Bartow, Florida

Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAR : Bartow, Florida

Bartow is a city located in the U.S. State of Florida in Central Florida east of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 15,340 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 16,278. [link] It is the county seat of Polk County.^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}

Bartow was named in honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first Confederate officer to die in the American Civil War. Residents of the city are known as Bartowans. While Bartow itself is not a very large city- the Polk County cities of Lakeland and Winter Haven have larger populations-the city does have the distinction of being the city in Polk County with the longest, most colorful history. The city is known for its historic downtown, oak trees (which are both large and numerous often forming canopies over much of the paved streets), early 20th century ante-bellum styled architecture, and azalea bushes which bloom everywhere in the spring. The city has been called The City of Oaks, The City of Oaks and Azaleas and The Capital of Imperial Polk County.

Contents

History

In the early 19th Century, very few people lived in Florida, especially the area south of Gainesville. The relentless heat and humidity, venomous snakes, and uncharted swampland made a comfortable life in southern Florida an uncertainty. A bigger threat to any would-be settlers was the Seminoles, a Native American tribe native to Florida. While a few of the Seminole had left for Oklahoma, some decided to stay in Florida and make life rough for any new settlers who tried to make a living. After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, southern Florida seemed ripe for settlement. Still, many felt uneasy about the continued Seminole presence in the Everglades and stories were always told about hostile encounters "not far away". So most of the early settlements in peninsular Florida were set up as forts, to discourage any Seminole attacks - just in case. In 1850, the first permanent new settlers came to the area near the headwaters of the Peas River or Peace River and established Fort Blount. This settlement was somewhat stalled by the American Civil War a decade later, although the Polk County government was established in 1861. After the war, in 1867, the county commissioners decided the county seat should be named after General Francis Bartow, the first Confederate officer to die in the war, and so, the name of Fort Blount was changed to Bartow.

People and culture

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 15,340 people, 5,531 households, and 3,777 families residing in the city. The population density was 527.4/km² (1,366.5/mi²). There were 6,099 housing units at an average density of 209.7/km² (543.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.91% White, 28.39% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 2.22% from other races, and 2.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.11% of the population.

There were 5,531 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,568, and the median income for a family was $44,093. Males had a median income of $31,716 versus $21,309 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,487. About 9.7% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Historic Buildings and Landmarks

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church- 205 East Stanford Street. Built in 1926;Neogothic styling. One of the largest church buildings in Bartow.
Conant House- 1010 South Broadway. Example of Colonial revival style.
First Methodist Church- 310 South Broadway. Build in 1907, this is a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. One of the first two churches in Bartow.
Hugh Wear House- 310 South Orange Avenue. Built in 1889, but burned to the ground in the 1990s.
Redeemer Lutheran Church - 390 East Parker Street. Gothic Revival architecture with a cross-shaped floor plan.
*(built as Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, transferred ownership when the Episcopal parish outgrew it and built a new sanctuary)
South Florida Military Academy- 1140 South Broadway. This school was eventually amalgamated into the University of Florida.
Stuart Hotel- 145-195 South Central Avenue. Three-story brick building built in 1914.
Swearingen-Langford House- 690 East Church Street (in Church Street Historic District). Neoclassical brick home built in 1925; location for a movie and several commercials.
Thomas Lee Wilson House- 555 East Stanford Street. Was used as the Funeral Parlor in the movie My Girl.
Windsweep- 935 South Oak Avenue. Built in 1909, this house was the residence used in the movie China Moon.
The Wonder House- 1075 Mann Road. Features natural air-conditioning (using rainwater), secluded outdoor bathtubs, and numerous mirrors.

Annual Events

Neighborhoods

Media

The city has a semi-weekly newspaper the Polk County Democrat, which in spite of its name, is actually a fairly conservative newspaper in its editorial content. The Ledger, which is based in Lakeland, is the most common daily newspaper in Bartow. The Tampa Tribune is also read by many residents. While there are no television stations located in Bartow, broadcast signals from Tampa Bay area television stations are available. Most cable and satellite providers offer Tampa Bay and Orlando area stations. There are two radio stations that broadcast from within the city, WQXM (1460 AM)(formerly WBAR till 9/2004)(was WRMX from 9/2004 to 10/2004) and WWBF (1130 AM)(changed from WPUL in 1984).

Attractions in Nearby Cities

Education

The Schools in Bartow are under direction of the School Board of Polk County, Florida.

High Schools - Bartow Senior High School (Formerly Summerlin Institute); International Baccalureate World School (located on the BHS Campus); Summerlin Academy (Opening Fall 2006)

Middle Schools - Bartow Middle School (Formerly Bartow Junior High School); Union Academy Magnet Middle School (Formerly Union Academy High School )

Elementary Schools - James E. Stephens Elementary School; Gibbons Street Elementary School; Floral Avenue Elementary School; Bartow Elementary Academy

Other Schools - Gause Academy; Polk Life and Learning Center

Private Schools- There are many private schools in Bartow.

Government and Politics

Infrastructure

Street Layout

The city is laid out in a typical four quadrant grid. The north-south axis is Broadway Avenue, and the east-west axis is Main Street. At the center of the grid is the historic downtown of Bartow which includes the old courthouse, the new courthouse, and the County Administration building as well as other government offices. As a typical rule, most of the residential (especially the older neighborhoods) are in the southern half of town. The two historically African-American sections of town often called by their major street, Polk Street "Westside" and Martin Luther King Blvd "Eastside" are west, northwest, and east southeast of the center of town, respectively.

Utilities

Transportation

The major highways which run through Bartow are US 98, US 17, and State Road 60. US 17 provides easy access to Winter Haven and Ft. Meade. Going north on US 98 from Bartow is a 15 minute drive to Lakeland. West on State Road 60 leads to Tampa, while east takes one to Lake Wales, and further down, to Vero Beach. The quickest route to Orlando from Bartow is Interstate 4 via the Polk Parkway, which is accessed from US 98 between Bartow and Lakeland.

For small aviation needs, Bartow Municipal Airport is available. Both Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport are less than an hour away.

Bartow has its own bus system, the Bartow Shuttle which runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and also offers intercity service to other cities in Polk County through the Polk County InterCity Transit System. The Citrus Connection, which serves Lakeland and Winter Haven, also has buses that serve the Bartow downtown area.

Economy

The Phosphate mining industry located west of Bartow is the largest in the United States. While Polk County is no longer the leading citrus growing county in the United States, it still plays a role in the economy of Bartow and Polk County. As the seat of government of a county with almost half a million people, State and County governments are a large employer in Bartow.

Geography and climate

Geography

Bartow is located at [27°53′33″N, 81°50′23″W] (27.892551, -81.839636)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]} which is approximately 38 miles east of Tampa, 55 miles southwest of Orlando, and 15 miles west of Lake Wales. The cities of Bartow, Lakeland, and Winter Haven form an equilateral triangle pointed downward with Bartow being the south "point", Lakeland the west "point", and Winter Haven the east "point". The city is located near the headwaters of the Peace River at Lake Hancock. The major roads which go through Bartow are U.S. Highway 17, U.S. Highway 98, and Florida State Road 60.

According to theUnited States Census Bureau, in 2000 the city had a total area of 29.4 km² (11.4 mi²). 29.1 km² (11.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.23%) is water. Since then, the city has annexed much land, quadrupling in size. Much of that land is undeveloped, although the city has rezoned much of it for residential use and it is estimated that the population of Bartow may increase threefold in the next couple of decades.

Climate

The climate of Bartow, like most of Florida, is humid subtropical. Most of the inland areas farthest away from the ocean tend to have more extreme temperature ranges than those areas on the coast. Since Bartow is one of the cities furthest from the coast in peninsular Florida, it can be among the hottest places in the state on some summer days, and during the occasional winter Arctic blast, it has had temperatures in the teens (Fahrenheit).

Physiography and soils

Bartow is located on the South Central Florida Ridge, as classified by the USDA.[link] Many soils in the Bartow area are sandy throughout; others have sandy surface layers and clayey subsoils, and the eastern outskirts of town have a clay-rich floodplain through which the Peace River flows. Drainage outside of the floodplain ranges from good to excessive for the most part except for a poorly drained band which cuts across the northern part of town. Much of Bartow is built on the Fort Meade soil series, which is well drained, high in organic matter, and rich in phosphorus -- an uncommon combination in Florida, much appreciated by area gardeners.[link][link].

Notable natives, citizens, and associated people

James Alward Van Fleet- 4 star General, head of U.S. and U.N. forces during Korean War.
Spessard Holland- Former Florida governor and U.S. senator.
Charlie Smith- Supercentenarian
Desmond Clark - NFL player (Chicago Bears), born in Bartow: Apr 20, 1977
Keydrick Vincent - NFL player (Baltimore Ravens), born in Bartow: Apr 13, 1978
Marcus Floyd - NFL player (Carolina Panthers), born in Bartow: Oct 12, 1978
Ray Lewis - NFL linebacker (Baltimore Ravens), born in Bartow: May 15, 1975
Theron Smith - NBA player (Charlotte Bobcats), born in Bartow: Oct 3, 1980
Tracy McGrady - NBA player (Houston Rockets), born in Bartow: May 24, 1979
Jacob Summerlin- King of the Crackers, first child born in Florida after ceded from Spain, founder of Bartow and Orlando, Florida.
Evander McIvor Law- Confederate General during American Civil War.
Stephen H. Grimes- Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Adam Putnam- Current U.S. Congressman, Florida 12th District.
Katherine Harris- Current U.S. Congressman, Florida 13th District; Florida's Secretary of State during the controversial Florida Recount of 2000
Rick Wilson, NASCAR driver

Miscellaneous Facts

The law firm of Holland & Knight, one of the largest law firms in the United States, was founded in Bartow.
The 1991 movie My Girl with Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis was filmed mostly in Bartow.
Charlie Smith, considered by many to be the oldest living American ever (although many disputed his age) lived most of his life in Bartow. His age was believed to be 137 when he died in 1979

External links

[Bartow Chamber of Commerce]
[Maps and aerial photos] Coordinates: [27.892551° -81.839636°]
* Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
* Topographic map from [TopoZone]
* Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
* Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]

Cities and communities of Polk County, Florida

County seat	Bartow
Incorporated places	Auburndale \| Bartow \| Davenport \| Dundee \| Eagle Lake \| Fort Meade \| Frostproof \| Haines City \| Highland Park \| Hillcrest Heights \| Lake Alfred \| Lake Hamilton \| Lakeland \| Lake Wales \| Mulberry \| Polk City \| Winter Haven
Unincorporated places	Babson Park \| Brewster \| Combee Settlement \| Crooked Lake Park \| Crystal Lake \| Cypress Gardens \| Fussels Corner \| Gibsonia \| Highland City \| Inwood \| Jan Phyl Village \| Kathleen \| Lakeland Highlands \| Loughman \| Medulla \| Poinciana \| Wahneta \| Waverly \| Willow Oak \| Winston
'''Adjacent Counties	Lake \| Orange \| Osceola \| Okeechobee \| Highlands \| Hardee \| Manatee \| Hillsborough \| Sumter \| Pasco

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