Avon Park, Florida

Avon Park is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,658, up from 8,836 at the 2010 census but down from the 2018 estimated population of 10,695. It is part of the Sebring, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the oldest city in Highlands County, and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

History
The first permanent white 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. As president of the Florida Development Company, he recruited settlers to the area, many of whom were from England, including many from the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, who gave the town its name.

In 2006, then-mayor Thomas Macklin (Republican) proposed City Ordinance 08-06, which would have blocked the issuance or renewal of city licenses to businesses that hired undocumented aliens, fined any property owner who rented and leased property to undocumented 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. The ordinance was defeated by the city council, on a 3–2 vote.

Geography
Avon Park is located in northwestern Highlands County at 27.59444°N, -81.50333°W (27.594418, –81.503437). 27/98 is the main highway through the city, leading north 23 mi to Lake Wales and south 10 mi to Sebring. Florida State Road 17 (Main Street) leads east through the center of Avon Park, then south 10 miles to the center of Sebring. Florida State Road 64 leads west from Avon Park 19 mi to Zolfo Springs.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Avon Park has a total area of 21.2 sqkm, of which 18.5 sqkm are land and 2.6 sqkm, or 12.43%, are water.

The city is located in a karst landscape underlain by the limestone Florida Platform, and numerous circular lakes are either within the city limits (Lake Tulane, Lake Verona, and Lake Isis) or border the city (Lake Anoka, Lake Lelia, Lake Glenada, Lake Lotela, Lake Denton, Little Red Water Lake, Pioneer Lake, Lake Brentwood, Lake Byrd, Lake Damon, and Lake Lillian).

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and warm winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Avon Park has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,658 people, 3,787 households, and 2,420 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 8,836 people, 3,146 households, and 2,146 families residing in the city.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 8,542 people, 3,218 households and 2,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,841.8 PD/sqmi. There were 3,916 housing units at an average density of 844.4 /sqmi. 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.

In 2000, there were 3,218 households, 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 2000, age distribution was 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.

In 2000, the median household income was $23,576, and the median family income 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.

Government
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. The current Mayor is Garrett Anderson, and the City Manager is Mark C. Schrader. The city provides fire protection, utilities, and sanitation service to its residents. The city's police and the county sheriff work jointly to provide law enforcement.

Transportation
Avon Park Executive Airport is a public-use airport located 2 mi west of the central business district.

Public schools

 * Avon Elementary School
 * Park Elementary School
 * Memorial Elementary School
 * Avon Park Middle School
 * Avon Park High School

Private schools

 * Walker Memorial Academy
 * Central Florida Academy
 * Parkview Pre-K LLC
 * Community Christian Academy
 * Cornerstone Christian Academy

Colleges

 * South Florida State College

Television
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.

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

Newspapers
Local print media includes the News-Sun, a newspaper published on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Highlands Today, a daily local supplement to The Tampa Tribune that covered events in Highlands County, was bought by and merged into The Highlands News Sun in 2016.

Points of interest

 * Avon Park Air Force Range
 * Avon Park Historic District
 * Lake Adelaide
 * Lake Isis
 * Lake Tulane
 * Lake Verona

Notable people

 * Red Causey (1893–1960) – MLB player
 * Eric Cheape (1885–1973) – college football player
 * Derrick Crawford (born 1979) – NFL player
 * Nick Gordon (born 1995) – MLB player
 * Tom Gordon (born 1967) – MLB player and sports commentator
 * Dee Hart (born 1992) – NFL player
 * Hal McRae (born 1945) – MLB player and manager
 * Conrad Moehlman (1879–1961) – Baptist author and emeritus professor of church history
 * Bernice Mosby (born 1984) – WNBA and WKBL basketball player
 * Deanie Parrish (1922–2022) – U.S. Army Air Force aviator for WASP during World War II
 * Charles Pringle (born 1931) – politician
 * Howard Skipper (1915–2006) – U.S. Army Chemical Corps researcher and oncologist
 * Dee Strange-Gordon (born 1988) – MLB player
 * Leslie Wolfsberger (born 1959) – Olympic gymnast