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| Cypress Gardens Sky Show |
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| Setting sun over Chain of Lakes |
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| One of the Chain of Lakes |
LET ME HAVE YOUR ATTENTION FOR A MOMENT!!
Were you cold the past years where you are living? Are you tired of cold winds
& blowing snow. How about driving on icy roads? Do you get a lot of snow all
winter long? Do you dream about living some place where it is warm "most" of
the time, and rarely snows. Where you can see some green tree's year round. If
you do, you need to look no further than "Winter Haven" Florida for relief. "say
good by to cold and misery" and say "hello to a lot of warm sun and hardly any
more snow".
My family and I moved from Bucksport, Maine to Florida in 1957 and eventually
to Winter Haven. We had just finished another icy cold winter that was so cold
that I had to put a 1,500 watt heater pointed at
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| This was house in Winter Haven,Fl. |
the block of my car when I went
to work in the morning in order to start it at lunch time.
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| Our screened in swimming pool Our best friends had moved to Lake Wales and we wanted to locate close by. |
( about 25 mile north). It is still a beautiful city now, only much larger with a lot
more winter visitors. We loved living in Winter Haven. June got a job as a teller
at the Exchange Bank of Winter Haven and I got a job in Bartow with Armour
ACC,a phosphate processing company.
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, The population was 26,487 at the
2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city
had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk
County. It is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan
Statistical Area.
History
The area was platted in 1884 and was first known as Harris Corners. A year
later, the name Winter Haven was suggested because of the area's pleasant
climate. By the end of the century the population grew to around 400 and in 1911,
the City of Winter Haven was incorporated. The Chain of Lakes canals were
begun in 1915. Winter Haven became home to the first Publix supermarket, The
first Florida boom took place in the 1920s as towns sprang up all over the
peninsula. Florida's potential as a place to live and a place to visit was first
realized then, but the Great Depression slowed growth in Florida until after World
War II. In Winter Haven; however, the definitive event in the city's history
happened in 1936 with the opening of Cypress Gardens by Dick and Julie Pope.
It was announced on January 21, 2010, that the former site of Cypress Gardens
will become Legoland Florida, the second Legoland park in the United States,
and the largest in the world. It is expected to open by the end of 2011.
Winter Haven featured many buildings designed by Gene Leedy, one of the
founders of the Sarasota School of Architecture.
Geography and climate
Winter Haven is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic
coastal plain with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling
hills.Winter Haven is called "The Chain of Lakes City" because of its numerous
fresh water lakes which touch or are contained within the city limits. 24 of the 45
lakes in Winter Haven are connected by a system of navigable canals better
known as the "Chain of Lakes".Winter Haven is located in the humid subtropical
zone The city gets its name from its obvious lack of colder weather with a warm
tropical climate throughout the majority of the year. The average temperature is
73.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,487 people, 11,833 households, and
6,934 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 97.51%
White, 1.96% African American, 1.02% Asian, 0.19% Native American,
0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.87% from other races, and 0.22% from two or more
races.
The median age was 44 years
The median income for a household in the city was $31,884,
and the median income for a family was $39,657. Males had a median income of $30,943
versus $21,812 for females.
Sports
Winter Haven, having many small lakes, is home to many ski schools, both for water skiing and barefoot skiing.
It used to be the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies (1928–1937), Boston Red Sox (1966–1992) and the Cleveland Indians (1993–2008). The Red Sox moved to Fort Myers in 1992, and the Indians left after 2008 to return to Arizona.
Transportation
Major routes through, to, and from Winter Haven include:
US 17 - A major north/south route through Winter Haven, this highway leads northward to Lake
Alfred where it joins US 92, and southward to Bartow.
US 27 - This divided highway east of Winter Haven will be a key access road for Legoland Florida
in its intersection with Interstate 4 to the north.
State Road 540 - This key road runs through southern Winter Haven as Cypress Gardens
Boulevard, leading westward to Lakeland and the Polk Parkway, by Legoland Florida just
east of town, and on eastward to US 27.
State Road 542 - It cuts through the heart of Winter Haven's downtown as Central Avenue, and
leads eastward directly to Dundee at US 27.
State Road 544 - From northern Winter Haven, SR 544 connects westward to Auburndale, hence
its name, Havendale Boulevard, and leads a scenic route eastward toward Haines City.
The streets of downtown Winter Haven are arranged in a grid plan. 1st Street (SR 549) is the
north-south axis, with two sets of numbered streets running parallel - one to the east (e.g. 7th
St. NE/SE), and one to the west (e.g. 6th St. NW/SW). Central Avenue (SR 542) is the west-east axis,
with two sets of lettered avenues similarly running parallel on either side.
Winter Haven has an Amtrak train station.
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| Winter Haven's Amtrak Station |
Local commuter bus service is provided by Winter
Haven Area Transit and the Citrus Connection.
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| Winter haven's Gilbert AirPort |
Winter Haven's Gilbert Airport and the adjacent Jack Browns Seaplane Base are located 3 miles
(4.8 km) northwest of the central business district.
Media
See also: Media in Tampa Bay
Winter Haven is part of the Tampa/St. Pete television market, the 13th largest in the country and
part of the local Lakeland/Winter Haven radio market, which is the 94th largest in the country.
Education
K-12 Schools
Public schools in Winter Haven are operated by Polk County Public Schools.
Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School
St. Paul's Episcopal School
Haven Christian Academy
Elbert Elementary
Garden Grove Elementary School
Garner Elementary School
Inwood Elementary
Jewett School of the Arts (Elementary)
Lake Shipp Elementary
John A. Snively Elementary School
Westwood Middle School
Jewett Academy Middle School
Denison Middle School
Winter Haven Senior High School
Lake Region High School (Florida)
Frank E. Brigham Academy Elementary School
All Saints' Academy (Florida)
Rachel's School for the Custodial Arts.
Mark Wilcox Center
Winter Haven Christian School
Grace Lutheran School
St. Joseph Catholic School
Chain of Lakes Elementary School
Eagle Lake Elementary
Wahneta Elementary
Colleges
Polk State College (PSC
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