Lake Alfred is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was approximately 6,374 at the 2020 US census.
History
The city was established soon after the South Florida Railroad reached the area in 1883. It had a number of early names, including Fargo, Chubb and Bartow Junction.
The settlement was named Fargo by snowbirds escaping the cold of Fargo, North Dakota. They at first named the settlement after their hometown, but the United States Postal Service protested after a series of mix-ups with the town of Largo. The town then became Chubb and later Bartow Junction because it lay at the junction of a railroad leading south into the county seat Bartow.
The name Lake Alfred was adopted in 1913 and was taken from the nearest large lake, named after Alfred Parslow, who came to Florida in 1877 and obtained a charter to build the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad.
In 1917, the State of Florida established the first off-campus center for the University of Florida in Lake Alfred, the Citrus Experiment Station to study ways of improving citrus growing. Today this location is known as the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center.
Geography and climate
Lake Alfred 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 (42.84%) is water.
Lake Alfred is located in the humid subtropical zone, as designated by the (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+Lake Alfred racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|3,165
|3,177
|63.11%
|49.84%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|854
|1,027
|17.03%
|16.11%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|12
|20
|0.24%
|0.31%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|85
|122
|1.69%
|1.91%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|0
|7
|0.00%
|0.11%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|20
|41
|0.40%
|0.64%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|76
|216
|1.52%
|3.39%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|803
|1,764
|16.01%
|27.67%
|-
|Total
|5,015
|6,374
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lake Alfred had a population of 6,374. The median age was 39.3 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.
There were 2,273 households in Lake Alfred, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.8% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,514 housing units, of which 9.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.
2000 census
As of the census
Railroads played a role in the development in the history of the Lake Alfred. The city is currently served by the CSX Carters Subdivision, which was previously part of the Main Line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Amtrak uses the line but does not stop in the city. At one time the city served as the junction of the ACL Bartow Branch.
Airports
Two airports serve Lake Alfred, both of which are located in Winter Haven, west of the city. The Winter Haven Regional Airport along US 92 and the adjacent Jack Browns Seaplane Base located on the northeast shores of Lake Jessie.
Government and infrastructure
The Florida Department of Citrus has its department of scientific research in Lake Alfred.
Lake Alfred Public Library
Lake Alfred Public Library was started in 1962 by the Junior Women's Club. It was housed in the Dees Building on West Haines Blvd. The library is part of the Polk County Library cooperative. The library offers wireless printing, technology classes, print and e-books, WiFi, and children's programming The library is located at 245 N. Seminole Ave. Lake Alfred, Florida 33850.
Gallery
<gallery widths="220px" heights="170px" class="center" >
File:Mackay Estate Lake Alfred Florida.JPG|Mansion at Mackay Gardens & Lakeside Preserve
File:Lake Alfred library.JPG|Lake Alfred Public Library
File:Lake Rochelle boat ramp LakeAlfredFL.JPG|Lake Rochelle boat ramp
File:Lake Alfred (FL) Historical Society.jpg|Lake Alfred Historical Society
</gallery>
Notable people
- Dawayne Bryan, racing driver
- Ahmed Johnson, professional wrestler
- Manisha Singh, attorney and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
References
External links
- City of Lake Alfred official site