Map of Lake Wales city

Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. The population was 14,225 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,759. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Wales is located in central Florida, west of Lake Kissimmee and east of Tampa.

Lake Wales city overview:
Name:	Lake Wales city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Florida
County:	Polk County
Elevation:	128 ft (39 m)
Total Area:	20.12 sq mi (52.10 km²)
Land Area:	18.84 sq mi (48.81 km²)
Water Area:	1.27 sq mi (3.30 km²)
Total Population:	16,361
Population Density:	868.19/sq mi (335.22/km²)
ZIP code:	33800-33898
Area code:	863
FIPS code:	1238950
GNISfeature ID:	2404869

Online Interactive Map

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Lake Wales online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Lake Wales location map. Where is Lake Wales city?

Lake Wales location on the U.S. Map. Where is Lake Wales city. — Lake Wales location on the U.S. Map.

Lake Wales location on the Florida map. Where is Lake Wales city. — Location of Lake Wales in Florida.

History

The land around the present city was surveyed in 1879 by Sidney Irving Wailes, who changed the name of a lake, then known as Watts Lake, to Lake Wailes.

The city of Lake Wales was established near the lake in 1911–1912, planned by the Lake Wales Land Company. The spelling Wales was used for the city, although the lake is still generally spelled Lake Wailes. Allen Carleton Nydegger, a Civil Engineer, was contracted by the Lake Wales Land Company to plot out the community of Lake Wales. He and his crew camped on the shores of Crystal Lake and spent months plotting out the new community. In 1925 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built a new line from Haines City joining lines to Everglades City. A depot was opened on this line at Lake Wales. The City of Lake Wales was officially incorporated in April 1917.

In 2004, Lake Wales endured the effects of three hurricanes which came through the area: Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne. The three hurricanes brought hurricane-force winds to the Lake Wales area within a space of 44 days. In 2017, Hurricane Irma brought more hurricane-force winds to Lake Wales.

Lake Wales Road Map

Lake Wales city Satellite Map

Geography

The town lies near the geographical center of the Florida peninsula. Lake Wales is located on the Lake Wales Ridge, a sandy upland area running roughly parallel to both coasts in the center of the peninsula. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36 km), of which 13.4 square miles (35 km) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km) (4.71%) is water.

Lake Wales is located in the humid subtropical zone of the (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). In 2004, the eyes of Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, and Hurricane Jeanne all passed near the town. Virtually all physical damage has been restored.

Climate

Wildlife and environmental lands

Grassy Lake Preserve is a 185 acres (0.75 km) preserve located behind Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School. Grassy Lake is primarily made up of Lake Wales Ridge scrub land.