City

Lakeland in 1926: Look back on a century of history

What did Lakeland look like in 1926? We’re firing up the time machine for a 100-year trip to the past.

January 21, 2026 • 
Connor Jacobson
A black-and-white photo of the multistory New Florida Hotel at a street corner, with vintage cars and a church visible in the background.

Along with the rest of Florida, downtown Lakeland was booming in the Roaring Twenties.

Photo via Lakeland Public Library

Lakeland is known as a boomtown today, but that’s nothing new for Swan City. We’re looking back 100 years into our town’s history to see what life was like in 1926 with six fast facts from the past.

  1. The total population was around 25,000 — compare that to the ~125,000 who live here today.
  2. The Florida Land Boom that brought thousands of new residents to the Sunshine State was coming to a close.
  3. Fire up the Model T. Lakeland was No. 4 in the state when it came to automobile registrations.
  4. Construction began on the Lake Mirror Promenade, which was renamed after Frances Langford in 1946.
  5. Nearby, the New Florida Hotel opened downtown — only to close a few months later after the Land Boom ended. It’s now the Lake Mirror Tower Apartments.
  6. Morrell Memorial Hospital moved to a larger facility on Lakeland Hills Boulevard after operating for a decade. Eventually, it evolved into Lakeland Regional Health.
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