largest on-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in
the world. The MLB Detroit Tigers hold spring training in Lakeland.
WINTER HAVEN
The city of about 41,000 lies just east of Lakeland. Winter
Haven boasts 50 lakes, 22 boat ramps, 14 public docks
and 30 waterfront parks. In 1936, the city welcomed Cypress
Gardens, a botanical garden that was well known for
its water ski shows and Southern Belles. Today it’s the site
of Legoland.
SEMINOLE COUNTY (SEMINOLECOUNTYFL.GOV)
Population estimate: 462,659
Number of housing units: 190,321
Median value of owner-occupied homes: $201,900
Mean travel time to work (in minutes): 27.1
Median household income: $60,739
With a population of more than 462,000, Seminole County
is one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida — jumping 9.4
percent since 2010. The county government and Seminole’s
seven municipalities boast a variety of recreational opportunities,
such as parks, trails, wilderness areas, libraries, museums
and local attractions.
Seminole sits between the major Central Florida theme
parks and the Atlantic Coast. It’s an easy drive to visit Mickey
Mouse or to get sand between your toes.
Named after the Seminole Indians, the county has evolved
over the years from a rural and agricultural area — Sanford
long ago was known as the “Celery Capital of the World” — to
a bedroom community for Orlando
Today, however, many residents live and play — and work — in
Seminole. Each of the county’s seven cities offers its own appeal:
STATISTICS: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, AS OF JULY 2017
/(SEMINOLECOUNTYFL.GOV