38% of the population of the county lives in one of Polk's seventeen incorporated municipalities. The largest city, Lakeland, has over 112,000 residents and is located in the western edge of the county. The other core city of the metropolitan area, Winter Haven, is located in the eastern part of the county and has 34,000 residents. The county seat, Bartow, is located southeast of Lakeland and southwest of Winter Haven and has over 17,000 residents. The cities of Bartow, Lakeland, and Winter Haven form a roughly equilateral triangle pointed downward with Bartow being the south point, Lakeland the west point, and Winter Haven the east point. The other major cities in the county with a population over 10,000 include Haines City, Auburndale, and Lake Wales. Haines City is in the northeast part of the county and has over 20,000 residents. Auburndale is located northwest of Winter Haven and Lake Wales is around 16 miles east of Bartow. Cities Auburndale Bartow Davenport Eagle Lake Fort Meade Frostproof Haines City Lake Alfred Lakeland Lake Wales Mulberry Polk City Winter Haven Towns Dundee Hillcrest Heights Lake Hamilton Village Highland Park Census-designated places Alturas Babson Park Bradley Junction Combee Settlement Crooked Lake Park Crystal Lake Cypress Gardens Four Corners Fuller Heights Fussels Corner Grenelefe Highland City Homeland Inwood Jan Phyl Village Kathleen Lakeland Highlands Loughman Medulla Poinciana Wahneta Waverly Willow Oak Other unincorporated communities Gibsonia Lakeshore Mountain Lake Nalcrest Pittsburg Winston See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Polk County, Florida Notes References External links Government links/Constitutional offices Polk County Government / Board of County Commissioners official website Polk County Clerk of Courts Polk County Supervisor of Elections Polk County Property Appraiser Polk County Sheriff's Office Polk County Tax Collector Special districts Polk County Public Schools South Florida Water Management District Southwest Florida Water Management District Lake Region Lakes Management District "Canal Commission" Judicial branch Public Defender, 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida servings Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Counties Office of the State Attorney, 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida History online review of Brown, Canter, Jr. In the Midst of All That Makes Life Worth Living: Polk County, Florida, to 1940. (2001). 325 pp. online review of Brown, Canter, Jr. None Can Have Richer Memories: Polk County, Florida 1940–2000 (2005) Polk County Collection on the RICHES Mosaic Interface Miscellaneous Polk Partners, founded by the Lakeland Area Chamber of