Okeechobee County () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

Florida Heartland The Florida Heartland (also known as South Central Florida) is a region of Florida located to the north and west of Lake Okeechobee, composed of six inland, predominantly rural counties— DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Okee ...

region of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,644. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Okeechobee.

History

Okeechobee County was incorporated in 1917. It was named for

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee ( ) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the List of largest lakes of the United States by area, eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest ...

, which was itself named for the Seminole Indian words ''okee'' (water) and ''chobee'' (big).

Historic buildings

Historic buildings in Okeechobee County include: * First United Methodist Church, 1924 * Freedman-Raulerson House, 1923 * Okeechobee County Courthouse, 1926

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (13.8%) is water. Okeechobee County comprises the Okeechobee, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is included in the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

- Port St. Lucie, FL Combined Statistical Area. The μSA was first designated by the U.S.

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

in 2003.

Adjacent counties

* Indian River County - northeast * Martin County - east * St. Lucie County - east * Glades County - southwest * Hendry County - southwest via 5 county intersection in middle of Lake Okeechobee * Highlands County - west * Palm Beach County- Southeast via 5 county intersection in middle of Lake Okeechobee * Polk County - northwest * Osceola County - northwest

Points of interest

The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, runs along the Herbert Hoover Dike around the Lake.

Transportation

Airports

* Okeechobee County Airport

Major highways

* * * * * * *

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 39,644 people, 14,601 households, and 9,837 families residing in the county. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 39,996 people, 13,857 households, and 9,016 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,504 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 8.6%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.2% from two or more races. 24.5% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. In 2005 68.5% of the county population was White non-Hispanic, 21.6% of the population was Latino, 8.0% was African-American and both Native Americans and Asians constituted 0.9% of the population. In 2000 there were 12,593 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county in 2000 the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.20 males. In 2010 the median income for a household in the county was $36,929, and the median income for a family was $35,163. Males had a median income of $25,574 versus $20,160 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,553. About 11.80% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the

poverty line 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 ...

, including 19.90% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The sole school district in the county is Okeechobee County School District. Okeechobee County is part of the Heartland Library Cooperative which serves Okeechobee County and some of the surrounding counties, including Glades, Highlands, Hardee, and DeSoto. The seven-branch library system has one branch in the city of Okeechobee and is also affiliated with Indian River State College through its Dixon Hendry campus. The Okeechobee County Public Library opened in 1968.

Communities

City

* Okeechobee

Census-designated places

* Cypress Quarters * Taylor Creek

Other unincorporated communities

* Ancient Oaks * Barber Quarters * Basinger * Basswood Estates * Country Hills Estates * Deans Court * Dixie Ranch Acres * Duberry Gardens * Echo Estates * Everglades * Fort Drum * Four Seasons * Hilolo * Mildred * Oak Park * Okeechobee Little Farms * Quail Acres * Rookerville * Sherman * Taylor Creek Isle * Treasure Island * Viking Estates * Upthegrove Beach * Whispering Pines

Politics

Prior to the

Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act may refer to several civil right acts in the United States. These acts of the United States Congress are meant to protect rights to ensure individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private ...

, Okeechobee County followed the

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

pattern of voting Democratic, making an exception in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

amidst Southern skepticism to Democrat

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

's Northern

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The only non-Republicans to carry Okeechobee County at the presidential level after John F. Kennedy in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

were Independent segregationist

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

(which borders Florida) in

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

as well as Southern Democrats

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(another neighboring state of Florida;

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

) and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

(

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

). Today, Okeechobee County — in line with other Florida Heartland counties — is a rock-ribbed Republican stronghold, with the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county being Clinton in 1996, the last to be competitive in the county being

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

(who lost the county by less than 5%), the last to win at least 40% of the county vote being

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, and the last to win so much as 30% of the vote being

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Voter registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a majority of registered voters in Okeechobee County.

External links

Governmental

* Board of County Commissioners *
Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners
* Constitutional Officers *
Okeechobee County Clerk
*
Okeechobee County Supervisor of Elections
*
Okeechobee County Property Appraiser
*
Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office
*
Okeechobee County Tax Collector
* School district *
School Board of Okeechobee County
* Countywide District *
Okeechobee Soil and Water Conservation District
* Multi-county Districts *
Indian River Community College
*
South Florida Water Management District
*
St. Johns River Water Management District
*
Heartland Library Cooperative
**
Tampa Bay Library Consortium
* Judicial *
Okeechobee County Clerk of Courts
*
Public Defender, 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida
*
State Attorney, 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida
*
Circuit and County Courts for the 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Non-governmental

Okeechobee Official Discussion Forum

D.R. Wilson Land Company

Okeechobee County Tourist Development Council

Okeechobee County Guide

''Okeechobee News''
local newspaper for Okeechobee County, Florida fully and openly available in th
Florida Digital Newspaper Library

References

{{authority control Florida counties Florida placenames of Native American origin 1917 establishments in Florida Populated places established in 1917 Micropolitan areas of Florida