Lakeland, which boasts such institutions of higher learning as the more than century-old Florida Southern College, has garnered a spot on an online blog's list of the nation's least educated cities.
The Huffington Post's ranking was based on the percentage of residents who are at least 25 and hold four-year college degrees. The ranking was based on Brookings Institution research.
In Lakeland, 18.7 percent of residents hold college degrees, 96th out of 100 cities ranked. By comparison, slightly more than a quarter of Tampa residents are college graduates.
"I cringe, like with a lot of headlines, it's really sensationalism. And it's really not telling the full story," said Marshall Goodman, CEO and vice president of University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland.
"There are a lot of educated people here. There's a lot of great institutions here, and there's going to be a lot more in the near future," he said.
Besides Florida Southern and USF, colleges include the growing Southeastern University and Polk State College.
Polk State student Lourdes Diaz said she sees a lot of educational opportunities and growing enrollment at the college.
"Years ago I was coming here. There weren't too many people. Now I see a lot of people, different ages," she said.
On the other end of the spectrum, according to the Brookings Institution research, Washington, D.C. tops the list with more than 46 percent of residents 25 or older with four-year degrees and Bridgeport, Conn., with 43.8 percent.
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