A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Winter Haven$1,620/mo

Typical home $273K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $1,246/mo · Housing →

Alturas$960/mo

Typical home $166K (Census) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,017/mo · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $7,900 a year, between Winter Haven and Alturas.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Winter Haven and Alturas share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Winter HavenAlturas

Winter Haven ↔ Alturas14 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

121 Alturas residents work in Winter Haven (6.8% of its workers)

Work & commute in Alturas →

Report cards

Winter Haven places higher on 11 of 20 FL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

CWinter HavenSafer than 34% of U.S. towns –AlturasNot graded

Schools

DWinter HavenBetter than 14% of districts in the state DAlturasBetter than 14% of districts in the state

Health

C−Winter HavenHealthier than 16% of U.S. towns DAlturasHealthier than 8% of U.S. towns

11Winter Haven

7Alturas

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 614 towns #51#555 Most conserved landOutdoors · 578 towns #384#136 Best schoolsSchools · 488 towns #388#198 Lowest depressionHealth · 633 towns #380#615 Lowest property taxCost of living · 626 towns #266#47 Most walkableOutdoors · 635 towns #443#634 Most educatedPeople · 635 towns #439#597 Most trailsOutdoors · 430 towns #252#357

Left end = #1 in Florida. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Winter Haven’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

Winter HavenAlturas

Snow a year0″0″

January low52°F 50°F

July high93°F 92°F

Growing season (days)365d 352d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 71st

Outdoors & history

Winter HavenAlturas

Trails17 mi 14 mi

Conserved land1.5%8%

Settled1884 —

National Register places7 1

Community

Winter HavenAlturas

Library hours a week50 hrs —

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Florida average

Winter HavenAlturas

People

Population 55,200Highest 4,581Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +45.3%Highest FL: +14.6% -2.4%Lowest FL: +14.6%

Median age 40.1±2.4Highest 6% below FL 34.7±7.5Lowest 19% below FL

Winter Haven and Alturas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 21.4%±1.9Lowest FL: 19.5% 26.1%±5.1Highest FL: 19.5%

Alturas and Winter Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 19.3%±1.5Highest FL: 21.3% 18.6%±2.4Lowest FL: 21.3%

Winter Haven and Alturas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22%Highest FL: 34.1% 11.2%Lowest FL: 34.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5%±1.1Highest FL: 6.1% 3.3%±1.3Lowest FL: 6.1%

Winter Haven and Alturas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $59,648±$4kLowest 20% below FL $70,231±$17kHighest 6% below FL

Alturas and Winter Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $269,800±$11kHighest 25% below FL $165,800±$38kLowest 54% below FL

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,246±$80Highest 25% below FL $1,017±$401Lowest 39% below FL

Winter Haven and Alturas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,247Highest 18% below FL $1,084Lowest 60% below FL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.3%±6.9Highest FL: 60.1% 0%±33Lowest FL: 60.1%

Below poverty line 16.4%Highest FL: 12.6% 15.5%Lowest FL: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 63.7%Lowest FL: 67.6% 87.7%Highest FL: 67.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1990 2 yrs newer than FL 1990 2 yrs newer than FL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the FL average 30 minHighest 6% above FL

Work from home 9.7%±2.1Highest FL: 15.7% 4.3%±4.3Lowest FL: 15.7%

Winter Haven and Alturas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 13.3%Highest 1.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miHighest 20.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Highest 0.24Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Lakeland (10%)Bartow (12%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Alturas7% work in Winter Haven

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.5%Lowest 8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 17.4 miHighest 14.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 51.3Highest 3.3Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #388 of 488 in FL #198 of 488 in FL

School district POLKPOLK

High school in town Winter Haven Senior High SchoolNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 24.3 —

Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Winter Haven neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Winter Haven’s Town Square.

Alturas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alturas’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Winter Haven and Alturas

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Winter Haven

+ Compare

Cypress Gardens10,077 people · $287K homes

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Inwood7,556 people · $142K homes

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Lake Alfred7,277 people · $240K homes

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Lake Wales16,785 people · $239K homes

Towns like Winter Haven

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Greenacres44,373 people · $291K homes

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North Lauderdale45,234 people · $307K homes

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Plant City40,887 people · $292K homes

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Riviera Beach38,657 people · $355K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Winter Haven vs Alturas

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Winter Haven

Winter Haven and Alturas share a border

Winter Haven places higher on 11 of 20 FL lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Winter Haven and Alturas

Bordering Winter Haven

Towns like Winter Haven

Post to Winter Haven

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