Haines City was platted in 1885, shortly after the South Florida Railroad reached the area.

[1] 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, former Confederate States Army Colonel Henry Haines.

[1] The present charter was adopted as Chapter 12790 on July 1, 1927, changing the form of government to "Commission-Manager Plan," as amended.

The city operates under a commission-manager form of government and provides the following services as authorized by its charter: Public safety (Police and Fire), Streets and Highways, Culture-Recreation, Public Improvements, Sanitation, Planning and Zoning and General and Administrative Services.

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 Resort.

Legoland's expected tourist influx is leading Haines City to search for ways to advertise and bring more people to the historic downtown area, specifically, motorists coming down U.S. 27 from Interstate 4.

The approximate coordinates for the City of Haines City is located at 28°06′37″N 81°36′56″W / 28.11028°N 81.61556°W / 28.11028; -81.61556, within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain, part of the Lake Wales Ridge, a sandy terrain consisting of a low ridge of gently rolling hills rising from the coastal flatlands.

Haines City is located in the humid subtropical zone as designated by (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).

Haines City is served by an hourly bus service to Lake Alfred and Winter Haven by Winter Haven Area Transit and, from December 16, 2012, by hourly Lynx bus services to Poinciana and Four Corners.

In 1927, when that building was demolished as part of a street widening project, the library relocated to Hinson Avenue.

The library was forced to relocate again in 1959 due to another street widening project, at which time the Women's Club rented space for the library at the Palm Crest Hotel (also known as the Polk Hotel, which today houses the Landmark Baptist College).

The library moved to its current location on N. Sixth Street in 2012, and is co-located with City Hall.