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is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,174 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population estimated by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida is 18,748. Haines City is the third most populated city in Polk County, Florida. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The city was platted in 1885, shortly after the South Florida Railroad reached the area. The city was first known as Clay Cut, but there was no railroad station. It is said that the inhabitants persuaded the railroad company to build a station by agreeing to rename their city Haines City, to honor a senior railroad official, Colonel Henry Haines.
The early settlers planted citrus groves, and citrus growing and processing became the main industry of the city.
From 1974 to 1986 Circus World, a theme park created by the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, was open just north of Haines City. After Circus World shut down, Boardwalk and Baseball opened on the same site. It featured carnival games and theme park styled rides like the Grand Rapids Flume. It closed in 1990, and the site has been redeveloped as a residential and shopping complex named Posner Park.
In recent years Haines City has seen explosive growth, largely because of its easy access to Orlando and Walt Disney World. New residential areas have been developed on the edges of the city. On high ground in the north of the city, Southern Dunes, a golf and country club with both vacation homes and residential homes, was developed between 1995 and 2005.
In 2004, unusually in a city so far inland, parts of Haines City experienced three hurricanes. Hurricane Charley passed through the city in August. Hurricane Frances came right on the heels of Charley but mostly just dumped a lot of rain. Hurricane Jeanne soon followed packing a punch not quite as strong as Charley but longer lasting. The city has since recovered.
Four years after Charley, Haines City got struck again this time by a weaker storm named Tropical Storm Fay. This storm caused little damage.