Editing Bartow, Florida (section)

===Geography===
[[File:Kissengen Spring flooded from Peace River backflow after 3 hurricanes passed through the area, October, 2005.jpg|220px|thumb|right|alt= flooded plain with oak trees in the distance|Flooding of the Peace River after a hurricane]] <!-- note hurricanes were in 2004 not 2005 as the picture says -->
Bartow is located slightly southwest of the geographical centers of both Polk County and peninsular Florida.<ref name="PolkVision/Our Region">{{cite web
| url        = http://polkvision.com/our-region/
| title      = PolkVision/Our Region
| access-date = 2010-10-17
| publisher  = PolkVision
}}</ref> The city is approximately {{convert|39|mi|km}} east of [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] and {{convert|51|mi|km}} southwest of [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]].<ref name="Distance from Bartow to Tampa">{{cite web
| url = http://www.indo.com/cgi-bin/dist?place1=Bartow,+Fl&place2=Tampa,+Fl
| title = Distance from Bartow to Tampa
| access-date = 2010-10-17
| publisher = indo.com
}}</ref><ref name="Distance from Bartow to Orlando">{{cite web
| url = http://www.indo.com/cgi-bin/dist?place1=Bartow,+Fl&place2=Orlando,+Fl
| title = Distance from Bartow to Orlando
| access-date = 2010-10-17
| publisher = indo.com
}}</ref> The cities of Bartow, Lakeland, and Winter Haven form a roughly [[equilateral triangle]] pointed southward, with Bartow being the south point, Lakeland the west point, and Winter Haven the east point.<ref name="Publication 04-39-087">{{cite web
| url = http://fipr1.state.fl.us/fipr/fipr1.nsf/0/7bdd9643b1c47a2485256b2f00569595/$FILE/04-039-087Final.pdf
| page = 5
| title = Publication 04-39-087
| access-date = 2010-10-17
| publisher = University of Florida
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110816102319/http://fipr1.state.fl.us/fipr/fipr1.nsf/0/7bdd9643b1c47a2485256b2f00569595/%24FILE/04-039-087Final.pdf
| archive-date = August 16, 2011
}}</ref><ref name="Map of Bartow, Lakeland, Winter Haven showing 'triangle'">{{cite web
| url = http://www.indo.com/cgi-bin/dist?place1=Bartow,+Fl&place2=Orlando,+Fl
| title = Map of Bartow, Lakeland, Winter Haven showing 'triangle'
| access-date = 2010-10-17
}}</ref> The city is located near the [[headwaters]] of the [[Peace River (Florida)|Peace River]] at [[Lake Hancock (Florida)|Lake Hancock]].<ref name="Peace River Watershed">{{cite web
| url = http://www.protectingourwater.org/watersheds/map/sarasota_bay_peace_myakka/peace/
| title = Peace River Watershed
| access-date = 2010-10-17
| publisher = Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection
| url-status = usurped
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101015170317/http://www.protectingourwater.org/watersheds/map/sarasota_bay_peace_myakka/peace/
| archive-date = October 15, 2010
}}</ref> Bartow is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the [[Atlantic coastal plain]] with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills.<ref name="Florida's Geological History">{{cite web
| url = http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw208
| title = Florida's Geological History
| access-date = 2010-10-14
| publisher = University of Florida
}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], in 2000 the city had a total area of {{convert|11.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|11.2|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (1.23%) is water. As a result of the annexation of over {{convert|26000|acre|km2}} of undeveloped land, primarily the Clear Springs land, the area of the city has quadrupled to over {{convert|52|sqmi|km2}} with more annexation still pending.