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Population

As of the 2017, census the population for the Sebring area/Highlands County was 102,883.

Land Area

The Sebring area, which includes all of Highlands County, comprises an area of 1,106 square miles.

Weather

Sebring’s climate is a humid, subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters. Unlike most places with a similar climate classification, Sebring’s rainfall is clearly seasonal, with about 57% of the total rainfall occurring in June–September.

History

Founded in 1912, Sebring was named after George E. Sebring, a pottery manufacturer from Ohio who developed the city. He had a circular plan as the focal point for the city.  It was chartered by the state of Florida in 1913 and was selected as the county seat of Highlands County when the county was created in 1921. The village of Sebring, Ohio is also named for George E. Sebring (1859-1927) and his family.

Avon Park is the oldest city in the area and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. The first permanent settler in Avon Park was Oliver Martin Crosby, a Connecticut native who moved to the area in 1884 to study the wildlife of the Everglades. By 1886, enough people had followed that the town of “Lake Forest” was founded. As president of the Florida Development Company, Crosby recruited settlers to the area, many of whom were from England, including many from the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, who gave the town its name.

Lake Placid has two nicknames: “Town of Murals” & “Caladium Capital of the World.”  The town has nearly 50 murals painted on buildings throughout the downtown, and 98 percent of the world’s caladium bulbs come from Lake Placid. Originally called “Lake Stearns”, it was chartered in 1925. Dr. Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System and the founder of the Lake Placid Club in Lake Placid, NY proposed that Lake Stearns change its name to “Lake Placid.”  In 1927, the community was chartered as the town of Lake Placid.

Taxes

7.5% sales tax; 5% hotel tax

Hotel Rooms

About 1,000

Travel to Sebring

• By Car – Sebring is just 2-3 hour drive from most major Florida cities (Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Palm Beach, Miami)
• By Plane – Four airports within 100 miles of Sebring (Orlando, Tampa, Southwest Florida & Sarasota/Bradenton)
• By Train – Amtrak has a station in Sebring (SBG)
• By Bus – Greyhound has a station in Sebring

Sebring International Raceway

Sebring is known as the birthplace of American endurance auto racing.  It’s home to the Sebring International Speedway and its famous 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. The Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating racetracks in the U.S., its first race being run in 1950.

Highlands Hammock State Park

A 9,000-acre park that opened in 1931, four years before the Florida state park system was created. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and home to the Civilian Conservation Corps Florida Museum.

South Florida State College

A public college in Florida with its main campus in Highlands County.  It is part of the Florida College System. South Florida State College was founded in 1965 and serves around 16,000 students/year.

Citrus Golf Trail

A collection of nearly 10 golf courses, many of them with citrus groves around them, that have been dubbed the Value Golf Capital of America.  Many of them designed by well-known golf architects such as Donald Ross, Don Dyer and Ron Garl.

Agritourism/Culinary

Despite its small size, the Sebring area boasts a surprising variety of dining options and unique gastronomic offerings such as Sugar Sand Distillery, Secret Gardens Winery, Maxwell Groves and the Sebring Soda & Ice Cream Works. It is also home to the Hookiemelt, a unique local dish served at Jaxson’s.