Davenport, Florida

Davenport is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,043 at the 2020 Census. The city's population has increased dramatically since the 2010 Census, when the population was 2,888.

History

The settlement in the area now known as Davenport was established in 1838 when the US military set up Fort Davenport during the Second Seminole War, about 12 miles north of the present site of Davenport. The fort was one of a number built at 20 mile intervals along a trail from Fort Brooke to Fort Mellon. The fort only lasted a few years. The fort was named for Colonel William Davenport, who served as the local U.S. commander in the war. There is no known documentary evidence to support an alternative claim that the city was named for a railroad conductor.

The modern city of Davenport had its start in the 1880s when the South Florida Railroad was extended to that point. The settlement was first known as Horse Creek, for the creek first recorded on a US Army survey of 1849 which flows past the site to enter Snell Creek and eventually Lake Hatchineha in the Kissimmee River system. A post office was established at Horse Creek in 1884, and the name of the post office was changed to Davenport in 1886. Davenport was incorporated in 1915.

Geography and climate

Davenport 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 (3.68%) is water.

The exact coordinates for the city are located at .

Davenport is located in the humid subtropical zone, as designated by (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable"

|+Davenport racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>

!Race

!Pop 2010

!Pop 2020

!% 2010

!% 2020

|White (NH)

|1,692

|2,857

|58.59%

|31.59%

|Black or African American (NH)

|296

|1,096

|10.25%

|12.12%

|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)

|28

|0.24%

|0.31%

|Asian (NH)

|28

|173

|0.97%

|1.91%

|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)

|0.00%

|0.02%

|Some other race (NH)

|80

|0.17%

|0.88%

|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)

|29

|309

|1.00%

|3.42%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|831

|4,498

|28.77%

|49.74%

|Total

|2,888

|9,043

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Davenport had a population of 9,043. The median age was 35.0 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over.

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,956 households in Davenport, of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.0% were married-couple households, 13.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,888 people, 953 households, and 687 families residing in the city.