kids encyclopedia robot

Lake County, Florida facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Lake County
Old Lake County Courthouse
Old Lake County Courthouse
Flag of Lake County
Flag
Official seal of Lake County
Seal
Official logo of Lake County
Logo
Map of Florida highlighting Lake County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Florida
Founded May 27, 1887
Seat Tavares
Largest city Clermont
Area
 • Total 1,157 sq mi (3,000 km2)
 • Land 938 sq mi (2,430 km2)
 • Water 219 sq mi (570 km2)  18.9%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
367,118
 • Density 369/sq mi (142/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 6th, 11th, 15th

Lake County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 297,052. Its county seat is Tavares, and its largest city is Clermont. Lake County is included in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Lake County was created in 1887 from portions of Sumter and Orange counties. It was named for the many lakes contained within its borders (250 named lakes and 1,735 other bodies of water).

During the Great Depression, citrus became the leading industry in Lake County.

American heavy metal guitarist Randy Rhoads was killed in a plane crash in Leesburg on Friday March 19, 1982. Rhoads had played in the then nascent Ozzy Osbourne solo band following his tenure in Quiet Riot.

On February 2, 2007, a series of early morning tornadoes killed 21 people in the area. Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,157 square miles (3,000 km2), of which 938 square miles (2,430 km2) is land and 219 square miles (570 km2) (18.9%) is water.

Sugarloaf Mountain is the highest point in peninsular Florida, at 312 feet (95 m) above sea level.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 8,034
1900 7,467 −7.1%
1910 9,509 27.3%
1920 12,744 34.0%
1930 23,161 81.7%
1940 27,255 17.7%
1950 36,340 33.3%
1960 57,383 57.9%
1970 69,305 20.8%
1980 104,870 51.3%
1990 152,104 45.0%
2000 210,528 38.4%
2010 297,052 41.1%
2020 383,956 29.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2019

As of the census of 2010, there were 297,047 people and 130,190 households residing in the county. The population density was 316.6 people per square mile (122.2/km2). There were 163,586 housing units at an average density of 174.3 per square mile (67.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.4% White (68.7% non-Hispanic White), 11.5% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 2.1% from two or more races. 16.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 88,413 households, out of which 23.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.30% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 26.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,903, and the median income for a family was $42,577. Males had a median income of $31,475 versus $23,545 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,199. About 6.90% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.80% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Aviation

The Tavares Seaplane Base is a city-owned, public-use seaplane base on Lake Dora in Tavares.

Tavares Marina
Panorama of the Tavares Seaplane Base & Marina on Lake Dora

The Leesburg International Airport is a former Army Airfield and municipal airport along Lake Harris east of downtown Leesburg, Florida.

Mid Florida Air Service Airport is on State Road 44 east of Eustis.

  • Umatilla Municipal Airport

Major highways

  • Florida's Turnpike shield.svg Florida's Turnpike runs north and south from Southeastern and Central Florida. Four interchanges exist in the county; Hancock Road (Exit 278), US 27/SR 19 (Exit 285), southbound US 27 (Exit 289) and County Road 470 (Exit 296).
  • US 27.svg US 27 is the main local road through western Lake County, running south to north. It spans from Four Corners to The Villages.
  • US 441.svg US 441 is another south to north US highway running through Mount Dora from Orange County around Lake Dora, where it merges with SR 44, has a wrong-way concurrency with SR 19 in Tavares, and lets go of SR 44 in Leesburg only to join US 27 as they both head into Marion County.
  • Florida 19.svg SR 19 is a mostly scenic north and south road from SR 50 in Groveland through Tavares, Eustis, and Ocala National Forest.
  • Florida 33.svg SR 33 is the north–south road from Lakeland in Polk County to Groveland. A county extension exists as a hidden route along SR 50 to Mascotte, where it becomes an exposed county road leading to US 27 in Okahumpka.
  • Florida 40.svg SR 40 is the northernmost east–west route in Lake County, and runs through Ocala National Forest.
  • Florida 44.svg SR 44 runs east and west through Central Lake County from west of Leesburg where it joins southbound US 441 until it breaks away near Mount Dora and heads northeast into Volusia County.
  • Florida 46.svg SR 46 starts at an interchange with US 441 and County Road 46 in Mount Dora and through Sorrento and Mount Plymouth along the northern border of Orange County.
  • Florida 50.svg SR 50 is the main east–west road through southern Lake County.

Public transportation

LakeXpress is the public transportation agency that serves the Lake County, Florida area since 2007.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Education

There are a number of public schools in the county.

Colleges

The following colleges are in the county:

  • Lake-Sumter State College
  • Beacon College
  • Southern Technical College
  • Lake Technical College

Notable people

  • Flora Call and Elias Disney were married January 1, 1888, in the Lake County town of Kismet. They were the parents of Walt Disney.
    • Willis V. McCall, sheriff of Lake County, who shot one and wounded another of the Groveland Four while they were in his custody
  • Randy Rhoads, American heavy metal guitarist, killed in a plane crash in Leesburg on March 19, 1982. Played in the Ozzy Osbourne solo band following his tenure in Quiet Riot.
  • Ginger Minj, drag queen; best known for being a runner-up on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race and competing on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Lake (Florida) para niños

kids search engine
Lake County, Florida Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.