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Okeechobee, Florida
Aerial view of the town in 2013
Aerial view of the town in 2013
Official seal of Okeechobee, Florida
Seal
Location in Okeechobee County and the state of Florida
Location in Okeechobee County and the state of Florida
Country United States
State Florida
County Okeechobee
Established 1917
Government
 • Type Council-Mayor
Area
 • Total 4.15 sq mi (10.76 km2)
 • Land 4.06 sq mi (10.50 km2)
 • Water 0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2)  0.96%
Elevation
26 ft (8 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,254
 • Density 1,295.36/sq mi (500.20/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
34972-34974
Area code(s) 863
FIPS code 12-51200
GNIS feature ID 0288073
Website http://www.cityofokeechobee.com
Okeechobee City Hall
The city hall of the town.

Okeechobee ( OH-kee-CHOH-bee) is a city in Okeechobee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 5,621, reflecting an increase of 245 (+4.6%) from the 5,376 counted in the 2000 Census. It is the county seat of Okeechobee County. The Lake Okeechobee 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.

History

Okeechobee is close to the site of the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, a major battle of the Second Seminole War, fought between forces under the command of Zachary Taylor and Seminole 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 breeding industry. The Florida guide described bullfrog breeding in the Okeechobee region:

Frog legs, or 'saddles,' bring high prices in the winter when frogs usually hibernate and are difficult to capture. Frog farmers enclose bottom lands, ponds, or swamps; as frogs live on insects, breeders strew the runs with rotting meat to attract blowflies. Some plant flowers and shrubs to lure bugs, and occasionally install electric lights to attract moths, beetles, and other nocturnal insects. A female frog lays from 10 to 30 thousand eggs a year; tadpoles appear from 60 to 90 days later, but frogs are seldom marketed before they are two years old.

—Federal Writers'Project, Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State (1947)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 900
1930 1,795 99.4%
1940 1,658 −7.6%
1950 1,849 11.5%
1960 2,947 59.4%
1970 3,715 26.1%
1980 4,225 13.7%
1990 4,943 17.0%
2000 5,376 8.8%
2010 5,621 4.6%
2020 5,254 −6.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,376 people, 1,837 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,302.9 people per square mile (502.6/km2). There were 2,102 housing units at an average density of 509.4 per square mile (196.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.00% White, 10.81% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 6.42% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.66% of the population.

There were 1,837 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males. There are five elementary schools: South Elementary, Central Elementary, Seminole Elementary, Everglades Elementary, and North Elementary. There are two middle schools: Yearling Middle School, and Osceola Middle School. The Okeechobee High School consists of two facilities. There is a 9th grade center and a campus for 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. There is also a private school for grades K–12, Okeechobee Christian Academy.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,265, and the median income for a family was $30,179. Males had a median income of $24,979 versus $20,658 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,701. About 16.5% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Okeechobee is located just north of Lake Okeechobee. 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 and 15.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), of which 4.1 square miles (11 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.96%) is water.

Climate

Okeechobee has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), just falling short of a tropical savannah climate (Aw) due to low nighttime temperatures during January. Summers are long and hot, lasting most of the year. Winters are short and warm with cool nighttime lows. Precipitation peaks during the months of June to September due to increased thunderstorm activity with the rest of the year being much drier.
Climate data for Okeechobee, 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1940-2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31)
87
(31)
94
(34)
97
(36)
100
(38)
100
(38)
101
(38)
101
(38)
99
(37)
98
(37)
91
(33)
87
(31)
101
(38)
Average high °F (°C) 74.2
(23.4)
76.6
(24.8)
79.5
(26.4)
83.7
(28.7)
88.5
(31.4)
90.7
(32.6)
91.8
(33.2)
92.1
(33.4)
90.1
(32.3)
85.6
(29.8)
80.4
(26.9)
75.4
(24.1)
84.1
(28.9)
Average low °F (°C) 49.6
(9.8)
52.1
(11.2)
56.1
(13.4)
60.2
(15.7)
66.3
(19.1)
71.3
(21.8)
72.9
(22.7)
73.0
(22.8)
71.8
(22.1)
65.7
(18.7)
58.6
(14.8)
52.7
(11.5)
62.5
(16.9)
Record low °F (°C) 16
(−9)
26
(−3)
29
(−2)
37
(3)
49
(9)
54
(12)
63
(17)
65
(18)
60
(16)
41
(5)
33
(1)
20
(−7)
16
(−9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.93
(49)
2.24
(57)
3.48
(88)
2.24
(57)
3.48
(88)
6.48
(165)
6.21
(158)
7.11
(181)
6.43
(163)
3.63
(92)
2.20
(56)
1.95
(50)
47.38
(1,204)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 in) 5.5 6.2 6.6 5.4 6.8 13.8 12.7 13.7 12.7 6.8 5.6 5.8 101.6
Source: [1]

Points of interest

On 25 December 1837, Lake Okeechobee became the site of an important battle in the Second Seminole War, fought between a number of Seminole Native American groups, the United States government, and allied militias. The battlefield is now the site of a 145-acre (0.59 km2) park, and annual reenactments.

In 2016, Okeechobee became home to the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. 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, baseball player
  • Lonnie Pryor, football player
  • Reggie Rembert, football player
  • Thomas Rooney, U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 17th district
  • Evan Neal, football player

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Okeechobee para niños

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