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
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Greater Orlando area, though in recent times the Tampa Bay area has often been described as its own region, with "central Florida" becoming more synonymous with the Orlando area.
Central Florida Images top from bottom, left to right: Orlando Skyline, Daytona International Speedway, Walt Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Tampa Skyline
The Yearling won Floridian Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings a Pulitzer Prize for her glimpse at life in central Florida.
Yulee Sugar Mill, located in the central Florida town of Homosassa. The Florida State Park is the site of David Levy Yulee's 5,100-acre sugar plantation. The mill operated from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products for Southern troops during the Civil War.
Spanish Moss by Winslow Homer, Tampa Bay, a painting of Spanish Moss swaying from live oak limbs, a familiar scene in central Florida
