Clewiston, Florida

History

The area beside Lake Okeechobee was once used as a fishing camp by the Seminole tribe. The first permanent settlement began in 1920, when John O'Brien of Philadelphia and Alonzo Clewis (1864-1944) of Tampa purchased a large tract of land to establish a town. They commissioned a town plan and built the Moore Haven & Clewiston Railway to connect the community to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad at Moore Haven. Incorporated as a city in 1925, Clewiston would become noted for its sport fishing, particularly of largemouth bass.

Large sugarcane farms were established around Lake Okeechobee. By the 1950s and 1960s, the cultivation of citrus, vegetables and cattle were also important to the economy. The US Sugar Corporation, however, remained the dominant manufacturer in Clewiston, which became known as "America's Sweetest Town". On June 24, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist announced that the state of Florida had arranged to buy for $1.75 billion the company's 187000 acre, including the refinery in Clewiston.

On November 11, the plan was scaled back to $1.34 billion for 181000 acre of farmland, no longer including the mill, citrus processing facilities and other assets. This would allow the company to remain in business and leave open the possibility of preserving its 1,700 jobs. Over the next seven crop cycles, the farmland would be leased back from the state to US Sugar for $60 million. It would then be converted into reservoirs and water-filtering areas as part of the ongoing restoration of the Everglades ecosystem.

Geography

Clewiston is located in the northeast corner of Hendry County on the southwestern shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is part of the Florida Heartland region. To the south it borders the CDP of Harlem.

U.S. Route 27 passes through the center of Clewiston, leading west then north 15 mi to Moore Haven, and southeast 16 mi to South Bay. Florida State Road 80 runs with US 27 through Clewiston but leads west 31 mi to LaBelle, the Hendry County seat.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Clewiston has a total area of 12.2 km2, of which 0.07 km2, or 0.54%, are water.

Climate

Clewiston has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). |Jan record high F = 89 |Feb record high F = 92 |Mar record high F = 96 |Apr record high F = 99 |May record high F = 99 |Jun record high F = 102 |Jul record high F = 100 |Aug record high F = 100 |Sep record high F = 99 |Oct record high F = 97 |Nov record high F = 93 |Dec record high F = 90

|Jan record low F = 24 |Feb record low F = 28 |Mar record low F = 33 |Apr record low F = 42 |May record low F = 52 |Jun record low F = 64 |Jul record low F = 67 |Aug record low F = 69 |Sep record low F = 63 |Oct record low F = 42 |Nov record low F = 36 |Dec record low F = 28

|access-date = May 6, 2023 |access-date = May 6, 2023

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,327 people, 2,532 households, and 1,921 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,155 people, 2,269 households, and 1,643 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,460 people, 2,174 households, and 1,632 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,381.0 PD/sqmi. There were 2,434 housing units at an average density of 520.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 75.79% White, 10.93% African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 9.64% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.94% of the population.

In 2000, there were 2,174 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.32.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $37,143, and the median income for a family was $38,652. Males had a median income of $31,139 versus $21,049 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,527. About 14.8% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The following are public schools located in the area, operated by Hendry County Schools:

• Eastside Elementary
• Westside Elementary
• Central Elementary
• Clewiston Middle School
• Clewiston High School

Private school:

• Clewiston Christian School

Native American School:

• There is a tribal school affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education, Ahfachkee School, that has a Clewiston postal address but is outside the city limits, on the Big Cypress Reservation.

Libraries

The Hendry County Library Cooperative in Florida includes the Clewiston Library, Barron Library (located in LaBelle, the county seat) and the Harlem Library.

All three libraries provide Hendry County residents with materials and general information, and each library has a secondary individualized area of focus. The Clewiston Library has a Florida room to house historical reference material and books pertinent to local and state history. The Harlem Community Library is located in a former school building which also houses the Harlem Academy daycare center and its specialty is a growing African American collection. The Barron Library collects genealogical materials.

The Clewiston Library also recently sought and received an LSTA grant to digitize their local newspaper, The Clewiston News and have the digital versions added to the free, open access Florida Digital Newspaper Library.

Sites of interest

• Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum, 32 mi south of Clewiston in the Big Cypress Indian Reservation
• Clewiston Inn
• Clewiston Museum
• Dixie Crystal Theatre
• Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST)
• Tony's Mound
• U.S. Sugar Headquarters & Factory

Notable people

• Archie Boston Jr., graphic artist and retired professor.
• Steffon Bradford, professional basketball player
• Hayward H. Davis, former member of Florida Senate
• Randy Dixon, former NFL football player
• Titus Dixon, former NFL football player
• Reggie Freeman, former NFL football player
• Glenn Glass, former NFL football player
• Eric Green, former NFL football player
• Deon Humphrey, former NFL football player
• Goodwin Liu, associate justice of the Supreme Court of California
• Alfonso Marshall, former NFL football player
• Roland Martin, professional fisherman
• Anthony Midget, NFL coach and former NFL football player
• Dan Miller, former NFL football player
• Quorey Payne, former professional Arena football player
• Junior Tucker, singer

References

• History of Clewiston, Florida

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2404073
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
5. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Clewiston city, Florida".
6. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Clewiston city, Florida".
7. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Clewiston city, Florida".
8. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Clewiston city, Florida".
9. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "Ahfachkee Day School". [[Bureau of Indian Education]].