Okeechobee County is a
county located in the state of Florida
. As
of 2000, the population was 35,910. According to 2005
U.S. Census
estimates, its population had grown to 39,836..
The county seat is Okeechobee
, Florida
. The
county comprises the Okeechobee, Florida
Micropolitan Statistical
Area.
History
County was created in 1917.
It was named for the Lake Okeechobee
, which was itself named for Hitchiti words oka (water) and
chobi (big).
Geography
According to the
U.S.
Census Bureau, the
county has a total area of 892 square miles (2,309 km²),
of which, 774 square miles (2,004 km²) of it is land and
118 square miles (305 km²) of it (13.19%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 35,910
people, 12,593 households, and 9,016 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 15,504 housing
units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The
racial makeup of the county was 79.28%
White, 7.92%
Black or
African American, 0.54%
Native American, 0.67%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 9.56% from
other races, and 1.99%
from two or more races. 18.61% 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.
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 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.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,456, 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.
Municipalities
Incorporated
1.
City
of Okeechobee
Unincorporated
- *
Cypress
Quarters

- *
Taylor
Creek

- * Ancient Oaks
- * Catterson
- * Sunset Strip
- *
Barber
Quarters

- * Basinger
- * Basswood
Estates
- * Dixie Ranch
Acres
- *
Fort
Drum

- * Hilolo
- * Mildred
- * Sherman
- *
Treasure
Island

- * Upthegrove
Beach
- *
Whispering
Pines

- * Four Seasons
See also
External links
Governmental
- Board of County Commissioners
Non-governmental
References