Lakeland, Florida

===Lakes===
[[File:Lakeland FLAUSA lake Mirror.jpg|thumb|right|Lake Mirror Park in downtown Lakeland, with surrounding City Hall and Lakeland Terrace Hotel]]
The dominant feature in Lakeland is the city's many lakes. Thirty-eight lakes are named, with a number of other bodies of water unnamed, mostly phosphate mine pits that eventually filled with water.<ref>{{cite web|title=Measurement of Recovery in Lakes Following Phosphate Mining|url=http://www1.fipr.state.fl.us/fipr/fipr1.nsf/129fc2ac92d337ca85256c5b00481502/9a9af43eaa9607f885256b2f0051be61/$FILE/03-045-039Final.pdf|publisher=Florida Institute of Phosphate Research|access-date=February 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222004307/http://www1.fipr.state.fl.us/fipr/fipr1.nsf/129fc2ac92d337ca85256c5b00481502/9a9af43eaa9607f885256b2f0051be61/$FILE/03-045-039Final.pdf|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.lakelandgov.net/libraryspecialcollections/SpecialCollectionsHome/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.aspx|publisher=Lakeland, Florida|access-date=February 4, 2014}}</ref> The largest of these is [[Lake Parker, Florida|Lake Parker]], which is {{convert|2550|acre|km2|abbr=on}} in size. Much of the culture of Lakeland revolves around its many lakes, and many people use the lakes as reference points in much the same way people in other towns use streets as reference points, such as "I live near Lake Beulah." In addition to Lake Parker, some of the more prominent lakes in the Lakeland area are [[Lake Hollingsworth]], [[Lake Morton (Florida)|Lake Morton]], Lake Mirror, and [[Lake Gibson (Florida)|Lake Gibson]].

[[Swan]]s are one of the most visible features on the lakes near downtown Lakeland. They have a long history, the first swans appearing around 1923. By 1954, the swans were gone, eradicated by [[alligator]]s and pets. A Lakeland resident who mourned the passing of the swans wrote to [[Queen Elizabeth II]]. The [[royal family]] allowed the capture of two of the royal swans, and the swans now on the lakes of Lakeland are the descendants of the one surviving royal swan sent by the Queen.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Story Map Journal|url=https://lakelandflorida.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=7fb4f159b1d34663834098c1e940458a|access-date=2021-10-29|website=lakelandflorida.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref>

In July 2006, Scott Lake, one of the city's lakes, was almost totally drained by a cluster of [[sinkholes]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/NEWS/606230389/1039 |title=The Lake is Dry |work=[[The Ledger]] |author=Diane Lacey Allen |date=June 23, 2006 |access-date=November 25, 2007}}</ref> Later the lake partially refilled.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205444,00.html |title=Florida Lake Swallowed by Sinkhole Reappearing |agency=Associated Press |date=July 25, 2006 |access-date=November 25, 2007}}</ref>