Okeechobee ( ) is a city in south-central Florida and is the county seat of

Okeechobee County Okeechobee County () is a county located in the Florida Heartland region of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,644. The county seat is Okeechobee. Okeechobee County comprises the Okeechobee, FL Micropolitan St ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the city's population was 5,254. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Okeechobee County. The

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwat ...

area was the site of the worst effects of the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, the first recorded Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic and still one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to strike the US. Okeechobee is served by the

Okeechobee County Airport Okeechobee County Airport is a general aviation airport located 3 mi (4.82 km) northwest of Okeechobee, in Okeechobee County, Florida. History The airport was opened in April 1940 as Conners Field. It was leased by the United States ...

History

Okeechobee is close to the site of the

Battle of Lake Okeechobee The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was one of the major battles of the Second Seminole War. It was fought between 800 troops of the 1st, 4th, and 6th Infantry Regiments and 132 Missouri Volunteers (under the command of Colonel Zachary Taylor), and b ...

, a major battle of the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

, fought between forces under the command of

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

and

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...

warriors resisting forced relocation to Oklahoma. In the 1930s, Okeechobee was the commercial center for the surrounding area, shipping hundreds of train cars of winter vegetables annually, in addition to poultry farms, a catfish shipping plant, and a

bullfrog ''Bullfrog'' is a common English language term to refer to large, aggressive frogs, regardless of species. Examples of bullfrogs include: Frog species America * Helmeted water toad (''Calyptocephalella gayi''), endemic to Chile *American bullfr ...

breeding industry. The Florida guide described bullfrog breeding in the Okeechobee region:

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the city of Okeechobee had a population of 5,254 and 1,814 households. Of the city's population, 7.2% were under 5 years old, 24.1% were under 18 years old, and 15.1% were 65 years and over. 46.5% of the population was female. 85.1% of the population was white, 8.6% was black or African American, 0.2% was American Indian or Alaska Native, 3.1% was Asian, 2.8% was two or more races, and 33.0% was Hispanic or Latino. There were 367 veterans living in the city and 12.2% were Foreign born persons. The median household income (in 2020 dollars) was $40,425 with a per capita income of $19,633. 18.4% of the population lived below the

poverty threshold The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Geography

Okeechobee is located just north of

. Taylor Creek flows through the east side of the town. The area is served by US routes 98 and 441 and state routes 70,

700 The denomination 700 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Avar and Slavic tribes conq ...

and 15. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.96%) is water.

Climate

Okeechobee has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( ''Cfa''), bordering within one degree of a tropical climate with hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters.

Points of interest

On 25 December 1837, Lake Okeechobee became the site of an important battle in the

, fought between a number of

Native American groups, the United States government, and allied militias. The battlefield is now the site of a park, and annual reenactments. In 2016, Okeechobee became home to the

Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival The Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival (commonly referred to as Okeechobee) is an annual four-day music and arts festival. It is held at the 600-acre Sunshine Grove property in Okeechobee, Florida. History The first Okeechobee Music and Arts Fest ...

. This multi-day, multi-genre music festival attracted approximately 30,000 people to the city in its first year.

Notable people

* Janet Bonnema, civil engineer *

Kutter Crawford Kutter Martin Crawford (born April 1, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed. Career Crawford atten ...

, baseball player * Lonnie Pryor, football player *

Reggie Rembert Reginald Bernard "Reggie" Rembert (born December 25, 1966) is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round (28th overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played co ...

, football player * Thomas Rooney, U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 17th district *

Evan Neal Evan Neal (born September 19, 2000) is an American football offensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was selected seventh overall by the Giants in the 2022 NFL D ...

, football player

References

External links

City of Okeechobee
{{authority control County seats in Florida Cities in Okeechobee County, Florida Cities in Florida Populated places on Lake Okeechobee 1917 establishments in Florida Populated places established in 1917