Lake Wales, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lake Wales, Florida
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| City of Lake Wales | |||
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| Nickname(s):
Crown Jewel of the Ridge
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Location in Polk County and the state of Florida
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| Country | United States of America | ||
| State | Florida | ||
| County | Polk | ||
| Settled | 1911 | ||
| Incorporated (town) | May 28, 1917 | ||
| Incorporated (city) | 1925 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Commission-Manager | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 20.12 sq mi (52.10 km2) | ||
| • Land | 18.84 sq mi (48.81 km2) | ||
| • Water | 1.27 sq mi (3.30 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 128 ft (39 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 16,361 | ||
| • Density | 868.19/sq mi (335.22/km2) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Lake Walean | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP codes |
33800-33898
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| Area code(s) | 863 | ||
| FIPS code | 12-38950 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2404869 | ||
Lake Wales is a city located in Polk County, Florida. It's part of a larger area that includes Lakeland and Winter Haven. In 2020, about 16,361 people lived there.
Contents
History of Lake Wales
How Lake Wales Began
Long ago, the area around Lake Wales was surveyed. Early settlers thought it was not a good place to live. By 1879, a man named Sidney Irving Wailes surveyed the land again. He changed the name of a lake, once called Watts Lake, to Lake Wailes.
In 1902, G.V. Tillman explored the region. He saw that it had potential for industries like citrus and turpentine. He then came up with the idea to settle the area around Lake Wailes.
Starting the City
The city of Lake Wales was planned by the Lake Wales Land Company. It was started near the lake in 1911–1912. The city was spelled "Wales," even though the lake is still usually spelled "Wailes."
Allen Carleton Nydegger, a civil engineer, was hired to map out the new community. He and his team camped by Crystal Lake. They spent months planning the new city. One early settler, Rose Wetmore, wrote in her diary about arriving in 1912. She described deep sand roads and roaming animals. But she found the view over the lakes beautiful. The city of Lake Wales officially became a town in May 1917.
Growth in the 1920s
In 1925, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built a new train line. This line connected Haines City to Everglades City. A train station opened in Lake Wales on this line in 1928. This helped the city grow during the Florida land boom of the 1920s.
Lake Wales in the 21st Century
In 2004, Lake Wales was hit by three hurricanes: Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, and Hurricane Jeanne. These storms brought strong winds to the area within 44 days. In 2017, Hurricane Irma also brought hurricane-force winds to Lake Wales. Most of the damage from these storms has been fixed.
Geography of Lake Wales
Lake Wales is located near the middle of the Florida peninsula. It sits on the Lake Wales Ridge. This is a sandy, high area that runs along both coasts in the center of Florida.
The city covers about 14.0 square miles (36.3 km²). Of this, about 13.4 square miles (34.7 km²) is land. The rest, about 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), is water. Lake Wales is in Central Florida, west of Lake Kissimmee and east of Tampa.
Climate in Lake Wales
Lake Wales has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot days and warm nights, even in winter. January is the only month where the average daily temperature is below 64.4°F (18.0°C). The town is in hardiness zone 9b, which means it rarely gets very cold.
| Climate data for Lake Wales, Florida (Mountain Lake), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1935–present | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) |
91 (33) |
96 (36) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
102 (39) |
105 (41) |
100 (38) |
100 (38) |
96 (36) |
92 (33) |
89 (32) |
105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 82.9 (28.3) |
85.0 (29.4) |
88.3 (31.3) |
91.6 (33.1) |
95.2 (35.1) |
96.9 (36.1) |
96.6 (35.9) |
96.1 (35.6) |
94.4 (34.7) |
90.9 (32.7) |
86.5 (30.3) |
83.1 (28.4) |
97.6 (36.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 74.7 (23.7) |
77.9 (25.5) |
81.6 (27.6) |
86.1 (30.1) |
90.4 (32.4) |
92.4 (33.6) |
93.2 (34.0) |
93.2 (34.0) |
91.1 (32.8) |
86.2 (30.1) |
80.1 (26.7) |
76.0 (24.4) |
85.2 (29.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 62.4 (16.9) |
65.4 (18.6) |
68.8 (20.4) |
73.5 (23.1) |
78.4 (25.8) |
81.8 (27.7) |
82.9 (28.3) |
83.1 (28.4) |
81.4 (27.4) |
75.9 (24.4) |
68.9 (20.5) |
64.6 (18.1) |
73.9 (23.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 50.0 (10.0) |
52.8 (11.6) |
55.9 (13.3) |
60.8 (16.0) |
66.4 (19.1) |
71.1 (21.7) |
72.5 (22.5) |
73.0 (22.8) |
71.6 (22.0) |
65.7 (18.7) |
57.7 (14.3) |
53.1 (11.7) |
62.6 (17.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 30.9 (−0.6) |
33.8 (1.0) |
38.0 (3.3) |
46.0 (7.8) |
55.8 (13.2) |
66.1 (18.9) |
68.8 (20.4) |
69.6 (20.9) |
66.1 (18.9) |
52.0 (11.1) |
41.6 (5.3) |
33.6 (0.9) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 16 (−9) |
24 (−4) |
25 (−4) |
33 (1) |
44 (7) |
50 (10) |
58 (14) |
60 (16) |
55 (13) |
36 (2) |
24 (−4) |
16 (−9) |
16 (−9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.64 (67) |
2.19 (56) |
2.76 (70) |
2.42 (61) |
3.56 (90) |
8.92 (227) |
7.81 (198) |
8.06 (205) |
6.89 (175) |
3.25 (83) |
1.82 (46) |
2.45 (62) |
52.77 (1,340) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 13.6 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 11.3 | 6.9 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 98.6 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Wildlife and Nature Areas
Grassy Lake Preserve is a 185-acre (0.75 km²) nature area. It is located behind Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School. Grassy Lake mostly has Lake Wales Ridge scrub land, which is a unique type of habitat.
People of Lake Wales
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 796 | — | |
| 1930 | 3,401 | 327.3% | |
| 1940 | 5,024 | 47.7% | |
| 1950 | 6,821 | 35.8% | |
| 1960 | 8,346 | 22.4% | |
| 1970 | 8,240 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 8,466 | 2.7% | |
| 1990 | 9,670 | 14.2% | |
| 2000 | 10,194 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 14,225 | 39.5% | |
| 2020 | 16,361 | 15.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 7,820 | 7,750 | 54.97% | 47.37% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 3,784 | 3,918 | 26.60% | 23.95% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 46 | 32 | 0.32% | 0.20% |
| Asian (NH) | 117 | 167 | 0.82% | 1.02% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 3 | 5 | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Some other race (NH) | 29 | 56 | 0.20% | 0.34% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 204 | 517 | 1.43% | 3.16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,222 | 3,916 | 15.62% | 23.93% |
| Total | 14,225 | 16,361 |
In 2020, there were 16,361 people living in Lake Wales. There were 6,363 households and 4,015 families. In 2010, the city had 14,225 people, 5,710 households, and 3,712 families.
Fun Places to Visit in Lake Wales
- Bok Tower Gardens: A beautiful garden with a famous singing tower.
- Camp Mack's River Resort: A place for outdoor fun by the river.
- Dixie Walesbilt Hotel: Also known as the Hotel Walesbilt, this historic building is being restored.
- Spook Hill: This is a cool optical illusion! If you put your car in neutral, it looks like it's rolling uphill.
- Lake Wales Commercial Historic District: This area in the old town has important buildings from the 1920s Florida land boom.
- Lake Wales History Museum: Learn about the city's past here. It's in the old train station.
- Grove House: This is the visitor center for Florida's Natural, a company that makes orange juice.
- Chalet Suzanne: A unique inn and restaurant.
- The Shrine of Ste Anne des Lacs: A peaceful religious site.
Famous People from Lake Wales
Many notable people have connections to Lake Wales:
- Edward Bok: An editor for Ladies' Home Journal. He died in Lake Wales.
- Pat Borders: A baseball player who was the 1992 World Series MVP. He lived in Lake Wales and went to Lake Wales High School.
- Wade Davis: An MLB pitcher, born in Lake Wales.
- Walt Faulkner: A racecar driver who lived in Lake Wales for ten years.
- Mario Gosselin: A NASCAR driver and team owner. He lives and runs his racing team in Lake Wales.
- Red "Galloping Ghost" Grange: A legendary football player in the College Football Hall of Fame and the NFL. He was living in Lake Wales when he passed away.
- Dominique Jones: An NBA player who was born and went to high school in Lake Wales.
- Ryan Shakes: An American social media personality.
- Amar'e Stoudemire: An NBA player, born in Lake Wales.
- Robbie Tobeck: A center for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, born in Lake Wales.
Getting Around Lake Wales
Major Roads
US 27: This highway goes north to Haines City and Interstate 4. Southward, it leads to Frostproof, Sebring, and eventually Miami.
State Road 60: Also called Hesperides Road, it goes east to Florida's Turnpike and Vero Beach. Westward, it leads to Bartow and the Tampa Bay area.
State Road 17: This is the Scenic Highway that runs through the middle of town. It goes south to Frostproof and north to Haines City.
Public Transport
Bus service is available to Winter Haven and Frostproof through Winter Haven Area Transit.
Airports
- Lake Wales Municipal Airport (FAA LID: X07): This is a public airport about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of downtown Lake Wales.
- Chalet Suzanne Air Strip: This small grass airstrip is north of downtown. It serves light planes flying to the Chalet Suzanne Inn and Restaurant.
Education in Lake Wales
Lake Wales has twelve schools. Six are charter schools, three are traditional public schools, and three are private schools.
- Charter Schools: Dale R Fair Babson Park Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Janie Howard Wilson Elementary, Polk Avenue Elementary, and Lake Wales High School became charter schools in 2004. Edward W. Bok Academy Middle opened in 2008, creating a K–12 charter system.
- Traditional Public Schools: McLaughlin Middle School and Fine Arts Academy, Roosevelt Academy Of Leadership And Applied Technology School, and Spook Hill Elementary School.
- Private Schools: Lake Wales Lutheran School, Candlelight Christian Academy, and The Vanguard School.
Lake Wales also has two colleges: Warner University and Webber International University. The J.D. Alexander Center, a branch of Polk State College, opened in downtown Lake Wales in 2009.
Healthcare in Lake Wales
The only hospital in Lake Wales is AdventHealth Lake Wales.
See also
In Spanish: Lake Wales para niños
