The city was the location of the now defunct Lakeland Amusement Park. The city was originally themed around the Lake now called Garner Lake. It had two railroads within the park property, including the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge[5] Huff 'n' Puff Railroad and a separate 16 in (406 mm) miniature railway[6][7] railroad made by the Allan Herschell Company.
First Amendment Lawsuit
In June 2024, Lakeland resident and US Navy veteran Julie Pereira sued the city of Lakeland for violating her First Amendment rights when it fined Pereira hundreds of dollars for violating the city's regulation against obscene content on signs, after she displayed a political sign in her yard that read 'Fuck Em' Both 2024', referring to 2024 US presidential election candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump.[8][9] In July 2024, US District Judge Mark Norris ruled that Pereira's sign was not obscene and that it was unconstitutional for the city to regulate political points of view, citing as precedent the 1971 decision by the US Supreme Court in the case of Cohen v. California, and ordered the city to reimburse Pereira nearly $700 in fines and to pay her $31,000 in legal fees and $1 in damages.[8][9]
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 13,904 people, 4,148 households, and 3,322 families residing in the city.
2000 census
Current population from the 2010 census is 12,430. At the 2000 census there were 6,862 people, 2,748 households, and 2,025 families living in the city. The population density was 389.5 inhabitants per square mile (150.4/km2). There were 2,904 housing units at an average density of 164.8 units per square mile (63.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.56% White, 5.22% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.78% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47%.[3]
Of the 2,748 households 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.0% of households were one person and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.94.
The age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 37.2% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median household income was $58,897 and the median family income was $64,444. Males had a median income of $46,750 versus $32,366 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,956. About 2.2% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
NOTE: Students in grade 12 living in Lakeland are zoned attend Arlington High School through an inter-local agreement with Arlington Community Schools.[13]
