Lakeland is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a part of the Memphis metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Lakeland had a population of 13,904.
History
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 narrow-gauge Huff 'n' Puff Railroad and a separate miniature railway 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. 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.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lakeland had a population of 13,904. The median age was 40.2 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over.
There were 4,904 households in Lakeland, of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 65.5% were married-couple households, 11.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
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| White || 10,306 || 74.1%
|-
| Black or African American || 1,384 || 10.0%
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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 34 || 0.2%
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| Asian || 774 || 5.6%
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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 384 || 2.8%
|-
| Two or more races || 1,018 || 7.3%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 976 || 7.0%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 12,430 people living in Lakeland.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 6,862 people, 2,748 households, and 2,025 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,904 housing units at an average density of . 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%.