Lakeland City Map Poster

About Lakeland

Lakeland was founded by Abraham Munn, a farmer and storekeeper, in 1871. It was incorporated as Lakeland in 1883 with a population of 400. The town's name came from the many lakes located near the city, which were used to stage water-related events; however it is also said that Lakeland got its name because of "the beauty and serenity created by early morning fog hovering over nearby lakes." In the 1880s, farmers shipped citrus crops by rail to markets through Lakeland. Large groves developed in what was then called "Orange Heights". This gave rise to the city being dubbed ""The Land of Sunshine"", due to its weather patterns; however this nickname later fell out of use as local residents discovered that other cities such as Tampa received just as much sunshine but were not nearly so hot during summer months (as measured on average days per year).