Lakeland : Florida

Lakeland is a city of 94,000 in central Florida, east of Tampa with Orlando to its east. Lakeland is part of the Lakeland-Winterhaven Metro and growing fast, having grown 18% from 2000 to 2008. Florida Southern College with its enrollment of just under 2,000 is located in town.  Lakeland was an important town during the Florida land boom and many of its historic structures date from that period including the Terrace Hotel, New Florida Hotel (Regency Towers), Polk Theatre, Promenade of Lake Mirror, and the former Lakeland Public Library (now the Trammel Building and home to the Chamber of Commerce.) People often mention that the downtown area is very beautiful - the folks who live in Lakeland are very positive about their community.

Picture of Lakeland skyline from Lake Mirror by Thomas R. Radzak and courtesy of Wikipedia.org

There are many active adult communities in the Lakeland - Winterhaven area. The Beacon Hill- Alta Vista residential neighborhood features historic homes.  There are frequent mentions of the areas south of town as being a particularly nice part of town, as opposed to the east side.
According to Zillow.com, the median home value in early 2017 was $139,000. The National Association of Realtors reports the median sale price to be $169,900 in the Lakeland-Winter Haven area, during the last quarter of 2016.

There are frequent festivals and many residents say there is a lively cultural scene. Its several colleges provide additional culture. Polk State College shares a campus with a regional branch of the University of South Florida. It is an easy drive to Tampa or Orlando for more serious culture.  The Detroit Tigers have spring training here and there is a minor league as well.