Avon Park, Florida

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. 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 in England, who gave the town its name.

In 2006, then-mayor Thomas Macklin proposed City Ordinance 08-06, which 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. The ordinance was defeated by the city council, on a 3–2 vote.

Geography

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

Demographics

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 per square mile (710.8/km²). There were 3,916 housing units at an average density of 844.4 per square mile(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 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.

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.

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

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 December 2013 the mayor is Sharon Schuler and the City Manager is Julian DeLeon. The city also provides fire protection, utilities, and sanitation service to its residents. The City's police and Sheriff work jointly to provide law enforcement.

Transportation

Avon Park Executive Airport is a public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) 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

Colleges

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 WFHT/1390 (Lounge), WAPQ-LP/95.9 (Religious), WWOJ/99.1 (Country) "OJ99.1" & WWMA-LP/107.9 (Religious).

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.

Points of interest

Notable people

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Avon Park has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.