Bartow is a
city located in the
U.S. State of
Florida in
Central Florida east of
the
Tampa Bay area. The
population was 15,340 at the 2000 census. According to
the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a
population of 16,278. It is the
county seat of
Polk County. Bartow is quickly growing with new
business and people from all over the country
re-locating to live in the quiet and quaint town. The
town of 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-however, Bartow does have the
distinction of being the second largest in geographical
area and 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 Capitol of Imperial
Polk County.
Information courtesy of
Wikipedia.org
