Okeechobee County, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Okeechobee County
County
County of Okeechobee
The Okeechobee County Judicial Center, in Okeechobee
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	May 8, 1917
Named for	Lake Okeechobee
Seat	Okeechobee
Largest city	Okeechobee
Area
• Total	892 sq mi (2,310 km2)
• Land	769 sq mi (1,990 km2)
• Water	123 sq mi (320 km2)  13.8%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	39,644
• Density	52/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	34972, 34973, 34974
Area code	863
Congressional district	17th

Okeechobee County (US: /oʊkiˈtʃoʊbi/) is a county in the Florida Heartland region of Florida. It's located in the southern part of the state. In 2020, about 39,644 people lived here. The main city and county seat is Okeechobee.

History of Okeechobee County

The Okeechobee County Courthouse, built in 1926, is in Okeechobee.

The Old Okeechobee High School, built in 1925.

Okeechobee County became an official county in 1917. It got its name from Lake Okeechobee. The name "Okeechobee" comes from words used by the Seminole Indian people. "Okeechobee" means "big water" in their language.

Historic Buildings to See

Okeechobee County has several old and important buildings. These buildings show the history of the area.

• First United Methodist Church, built in 1924.
• Freedman-Raulerson House, built in 1923.
• Okeechobee County Courthouse, built in 1926.

Geography of Okeechobee County

Okeechobee County covers a total area of about 892 square miles. Most of this area, about 769 square miles, is land. The rest, about 123 square miles, is water. This means about 13.8% of the county is covered by water.

Neighboring Counties

Okeechobee County shares its borders with several other counties in Florida:

Fun Places to Visit

A popular spot is the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. This trail is part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. It runs along the Herbert Hoover Dike, which is a big wall built around Lake Okeechobee. It's a great place for walking or biking.

Getting Around Okeechobee County

Airports

• Okeechobee County Airport

Main Roads

Several important highways pass through Okeechobee County, making it easy to travel:

• Florida's Turnpike (Florida's Turnpike)
• US 98
• US 441
• CR 68
• SR 70
• SR 78
• SR 710

People of Okeechobee County

In 2020, the population of Okeechobee County was 39,644 people. There were about 14,601 households, which are groups of people living together.

Most people in the county are White (about 62%). About 8% are Black or African American. Around 25% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

In 2000, about 25% of the people living in the county were under 18 years old. The average age was 37 years old.

Libraries in Okeechobee County

Okeechobee County is part of the Heartland Library Cooperative. This group helps provide library services to Okeechobee and nearby counties. These include Glades, Highlands, Hardee, and DeSoto counties.

There is one library branch in the city of Okeechobee. It also works with Indian River State College through its Dixon Hendry campus.

Communities in Okeechobee County

Map of Okeechobee County.

Okeechobee County has one main city and several other communities.

City

• Okeechobee

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

• Cypress Quarters
• Taylor Creek

Other Communities (Unincorporated)

These are smaller areas that are not part of a city or CDP.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Okeechobee para niños