About Lakeland FL

Lakeland is a city in the state of Florida that is situated in Polk County. Lakeland is the westernmost city in the county, and is also part of the Tampa Bay region. It is as well a principal city in the Lakeland – Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical region. Florida attained statehood in the year 1845 and Polk County was founded in 1861. After the termination of the United States Civil War, the county seat was established in the southeast direction of the City of Lakeland in Bartow. While Polk County’s formative history was focused on the cities of Bartow and Fort Meade, people moved in the northern direction of the county and settled around the future site of this Florida city. It’s very first permanent settlement was established in the late 19th century, and its development went a notch higher when the railroad arrived in the region in the year 1884.
 
Freedmen settled here in 1883, and founded the Black American neighborhood of Moorehead. the City of Lakeland was officially incorporated in 1884, and was founded by Abraham Munn who bought 80 acres of land in what is now the downtown area. This Florida city’s name was chosen due to the numerous lakes, which are in close proximity to its site. In the year 1898, the Spanish – American War sparked a critical point for Lakeland’s future development. At this particular epoch, the Florida Peninsula was made use of as a launching point for United States troops. The City of Lakeland went on to accommodate more than 9,000 troops during the course of the brief war.
 
The Florida boom culminated in the construction of numerous significant structures in Lakeland. A good number of which are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the most prominent of these are the Terrace Hotel, the Polk Theatre, the Polk Museum of Arts, the New Florida Hotel, the Frances Langford Promenade to name just but a few. The City of Lakeland is as well home to a range of historic districts that feature big structures, which were constructed between the 1920s and the 1940s. Also, a good number of parks were developed encircling the Lake Mirror. Some of the most notable of these include the Barnett Children’s Park, the Hollis Garden and the Allen Kryger Park.
 
In the year 1938, the Florida Southern College enlisted the help of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a ‘great’ educational temple in the City of Lakeland. Wright worked on this given project for more than 20 years. His original plan consisted of 18 different structures, but he ultimately designed a grand total of 30 structures. This architect’s textile block motif has been used extensively in the campus of the Florida Southern College. It is very important to note that this is the biggest single site collection of Frank Wright’s buildings in the entire planet, and attracts around 30,000 visitors on an annual basis. In the year 1975, the Florida Southern Architectural District was added to the National Register of Historic Places. At the same time, the campus of this college was designated as a National Historic Landmark. Some of the important points of interest in the City of Lakeland are Cleveland Court School, the Henly Field Ball Park. The Joker Marchant Stadium, the Lakeland Center, the Lakeland Square Mall, the Lakeland Village. The James Mills Medal of Honor Parkway, the USA International Speedway, Silvermoon Drive in to mention just but a few.