Auburndale is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,032 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 12,381.^[6] It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Auburndale was founded in 1880 by Frank Fuller, who was seeking refuge from chilly winters in the Northeast United States.^[7] The place was originally named Sanatoria, from a hotel located there. When the railroad arrived in the 1880s, the town was renamed Auburndale at the suggestion of settlers from Auburndale, Massachusetts.^[8] The New England town had been named from the opening line of the poem "The Deserted Village" by Oliver Goldsmith.^[9] Early on, the city became a chosen destination for a number of America's most prominent artists.^[7]

Auburndale is located at 28°04′01″N 81°47′43″W ^[23] .^[10] The city is located 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Tampa^[11] and 59 miles (95 km) southwest of Orlando.^[11] Auburndale is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills.^[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24 km2), of which 5.2 square miles (13 km2) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km2) (43.87%) is water.

Auburndale is located in the humid subtropical zone, as designated by (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).^[13]

The city commission is made up of five commissioners elected from single-member districts. The mayor is elected from the commissioners by the voters.^[14] The city budget is $27 million.^[14]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 11,032 people, 4,119 households, and 3,002 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,113.5 inhabitants per square mile (816.0/km²). There were 4,547 housing units at an average density of 871.1 per square mile (336.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.13% White, 12.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.46% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.10% of the population.

There were 4,119 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,184, and the median income for a family was $36,303. Males had a median income of $30,468 versus $21,232 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,510. About 13.4% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

In 2010 Auburndale had a population of 13,507. There were 4,933 households with 99.1% of the population living in households. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 71.7% non-Hispanic white, 12.8% black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian Indian, 0.2% Chinese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.1% other Asian, 0.1% non-Hispanic reporting some other race, 2.2% from two or more races and 13.1% Hispanic or Latino. The largest number of Hispanics, at 7.1% were Mexicans, with 3.2% of the population being Puerto Ricans, 0.7% being Cubans and the remaining 2.1% being classified as "other Hispanic".^[16]

The important freeways and highways in the Auburndale area are:

Auburndale is served by Winter Haven Area Transit's #12 & #50 routes.^[17]

Auburndale is part of the Tampa/St. Pete television market, the 13th largest in the country and part of the local Lakeland/Winter Haven radio market, which is the 94th largest in the country.^[18][19]

The public schools in Auburndale are operated by the Polk County School Board. There are five elementary schools, Berkley Elementary (a charter school ), Auburndale Central Elementary, Lena Vista Elementary, Boswell Elementary and Caldwell Elementary, which feed into Stambaugh Middle School. Students from Berkley Elementary are admitted into Berkley Accelerated Middle School (another charter school), while other students wishing to apply are put on a waiting list. Auburndale High School and PPCA are the only high schools in Auburndale, although nearby Tenoroc High School serves students in both Auburndale and Lakeland.

Southern Technical College operates a campus in Auburndale.