Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city of 119,961 people in Polk County, Florida, founded in 1875.
Why visit Lakeland
Townapedia lists 21 museums and landmarks, 43 parks and trails, 170 places to eat, 33 places to stay and 8 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include CMX Lakeside Village 18 & IMAX, Silvermoon Drive-in, Central Avenue School and Griffin Elementary School.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 51°F.
Weather in Lakeland
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Lakeland
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, it is the most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal city of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area and is often included as part of the Tampa Bay area.
From the Wikipedia article Lakeland, Florida (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do8
Florida Polytechnic University
School · 5.5 mi
Public university in Lakeland, Florida, United States
Museums and landmarks21
Central Avenue School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Griffin Elementary School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
School building in Lakeland, Florida
3515 Kathleen Road, Lakeland
Beacon Hill-Alta Vista Residential District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Biltmore-Cumberland Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Child of the Sun
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
Florida
Dixieland Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
Historic district in Lakeland, Florida
East Lake Morton Residential District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
John F. Cox Grammar School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Gymnasium in Florida, United States of America
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Lake Hunter Terrace Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Munn Park Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Oates Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Building in Florida, United States
Old Lakeland High School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
High school in Florida, United States
9 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds43
Tenoroc Public Use Area
Hiking and trails · 5.4 mi
3755 Tenoroc Mine Road, Lakeland
Sa-Mo 06:00-20:00, Th 09:00-17:00
31 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes170
Baskin-Robbins
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 2.6 mi
2106 South Florida Avenue, Lakeland
Mo-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 12:00-22:00
Born & Bread Bakehouse
Bakery · Bakery · 1.9 mi
Local bakery providing baked goods and coffee.
1113 South Florida Avenue
We 07:00-14:00; Sa 08:00-13:00
Burger 21 Lakeland
Restaurant · Burger · 4.1 mi
1601 Town Center Dr, Lakeland
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:30
China Chen's
Restaurant · Chinese · 2.9 mi
2614 US Highway 92 East, Lakeland
Mo, We, Th 11:00-21:10; Sa 11:00-21:40; Su 12:00-21:10
Olive Garden
Restaurant · Italian · 2.8 mi
3911 US Highway 98 North
Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
Texas Cattle Company
Restaurant · Steak House · 0.9 mi
735 East Main Street, Lakeland
Mo-Th 16:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 16:00-22:00
Tijuana Flats
Restaurant · Mexican · 5.5 mi
4796 South Florida Avenue, Lakeland
Su-Mo 11:00-21:00; Tu-Sa 11:00-21:30
Grillsmith Lakeland
Restaurant · 4.1 mi
1569 Town Center Drive, Lakeland
Mo-Th 11:00-21:30; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-21:00
J. Burns' Pizza Shop
Restaurant · 3.7 mi
2306 East Edgewood Drive
Fr, Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-20:30; Tu-Th 11:00-21:00
158 more on the map.
Where to stay33
Fairfield Inn & Suites Lakeland Plant City
Motel and hotel · 6.4 mi
4307 Sterling Commerce Drive, Plant City
Hampton Inn and Suites Lakeland-South Polk Parkway
Motel and hotel · 4.0 mi
3630 Lakeside Village Boulevard, Lakeland
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lakeland North - I-4
Motel and hotel · 3.1 mi
4500 Lakeland Park Boulevard, Lakeland
Churches and places of worship135
Annie Pfeiffer Chapel
Church · 1.7 mi
111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland
Shopping42
Gas and EV charging27
Schools, colleges and libraries78
Polk County Library Cooperative Larry R Jackson Branch Library
Library · 0.9 mi
1700 North Florida Avenue, Lakeland
Healthcare18
Lakeland Regional Health
Clinic and pharmacy · 5.2 mi
4710 South Florida Avenue, Lakeland
Passport Health Lakeland Travel Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.6 mi
1102 South Florida Ave, Lakeland
Map of Lakeland
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°F | 51°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 77°F | 53°F | 2.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 80°F | 56°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 85°F | 61°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 90°F | 67°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 91°F | 72°F | 8.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 92°F | 74°F | 8.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 92°F | 74°F | 9.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 90°F | 73°F | 7.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 86°F | 67°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 80°F | 59°F | 1.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 76°F | 54°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Lakeland 2 (6 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Polk County has had 30 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-10-11: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-10-07: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-08-10: Hurricane Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-03: Tropical Storm Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2023-08-31: Hurricane Idalia (Hurricane)
- 2023-08-28: Tropical Storm Idalia (Tropical Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.
- Lakeland Highlands 6 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Medulla 7 mi south, about 11 min by car
- Highland City 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
- Fuller Heights 9 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Plant City 10 mi west, about 17 min by car
- Auburndale 10 mi east, about 17 min by car
- Winter Haven 14 mi east, about 22 min by car
- Bartow 14 mi southeast, about 23 min by car
- Cypress Gardens 17 mi east, about 27 min by car
- Valrico 19 mi southwest, about 31 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Downtownlakeland fl, Contrib123456, Public domain
- US98nRoadUS92nsGantryLakeland (30217777404), formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Race and ethnicity 2020 Lakeland, FL, CensusDots, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Greetings from Lakeland, Florida - Large Letter Postcard (8461377494), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Clonts Building, Lakeland, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Greetings from Lakeland, Florida - Large Letter Postcard (14058833281), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Lakeland Amtrak Station September 2024, Trevorrrrvalent, CC BY 4.0
- Mirror Lake Tower, Downtown Lakeland, FL, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Lake Mirror Lakeland Florida September 2024, Trevorrrrvalent, CC BY 4.0
- Hotel Lakeland Terrace as seen from Kryger Park 02, Kiran891, CC BY-SA 4.0
- AventuraHall, FireKnight1935, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lakeland Griffin Grammar School01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Lakeland FL Central Ave School02, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lakeland Winston School01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Lakeland FL East Lake Morton HD Sorosis Club02, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lakeland FL Lake Hunter Terr HD05a, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Polk Theatre Lakeland, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Lakeland FL Dixieland HD02, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lakeland FL Biltmore-Cumberland HD02, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- HenleyFieldPanorama042022, Porsche997SBS, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tim Norton, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Tyler Alexander, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mike Reeves, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Caleb Frare, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jonathan Holder, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Chance Adams, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- D.J. Davis, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mike Gerber, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kyle Martin, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Abiatal Avelino, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jorge Mateo, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ryan McBroom, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gerson Moreno, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Tim Mayza, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jon Harris, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Vicente Campos, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mike Ford, Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0
- US98nRoad-FL548ewSigns (30214470123), formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 1955 Cadillac Coupe Deville, That Hartford Guy from Hartford, Connecticut, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lake Mirror promenade wide angle, Andrew Heneen, CC BY 4.0
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