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Frostproof, Florida

Frostproof, Florida
City
Frostproof High School01.jpg
Official logo of Frostproof, Florida
Logo
Motto: "The Friendly City "
Location in Polk County and the state of Florida
Location in Polk County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°45′N 81°32′W / 27.750°N 81.533°W / 27.750; -81.533Coordinates: 27°45′N 81°32′W / 27.750°N 81.533°W / 27.750; -81.533
Country United States
State Florida
County Polk
Government
 • Mayor Rodney D. Cannon
 • Vice Mayor Ralph Waters
 • City Manager Tenny Croley
Area
 • Total 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
 • Land 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 112 ft (34 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 2,975
 • Density 1,190/sq mi (464.8/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 33843
Area code(s) 863
FIPS code 12-24900
GNIS feature ID 0282842
Website Frostproof Government Website

Frostproof is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The city is located in southern Polk County on the Lake Wales Ridge. The population was 2,975 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 2,954. It is part of the LakelandWinter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The first white settlement in the area now known as Frostproof was established in 1850. This settlement, like many in central Florida at the time, was set up as a fort and was called Fort Clinch. This settlement was abandoned only months later. By the 1880s, Frostproof began to see its first permanent settlers as homesteaders were attracted to the abundant hunting in the area which included much deer and turkey, as well as ample fishing.

The name was a marketing ploy to convince potential landowners that the town has never had, and never would have, a frost that could destroy the large citrus-driven economy. However, only a couple of years later, a frost killed most of the citrus in Frostproof. Prior to being named Frostproof, the town was named Keystone City. However, after being confused regularly with Keystone Heights, a city in North Florida, Frostproof was coined.

W.H. Overocker applied for the first post office here in 1892, with a name of Keystone City. Postal authorities disallowed it because there was already a Keystone Heights in Florida. Joseph Washington Carson suggested Frostproof as a substitute, but Overocker instead chose Lakemont. Carson's choice of Frostproof was based on the town's relatively minor damage from the freeze in December 1894 which ruined much of the state's citrus crop.

Carson volunteered to deliver the application to the post office in Fort Meade, and on the way changed the name from Lakemont to Frostproof, which was approved. Overocker, to his surprise, was appointed the postmaster of Frostproof. The early post office was located on the corner of Wall St. and Carson Ave. After many delays, Frostproof first received rail service in 1912.

Frostproof is located between two lakes: Lake Clinch and Lake Reedy. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), all land. Frostproof is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills.


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