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Okeechobee County, Florida

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Okeechobee County (Template:IPAc-en<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) is a county located in the Florida Heartland region of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,644.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> The county seat is Okeechobee.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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File:Okeechobee County Courthouse.jpg
The Okeechobee County Courthouse, constructed in 1926, is located in the county seat, Okeechobee.
File:Okeechobee FL High School01.jpg
The Old Okeechobee High School, now the Freshman Campus, built 1925

Okeechobee County was incorporated in 1917. It was named for Lake Okeechobee, which was itself named for the Seminole Indian<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> words okee (water) and chobee (big).

Historic buildings

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Historic buildings in Okeechobee County include:

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (13.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Okeechobee County comprises the Okeechobee, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is included in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL Combined Statistical Area. The μSA was first designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>


Adjacent counties

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Points of interest

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

Transportation

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Airports

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Major highways

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Demographics

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Template:US Census population

Okeechobee County racial composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)Template:Efn
Race Pop 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 26,258 24,671 65.65% 62.23%
Black or African American (NH) 3,117 3,318 7.79% 8.37%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 287 263 0.72% 0.66%
Asian (NH) 345 332 0.86% 0.84%
Pacific Islander (NH) 25 14 0.06% 0.04%
Some Other Race (NH) 28 146 0.07% 0.37%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 375 1,043 0.94% 2.63%
Hispanic or Latino 9,561 9,857 23.9% 24.86%
Total 39,996 39,644

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 of 2010, there were 39,996 people, 13,857 households, and 9,016 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. 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, 8.6% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 1.2% from two or more races. 24.5% of the population were Hispanic 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.<ref>Okeechobee County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Template:Webarchive</ref>

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 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 for the county was $14,553. About 11.80% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.90% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

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The sole school district in the county is Okeechobee County School District.<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

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File:Okeechobee County Florida 400px.png

City

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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Politics

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Prior to the Civil Rights Act, Okeechobee County followed the Solid South pattern of voting Democratic, making an exception in 1928 amidst Southern skepticism to Democrat Al Smith's Northern Catholicism. The only non-Republicans to carry Okeechobee County at the presidential level after John F. Kennedy in 1960 were Independent segregationist George Wallace of Alabama (which borders Florida) in 1968 as well as Southern Democrats Jimmy Carter of Georgia (another neighboring state of Florida; 1976 and 1980) and Bill Clinton of Arkansas (1992 and 1996).

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 in 2000 (who lost the county by less than 5%), the last to win at least 40% of the county vote being John Kerry in 2004, and the last to win so much as 30% of the vote being Barack Obama in 2012. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

Voter registration

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

Okeechobee County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of July 31, 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political Party Total Voters Percentage
Template:Party color cell Republican 11,423 50.68%
Template:Party color cell Democratic 6,211 27.55%
Template:Party color cell No party affiliation 4,550 20.19%
Template:Party color cell Minor parties 355 1.58%
Total 22,539 100.00%

See also

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Governmental

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Non-governmental

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References

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