Auburndale was founded in 1880 by Frank Fuller, who was seeking refuge from chilly winters in the Northeast United States. The place was originally named Sanatoria, from a hotel located there. When the railroad arrived in the 1880s, the town was renamed Auburndale at the suggestion of settlers from Auburndale, Massachusetts. The New England town had been named from the opening line of the poem "The Deserted Village" by Oliver Goldsmith. Early on, the city became a chosen destination for a number of America's most prominent artists.
Geography and climate
Auburndale is located at. The city is located northeast of Tampa and southwest of Orlando. Auburndale is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Auburndale is located in the humid subtropical zone, as designated by.
Government
The city commission is made up of five commissioners elected from single-member districts. The mayor is elected from the commissioners by the voters. The city budget is $27 million.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,032 people, 4,119 households, and 3,002 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,113.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 4,547 housing units at an average density of 871.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 81.13% White, 12.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.46% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.10% of the population. There were 4,119 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,184, and the median income for a family was $36,303. Males had a median income of $30,468 versus $21,232 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,510. About 13.4% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. In 2010 Auburndale had a population of 13,507. There were 4,933 households with 99.1% of the population living in households. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 71.7% non-Hispanic white, 12.8% black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian Indian, 0.2% Chinese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.1% other Asian, 0.1% non-Hispanic reporting some other race, 2.2% from two or more races and 13.1% Hispanic or Latino. The largest number of Hispanics, at 7.1% were Mexicans, with 3.2% of the population being Puerto Ricans, 0.7% being Cubans and the remaining 2.1% being classified as "other Hispanic".
Transportation
The important freeways and highways in the Auburndale area are:
Interstate 4 - Just north of town, this is the main interstate highway in central Florida, leading westward to Lakeland and Tampa, and eastward to Orlando and Daytona Beach.
SR 570 - This toll road provides Auburndale with quick access to I-4 to the north, and leads westward to southern Lakeland.
US 92 - This divided highway leads westward to Lakeland and eastward to Lake Alfred.
SR 544 - Traverses from eastern Auburndale to Winter Haven, hence its name Havendale Boulevard.
Auburndale is served by Winter Haven Area Transit's #12 & #50 routes.
Media
Auburndale is part of the Tampa/St. Pete television market, the 13th largest in the country and part of the local Lakeland/Winter Haven radio market, which is the 94th largest in the country.
Library
The Auburndale Public Library is a member of the Polk County Library Cooperative. The library is located at 100 West Bridgers Avenue Auburndale, Florida 33823. The library offers a number of services to all Polk County Residents, including 24/7 card catalog access.
Education
The public schools in Auburndale are operated by the Polk County School Board. There are five elementary schools, Berkley Elementary, Auburndale Central Elementary, Lena Vista Elementary, Boswell Elementary and Caldwell Elementary, which feed into Stambaugh Middle School. Students from Berkley Elementary are admitted into Berkley Accelerated Middle School, while other students wishing to apply are put on a waiting list. Auburndale High School and PPCA are the only high schools in Auburndale, although nearby Tenoroc High School serves students in both Auburndale and Lakeland. Southern Technical College operates a campus in Auburndale.
