Highlands County, Florida

Highlands County is a county in Florida, United States, on the Lake Wales Ridge in the state’s Heartland region between the Kissimmee River and the Peace River watershed. It had a population of 101,235 at the 2020 census and covers 1,017 square miles (2,630 km2) centred near 27°34′N 81°34′W.

Sebring is the county seat, and its postal code is 33870. The county has three incorporated municipalities — two cities and one town — alongside several census-designated places and dozens of unincorporated communities and mobile-home parks along the ridge lakes. Highlands County is in the Eastern time zone.

Towns & Villages in Highlands County

Highlands County has 3 incorporated municipalities and roughly 80 additional unincorporated communities and residential parks, most of them lakefront mobile-home developments strung along the Lake Wales Ridge between Avon Park and Lake Placid. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community or private residential/mobile-home park with no municipal government.

Two names in the old directory could not be independently confirmed as distinct places and are omitted here: "Oakridge MH Park" appears to duplicate the "Oak Ridge MH Park" entry above, and "Negrotown Knoll" carries a since-retired place name with no current corroborating source, so it is not republished.

ZIP Codes

• 33870, 33872, 33875, 33876 — Sebring (also serves Buttonwood Bay, Spring Lake and the lakefront parks east and south of the city)
• 33825, 33826 — Avon Park (also serves Avon Park Lakes, Fort Basinger, Istokpoga and De Soto City)
• 33852, 33862 — Lake Placid (also serves Placid Lakes, Sylvan Shores, Archbold and most of the lake-district mobile-home parks)
• 33857 — Lorida
• 33960 — Venus

The small rural place names in the western part of the county (Alpine, Hicoria, Kuhlman, Cornwell, Childs, Marland) sit along US 27/98 without their own post offices and are served by Sebring or Avon Park addresses.

Geography

Highlands County sits on the Lake Wales Ridge, a spine of ancient sand dunes running down the Florida peninsula, dotted with dozens of clear lakes formed in sinkholes along the ridge. Lake Istokpoga, the county’s largest lake at roughly 27,700 acres, drains east into the Kissimmee River; the Peace River rises in the county’s northwest corner. Scrub habitat on the ridge, including land at Archbold Biological Station and Highlands Hammock State Park, is home to several federally listed plant and animal species found almost nowhere else.

Highlands County borders Polk County to the north, Osceola County to the northeast, Okeechobee County to the east, Glades County to the south, Charlotte County to the southwest, and DeSoto and Hardee County to the west.

Demographics

The county had a population of 101,235 at the 2020 census, up from 98,786 in 2010. Sebring (10,761) and Avon Park (9,822) are the two largest communities; most residents live outside either city, in unincorporated lakefront subdivisions and mobile-home parks. Median household income runs below the Florida median of $73,311, reflecting the county’s large retiree population and agricultural workforce. Population density is about 100 people per square mile.

Economy & Local Life

Healthcare is the county’s largest employer, led by AdventHealth Sebring, followed by retail, government and citrus and cattle agriculture, which remains significant on the ridge and in the eastern flatwoods. Sebring International Raceway, home of the annual 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race each March, draws tens of thousands of visitors and is the county’s best-known event. The county has long drawn seasonal and retiree residents, contributing to one of the oldest median ages of any county in the United States.

History

Highlands County was created on April 23, 1921, from the eastern portion of DeSoto County, and takes its name from the ridge terrain that distinguishes it from the flat land to either side. Sebring, founded in 1911 by Ohio industrialist George E. Sebring as a planned town centered on a circular park, became the county seat. The county’s Sebring International Raceway opened in 1950 on a former World War II Army airfield and has hosted the 12 Hours of Sebring sports car race every year since, making it one of the oldest continuously run auto races in the country.

Getting There

US Highway 27 runs north–south through the county connecting Sebring and Avon Park to Lake Wales and Clewiston; US 98 crosses east–west through Avon Park; State Roads 17, 64, 66 and 70 provide additional local connections.

• Lake Wales — 20 miles north
• Wauchula — 20 miles west
• Okeechobee — 30 miles east
• Winter Haven — 40 miles north

Sebring Regional Airport and Avon Park Executive Airport both handle general aviation; the nearest commercial airport is Orlando International, about 90 miles north.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Highlands County, Florida?
It is in Florida’s Heartland region, on the Lake Wales Ridge between the Kissimmee River and the Peace River, roughly midway down the peninsula.

What is the population of Highlands County?
101,235 people, according to the 2020 census.

How big is Highlands County?
1,017 square miles (2,630 km2) of land.

What is the county seat of Highlands County?
Sebring is the county seat.

How many towns and communities are in Highlands County?
Three incorporated municipalities — Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid — plus dozens of unincorporated communities and mobile-home parks along the ridge lakes.

What ZIP codes are in Highlands County?
Sebring uses 33870, 33872, 33875 and 33876; Avon Park uses 33825 and 33826; Lake Placid uses 33852 and 33862; Lorida is 33857 and Venus is 33960.

What is Highlands County known for?
The annual 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race at Sebring International Raceway, held every March since 1950.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.