Avon Park: Then and Now

Avon Park is one of the oldest cities of Highlands County.  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 of "Lake Forest" was incorporated.  An English woman who had settled in the area convinced Crosby that the area was reminiscent of her home of Stratford-upon-Avon, and persuaded him to change the name of the settlement to Avon Park.  The City of Avon Park was incorporated in 1926.

The City of Avon Park operates under a Council-Manager form of government, with a City Manager who operates under the direction of an elected four-member council and mayor. The city also provides police and fire protection and water and sewer service to its residents.

Avon Park's climate is hot during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 80's and mild during winter with temperatures that tend to be in the 60's. The average annual rainfall is 52".