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Bartow, Florida - population 15,313 (as of 2000) - lies between Tampa and Orlando just south of Lakeland on State Road 60. The Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce also has this to say about its city:
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"The City of Bartow began as Fort Blount in 1851 as a refuge from the Seminole Indians. The first permanent white settlers came to the area in 1850. In 1861, the first Board of Polk County Commissioners was organized. During the early months of 1867, with full approval of the settlers, the County Commissioners made the decision that the seat of government for Polk County would be known as Bartow, named in honor of the first confederate general to fall in the Civil War. The area is one of the largest phosphate producing industrial complexes in the world. Polk County produces more citrus than the State of California, and Bartow has large herds of range, registered beef, and dairy cattle."
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"There are 37 churches representing most denominations. The annual mean temperature is 72.2 degrees. Average rainfall is 45 inches per year. The sun shines 72 percent of the daylight hours throughout the year. Average elevation is 115 feet above sea level. A number of major food chains are represented as well as locally owned establishments. There are five main shopping areas: Bartow Center, Downtown, Golden Gate Shopping Center, Wal-Mart Shopping Plaza, and Bartow Village."
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| "My parents' street at high noon" |
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| "A cow pasture without cows" |
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| "Oak tree covered with Spanish moss" |
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| "Me in front of Bartow sign" |
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| "Peace Creek" |
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| "Sunset over orange groves" |
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| "Trailer Park" |
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| "Highway 60 out of and into Bartow" |
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| "A barn in Bartow" |
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