Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa and west of Orlando, it is the most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is sometimes locally referred to by the nickname "Swan City" due to its sizeable population of swans, all of whom are descendants of two mute swans given to Lakeland by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957.
Lakeland's business district, early 1920s
The John F. Cox Grammar School opened in 1925, now re-purposed as the clinic for Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine
View of Lakeland, April 1922
Factory under construction, August 1941
Polk County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. The county population was 725,046, as of the 2020 census, and estimated to be 818,330, as of July 1, 2023. Its county seat is Bartow, and its largest city is Lakeland.
Polk County courthouse in Bartow
Polk County History Center where the Genealogical Library is located.
Municipalities of Polk County