Okeechobee, Florida

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 removal to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s. (This territory was later admitted as the state of Oklahoma in 1907.)

From 1918 to 1929, the international drink company Coca-Cola had a plant to bottle their drinks in Okeechobee in the current location of Jersey Mike's Subs. Damages sustained from the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane was the primary reason they stopped bottling in Okeechobee.

In the 1930s, Okeechobee was the commercial center for the surrounding area, shipping hundreds of train cars of winter vegetables annually. It had poultry farms, a catfish shipping plant, and a bullfrog breeding industry.

The Florida guide described bullfrog breeding in the Okeechobee region:{{Blockquote

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 sqmi, of which 4.1 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (0.96%) is water.

Climate

Okeechobee has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), with hot, humid summers and warm, drier winters. |Jan avg record high F = 83.0 |Feb avg record high F = 84.3 |Mar avg record high F = 87.1 |Apr avg record high F = 90.1 |May avg record high F = 93.6 |Jun avg record high F = 95.3 |Jul avg record high F = 96.7 |Aug avg record high F = 96.5 |Sep avg record high F = 94.7 |Oct avg record high F = 92.0 |Nov avg record high F = 87.0 |Dec avg record high F = 83.7 |year avg record high F = 97.8

|Jan avg record low F = 33.8 |Feb avg record low F = 37.3 |Mar avg record low F = 41.9 |Apr avg record low F = 48.6 |May avg record low F = 58.6 |Jun avg record low F = 67.0 |Jul avg record low F = 69.4 |Aug avg record low F = 70.5 |Sep avg record low F = 67.6 |Oct avg record low F = 54.6 |Nov avg record low F = 45.3 |Dec avg record low F = 36.9 |year avg record low F = 30.9

|Jan record high F = 87 |Feb record high F = 87 |Mar record high F = 94 |Apr record high F = 97 |May record high F = 100 |Jun record high F = 100 |Jul record high F = 101 |Aug record high F = 101 |Sep record high F = 99 |Oct record high F = 98 |Nov record high F = 91 |Dec record high F = 89 |year record high F = |Jan record low F = 16 |Feb record low F = 26 |Mar record low F = 29 |Apr record low F = 37 |May record low F = 49 |Jun record low F = 54 |Jul record low F = 63 |Aug record low F = 65 |Sep record low F = 60 |Oct record low F = 41 |Nov record low F = 33 |Dec record low F = 20 |year record low F = | archive-date = September 5, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905111301/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mlb | url-status = dead

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,254 people, 1,814 households, and 1,316 families residing in the city.

Of the city's population in 2020, 6.7% were under 5 years old, 22.5% were under 18 years old, and 17.0% were 65 years and over. 47.7% of the population was female. There were 383 veterans living in the city and 14% were foreign-born persons.

In 2020, the median household income was $40,149 with a per capita income of $21,449. 21.8% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,621 people, 1,839 households, and 1,152 families residing in the city.

Education

The sole school district in the county is Okeechobee County School District.

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 park, and annual reenactments.

In 2016, the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival was organized for the first time. This multi-day, multi-genre music festival attracted approximately 30,000 people to the city in its first year. The annual festival has continued since then, and is planned for 2023.

Notable people

• Janet Bonnema, civil engineer
• Kutter Crawford, MLB baseball player
• Evan Neal, NFL football player
• Lonnie Pryor, NFL football player
• Reggie Rembert, NFL football player
• Thomas Rooney, U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 17th congressional district

References

References

1. "History of Okeechobee County Chapter 4".
2. "Peter And Louisiana Chandler Raulerson Gravesite".
3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
4. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. {{GNIS. 2404424
6. "Okeechobee County: County Explorer". National Association of Counties.
7. Federal Writers' Project. (1947). "Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State". Oxford University Press.
8. Federal Writers' Project. (1947). "Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State". Oxford University Press.
9. ''Okeechobee, Florida,'' 7.5 Minute Quadrangle, USGS, 1953 (1987 rev.)
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Okeechobee city, Florida".
12. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Okeechobee city, Florida".
13. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Okeechobee city, Florida".
14. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Okeechobee city, Florida; United States".
15. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Okeechobee city, Florida".
16. Geography Division. (December 23, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Okeechobee County, FL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
17. Joe Crankshaw. (January 29, 2009). "Battle of Lake Okeechobee to be re-enacted this weekend". Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group.
18. "Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival draws 30,000 people".
19. (15 May 2008). "Janet P. Bonnema – Obituary". NewsZapFL.