Lakeland, city, Polk County, central Florida, in the highland region; incorporated 1885. It is an important citrus-raising and phosphate-mining center. Florida Southern College (1885) here has many buildings designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Lakeland was settled in the 1860s and is named for its many lakes. Population 47,406 (1980); 70,576 (1990); 78,452 (2000).
