Bartow is a city located in the U.S. State of Florida located in Central Florida east of the Tampa Bay area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 15,340. It is the county seat of Polk County.
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.
Bartow is located at 27°53'33"N, 81°50'23"W (27.892551, -81.839636) which is approximately 38 miles east of Tampa, 55 miles southeast 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 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.
As of the census of 2000, there are 15,340 people, 5,531 households, and 3,777 families residing in the city. The population density is 527.4/km2 (1,366.5/mi2). There are 6,099 housing units at an average density of 209.7/km2 (543.3/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,531 households out of which 29.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% are married couples living together, 16.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% are non-families. 27.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,568, and the median income for a family is $44,093. Males have a median income of $31,716 versus $21,309 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,487. 13.1% of the population and 9.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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.
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.
Source:
BartowFlorida.com
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