Lakeland, city, Polk county, central Florida, U.S., about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Tampa and some 10 miles (16 km) west of Winter Haven. It was founded in 1883 by Kentucky businessman Abraham Munn, who purchased a large plot of land near the newly built railroad. The community was named for the many lakes in the area, several of which are now within city limits. The railroad contributed considerably to its growth. By the late 1880s, strawberries were a major crop, and a variety of seedless grapefruit had been developed there.
Phosphate mining, the citrus industry, and tourism are the city’s economic mainstays, and Lakeland is the seat of the Florida Department of Citrus. Lakeland also serves as a distribution centre and corporate headquarters for several companies; food processing, trucking, and some manufacturing (including automotive parts, packaging, and tile) are also important. It is the seat of Southeastern College (1935), branch campuses of the University of South Florida and Polk Community College, and Florida Southern College (1885), whose campus has the world’s largest single-site concentration of buildings designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Lakeland Center is a large complex of venues hosting sporting events, theatre productions, concerts, and trade shows and conventions. The Polk Museum of Art has collections of contemporary American, European decorative, and Asian art. The annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In, sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association, is held in April. Fantasy of Flight, in nearby Polk City, is a museum of aviation history that features a collection of vintage aircraft and provides hands-on exhibits for visitors, including flight simulators. Inc. 1885. Pop. (2000) 78,452; Lakeland–Winter Haven Metro Area, 483,924; (2010) 97,422; Lakeland–Winter Haven Metro Area, 602,095.