Lakeland, FL

We took a drive to Lakeland, FL to look at some new furniture for the RV.  Lakeland is located in Polk County and is aproximately midway between Tampa and Orlando on I-4.  The population is 94,406 with a median income of $16,119 and a median age of 40.  The Lakeland area has been inhabited since the end of the last iceage.  Native Americans have lived and thrived in this area during that time until the Spanish Conquistadors cane through the area in the mid 1500s.  With the spanish influences and diseases the Native Americans were wiped out within a 150 years.  Lakeland was first settled in the 1870s and began developing into a town.  The railroad came through the area in 1884 when the town started to flourish.  In 1882 Abraham Munn (from Louisville, Kentucky) purchased 80 acres which is now downtown Lakeland and plotted the land to build a city.  Among the names being considered for the town was Munnville, Red Bug and Rome City but Lakeland was decided on due to several bodies of water that were all around the area.  In April 1898 the Spanish- American  began which started a crucial part of the Lakeland developement.  The war ended quickly and had little impact on the U.S. but for Lakeland it continued to grow due to the housing of 9,000 troops during this time.  That was the first growth "boom" for Lakeland.  The second came in the 1920s when several "historical" buildings (now) were built.  The Cleveland Indians made Lakeland their Spring Training camp from 1923 to 1927.  Then in 1934 the Detroit Tigers made it their home for Spring Training and it is still here today.  Lakes are the dominant feature of Lakeland with 38 named lakes and several more bodies of water that still remain unnamed.  The economy of Lakeland is citrus, cattle and phosphate mining. It is also headquarters to Publix Supermarkets that have over 1000 stores across the southeast.  Publix is the biggest employer in Lakeland.
After looking at some furniture stores in Lakeland we ended up at Sam's Club where we purchased two dark brown leather chairs with ottomans for the RV.  We have changed from white leather furniture to dark brown.  It makes the RV look richer inside and the brown leather will be much easier to keep clean.  White leather shows everything!  We love the chairs and they are so comfortable and were very affordable!  We have accomplished quite a bit since we arrived in Wauchula.  The truck was finished getting repaired, we sold the items we no longer needed which allowed us to get our new furniture.  We purchased bikes and we reorganized the entire RV, inside and out!  I guess that just leaves us time to really enjoy the last few days here at Peace River.