Lake Harbor is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...

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 ...

, United States. It is part of the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the lar ...

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

despite being physically and culturally closer to 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 ...

. The population was 49 at the 2020 US census.

Geography

Lake Harbor is located at (26.686985, -80.807613). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land. The community is centered at the intersection of Mutt Thomas Road and

U.S. Route 27 U.S. Route 27 or U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southern and Midwestern U.S. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I ...

(which runs concurrently with

Florida State Road 80 State Road 80 (SR 80) (also known as Palm Beach Boulevard in Lee County and Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County) is a route linking US 41 Business in Fort Myers and State Road A1A in Palm Beach. The road is the northernmost of three l ...

). It is located along the southern banks of

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 ...

, at the beginning of the

Miami Canal The Miami Canal, or C-6 Canal, flows from Lake Okeechobee in the U.S. state of Florida to its terminus at the Miami River (Florida), Miami River, which flows through downtown Miami, Florida, Miami. The canal flows in a south and southeasterly direc ...

John Stretch Park The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) is a 109-mile multi-use path around Lake Okeechobee, the seventh largest lake in the United States and the largest in the state of Florida. The trail began as the Okeechobee Segment of the Florida National S ...

is also located alongside the north end of Lake Harbor and the

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 49 people, 15 households, and 15 families residing in the CDP.

2010 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 45 people, 0 households, and 0 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census

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 2000, there were 195 people, 65 households, and 44 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 118 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 41.54%

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 ...

(35.9% were

Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 42.56%

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 ...

, 3.08% Asian, 2.05% from other races, and 10.77% from two or more races.

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 were 6.67% of the population. In 2000, there were 65 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% 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, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.55. As of 2000, in the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $35,208, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $36,458 versus $16,250 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 CDP was $12,977. None of the families and 9.7% of the population were living 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 ...

. As of 2000,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

was the

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

for 100% of the population, however, only 25 people out of 195 residents answered the 2000 U.S. Census' language section.

Education

Lake Harbor Elementary was the only school in Lake Harbor; School District of Palm Beach County closed the school in 1972 the community is grouped within the

School District of Palm Beach County The School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) is the tenth-largest public school district in the United States, and the fifth largest school district in Florida. The district encompasses all of Palm Beach County. For the beginning of the 20 ...

, though the community is just over equidistant from the Henry County Schools' Clewiston High School compared to Palm Beach County's

Glades Central High School Glades Central Community High School is a high school in Belle Glade, Florida. In the 2014–15 school year, its enrollment numbered 992 students. The school was a football powerhouse. In 2001, the ''New York Times'' reported that Glades Central h ...

. Numerous charter and private schools are also located in the area, the largest of which being Glades Day School, and through Belle Glade, Lake Harbor additionally is within driving distance of numerous satellite university campuses and specialty education centers.

Religion

Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church of Lake Harbor was founded in 1924 by Pastor Riley on the west side of the Miami canal, along Miami Canal Road. However, the young church faced a devastating setback in 1928 when the Okeechobee hurricane, also known as the San Felipe Segundo hurricane, struck the region. The hurricane's destructive force was overwhelming, and Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church was not spared. The church building was destroyed, leaving the congregation in a state of disarray and uncertainty. In a remarkable act of generosity, Mutt Thomas, the owner and operator of C.A. Thomas Farms, donated both land and a new building for the church. The new location was on the east side of the Miami canal, along Mutt Thomas Road. With this gift, the church was able to rebuild and continue its mission. Over the years, the church had several pastors, but one of the most prominent figures was Pastor Aaron Drayton. Under his leadership, the church experienced growth and expansion. Pastor Drayton also played a significant role in nurturing young ministers within the congregation. Among them were Pastor Willie C. Thornton, Pastor Freddie Lee Thornton, and Pastor John Holman, who were licensed under his guidance. When Pastor Aaron Drayton retired, Pastor John Holman assumed the role of pastor. However, in October 2005, Hurricane Wilma struck the area, once again wreaking havoc on the church. The building was destroyed, and the congregation faced the challenge of rebuilding yet again. Undeterred, Pastor John Holman and the devoted members of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church found alternative locations to continue their worship and community activities. Mt_Olive_Missionary_Baptist_Church

In September 2011, Pastor John Holman led the congregation in a significant milestone when they purchased a church building in Belle Glade, Florida.

Transportation

Lake Harbor has limited access to outside regions by road, and the primary road links Lake Harbor are

and

. Lake Harbor, however, is directly on the

Okeechobee Waterway The Okeechobee Waterway or Okeechobee Canal is a relatively shallow artificial waterway in the United States, stretching across Florida from Fort Myers on the west coast to Stuart on Florida's east coast. The waterway can support tows such as ba ...

, enabling connections to multiple other regions of Lake Okeechobee and its maritime links. Commercial air transport to Lake Harbor is limited, and the closest airport with commercial service to Lake Harbor is

Palm Beach International Airport Palm Beach International Airport – also known as PBI Airport and historically as Morrison Field & Palm Beach Air Force Base – is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States located just west of the city of West Palm Beach ...

at about 50 miles away. Residents can also elect to utilize

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is a major public airport located in Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, roughly southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale and north of Mi ...

Southwest Florida International Airport Southwest Florida International Airport is a major county-owned airport in the South Fort Myers area of unincorporated Lee County, Florida, United States. The airport serves the Southwest Florida region, including the Cape Coral-Fort Myers ...

, both of which are less than 80 miles away from Lake Harbor.

General aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

has a much closer link to Lake Harbor, as Belle Glade State Municipal Airport is located less than ten miles away from the town.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Palm Beach County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Populated places on Lake Okeechobee