Avon Park, Florida

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Avon Park
Official logo of Avon Park
Logo
Nickname: The City of Charm
Location in Highlands County and the state of Florida
Location in Highlands County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°35′40″N 81°30′12″W / 27.59444, -81.50333
Country United States
State Florida
County Highlands
settled 1884
Incorporated (town) 1886
Incorporated (city) 1 January 1926
Government
 - Type Council-Manager
 - Mayor Sharon Schuler
 - City Manager Sarah Adelt
Area [1]
 - Total 5.65 sq mi (14.6 km²)
 - Land 4.64 sq mi (12 km²)
 - Water 1.02 sq mi (2.6 km²)  18.1%
Elevation [2] 121 ft (37 m)
Population (1 July 2006)[3]
 - Total 8,879
 - Density 1,841.8/sq mi (711.1/km²)
  Census estimates
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 33825-33826
Area code(s) 863
FIPS code 12-02750[4]
GNIS feature ID 0278007[5]
Website: http://www.avonpark.cc

Avon Park is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2006 at 8,879.[3] It is the oldest city in Highlands County, and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Contents

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[edit] History

The first permanent settler in Avon Park was Oliver Martin Crosby, a Connecticut native who moved to the area in 1884 to study the wildlife of the Everglades. By 1886, enough people had followed that the town of "Lake Forest" was founded. An English woman who had settled in the area convinced Crosby that the area was reminiscent of her home of Stratford-upon-Avon, and persuaded him to change the name of the settlement to Avon Park.

In 2006, then-mayor Thomas Macklin proposed City Ordinance 08-06, which that would have blocked the issuance or renewal of city licenses to businesses that hired illegal aliens, fined any property owner who rented and leased property to illegal aliens, and established English as the city's official language, banning the use of other languages during the conduct of official business except where specified under state or federal law.[6] The ordinance was narrowly defeated by the city council, on a 3-2 vote.[7]

[edit] Geography

Avon Park is located at 27°35′40″N, 81°30′12″W (27.594418, -81.503437).[8]According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.65 square miles (14.6 km²). 4.64 square miles (12 km²) of it is land and 1.02 square miles (2.6 km²) of it (18.1%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 8,542 people, 3,218 households, and 2,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,841.8/mi² (710.8/km²). There were 3,916 housing units at an average density of 844.4/mi²(325.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.90% White, 29.2% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.35% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.71% of the population.

There were 3,218 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,576, and the median income for a family was $27,617. Males had a median income of $21,890 versus $18,678 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,897. About 21.3% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.4% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The City of Avon Park operates under a Council-Manager form of government, with a City Manager who operates under the direction of an elected four-member council and mayor. As of January 2008, the mayor was Sharon Schuler and the Interim City Manager was Sarah Adelt. The city also provides police and fire protection, and water and sewer service to its residents.

[edit] Transportation

Avon Park Executive Airport is a public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the central business district.

[edit] Education

[edit] Public Schools

Avon Elementary School
Park Elementary School
Avon Park Middle School
Avon Park High School

[edit] Private Schools

  • Walker Memorial Academy
  • Central Florida Academy

[edit] Colleges

[edit] Media

[edit] Television

See also: List of TV stations in Florida

Avon Park is located in a fringe viewing area; its television stations originate in distant cities. Local television services offer signals from WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando; WINK-TV, the CBS affiliate in Fort Myers/Naples; WFLA-TV, the Tampa Bay area NBC affiliate; and WTVT, the Tampa Bay area Fox affiliate.

[edit] Radio

See also: List of radio stations in Florida

Avon Park is in the Sebring radio market, which is ranked as the 288th largest in the United States by Arbitron.[9] Radio stations broadcasting from Avon Park include WFHT/1390 (Lounge), WAPQ-LP/95.9 (Religious), WWOJ/99.1 (Country) "OJ99.1" & WWMA-LP/107.9 (Religious).

[edit] Newspapers

Local print media include the News-Sun, a newspaper published on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and Highlands Today, a daily local supplement to The Tampa Tribune that covers newsworthy events in Highlands County.

[edit] Points of Interest

[edit] Notable Residents

[edit] References

[edit] External links