Polk County, Florida

Polk County Education, Geography, and History

Polk County is a county located in the State of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 602,095. Polk County was created on February 8, 1861 from Brevard County and Hillsborough County. The county seat is Bartow, and its largest city is Lakeland. This county is named for James K. Polk (1795-1849), the 11th President of the United States.

Polk County comprises the Lakeland-Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Polk County Name

This county is named for James K. Polk (1795-1849), the 11th President of the United States.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Polk County History

Polk County became Florida's 39th county on February 8, 1861, when the State of Florida divided Hillsborough County into eastern and western halves. The eastern half was named Polk, in honor of the 11th President of the United States, James Knox Polk. Though not necessarily the reason for Polk County's name, Polk was sworn in as president on the day after Florida's statehood (March 3, 1845).

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,010 square miles (5,206 km²), of which, 1,874 square miles (4,855 km²) of it is land and 136 square miles (351 km²) of it is water. The total area is 6.75% water.

Polk county is located close to the center of Florida. Seventeen municipalities, ranging from a tiny village to a metropolitan city, are located in Polk County, along with twenty-four unincorporated, populated areas.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Lake County
• Northeast: Orange County
• East: Osceola County
• Southeast: Okeechobee County; Highlands County
• South: Hardee County
• Southwest: Manatee County
• West: Hillsborough County
• Northwest: Pasco County; Sumter County

Education

Polk County Public Schools serves the county.

Universities and colleges

• Polk State College (Public, Previous name: Polk Community College)
• Southeastern University (Private, affiliated with the Assemblies of God)
• Florida Southern College (Private)
• Florida Polytechnic University (Public)
• Warner University (Private, affiliated with the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana))
• Webber International University

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