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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.'' 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 of 2000, there were 15,340 people, 5,531 households, and 3,777 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 527.4/km&2 (1,366.5/mi&2). There were 6,099 housing units at an average density of 209.7/km&2 (543.3/mi&2). 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. 8.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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. 13.1% of the population and 9.7% of families were below the Poverty Line . 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Historic Buildings and Landmarks
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 (Formally Summerlin Institute); International Baccalureate World School (located on the BHS Campus); Summerlin Academy (Opening Fall 2006) Middle Schools - Bartow Middle School (Formally Bartow Junior High School); Union Academy Magnet Middle School (Formally 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 am to 6 pm 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 (27.892551, -81.839636) which is approximately 38 Mile s 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 the United States Census Bureau , in 2000 the city had a total area of 29.4 Km&2 (11.4 Mi&2 ). 29.1 km&2 (11.2 mi&2) of it is land and 0.4 km&2 (0.1 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 1.23% 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 y throughout; others have sandy surface layers and Clay ey 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 without Title} {Link without Title} . Notable natives, citizens, and associated people
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