POLK CONTINUES TO GROW LEAPS AND BOUNDS

While the state overall grew by 11 percent during the past five years, Polk County has astounded some by experiencing 12 percent population growth. It's the first time that Polk's growth outpaced the state at large. The county has an estimated 541,840 residents this year according to new projections from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida.

The Lakeland Ledger reports this morning that numbers outpace what the number crunchers had estimated for 2010, when the original estimates showed Polk's population at 540,900. The information is based on birth records, numbers of building permits issued, electric and phone connections and other information.

Three areas seem to be growing faster: North and south areas of Lakeland, the area southeast of Winter Haven, and the northeast area north of Haines City. A number of people seem to be moving here from other areas of the state, primarily South Florida. People from Orange, Osceola, and Lake counties have moved across the county line to escape the higher costs of living there, especially making the Four Corners area an extended suburb of Orlando as they tend to keep their jobs there.

While historically the growth in Polk County has been due to retirees relocating here, during the past decade more families have come to the area, especially causing many schools to reach or approach capacity.