Okeechobee, Florida

City of Okeechobee
City

Okeechobee City Hall

Seal

Location in Okeechobee County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°14′N 80°50′W / 27.233°N 80.833°W / 27.233; -80.833Coordinates: 27°14′N 80°50′W / 27.233°N 80.833°W / 27.233; -80.833
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Okeechobee
Established 1917[1]
Government
 • Type Council-Mayor
 • Mayor James E. Kirk (Appointed 1991)[2]
Area
 • Total 4.2 sq mi (10.8 km2)
 • Land 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km2)
 • Water 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)  0.96%
Elevation 26 ft (8 m)
Population (2010 Census)
 • Total 5,621
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 34972-34974
Area code(s) 863
FIPS code 12-51200[3]
GNIS feature ID 0288073[4]
Website http://www.cityofokeechobee.com

Okeechobee (US /oʊkiˈtʃoʊbi/[5]) is a city in Okeechobee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 5,621, reflecting an increase of 245 (+4.6%) from the 5,376 counted in the 2000 Census. It is the county seat of Okeechobee County.[6] The Lake Okeechobee area was the site of the worst effects of the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, the first recorded Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic and still one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to strike the US.

Okeechobee is serviced by the Okeechobee County Airport (IATA: OBE, ICAO: KOBE).

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1920900—
19301,79599.4%
19401,658−7.6%
19501,84911.5%
19602,94759.4%
19703,71526.1%
19804,22513.7%
19904,94317.0%
20005,3768.8%
20105,6214.6%
Est. 20155,608[7]−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 5,376 people, 1,837 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,302.9 people per square mile (502.6/km²). There were 2,102 housing units at an average density of 509.4 per square mile (196.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.00% White, 10.81% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 6.42% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.66% of the population.

There were 1,837 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males. There are five elementary schools: South Elementary, Central Elementary, Seminole Elementary, Everglades Elementary, and North Elementary. There are two middle schools: Yearling Middle School, and Osceola Middle School. The Okeechobee High School consists of two facilities. There is a 9th grade center and a campus for 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. There is also a private school for grades K–12, Okeechobee Christian Academy.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,265, and the median income for a family was $30,179. Males had a median income of $24,979 versus $20,658 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,701. About 16.5% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Okeechobee is located at 27°14′N 80°50′W (27.2416, -80.8332) just north of Lake Okeechobee.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), of which 4.1 square miles (11 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.96%) is water.

Climate

Climate data for Okeechobee, 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1940-2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31)		 87
(31)		 94
(34)		 97
(36)		 100
(38)		 100
(38)		 101
(38)		 101
(38)		 99
(37)		 98
(37)		 91
(33)		 87
(31)		 101
(38)
Average high °F (°C) 74.2
(23.4)		 76.6
(24.8)		 79.5
(26.4)		 83.7
(28.7)		 88.5
(31.4)		 90.7
(32.6)		 91.8
(33.2)		 92.1
(33.4)		 90.1
(32.3)		 85.6
(29.8)		 80.4
(26.9)		 75.4
(24.1)		 84.1
(28.9)
Average low °F (°C) 49.6
(9.8)		 52.1
(11.2)		 56.1
(13.4)		 60.2
(15.7)		 66.3
(19.1)		 71.3
(21.8)		 72.9
(22.7)		 73.0
(22.8)		 71.8
(22.1)		 65.7
(18.7)		 58.6
(14.8)		 52.7
(11.5)		 62.5
(16.9)
Record low °F (°C) 16
(−9)		 26
(−3)		 29
(−2)		 37
(3)		 49
(9)		 54
(12)		 63
(17)		 65
(18)		 60
(16)		 41
(5)		 33
(1)		 20
(−7)		 16
(−9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.93
(49)		 2.24
(56.9)		 3.48
(88.4)		 2.24
(56.9)		 3.48
(88.4)		 6.48
(164.6)		 6.21
(157.7)		 7.11
(180.6)		 6.43
(163.3)		 3.63
(92.2)		 2.20
(55.9)		 1.95
(49.5)		 47.38
(1,203.4)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 in) 5.5 6.2 6.6 5.4 6.8 13.8 12.7 13.7 12.7 6.8 5.6 5.8 101.6
Source:

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 (0.59 km2) park, and annual reenactments.[9]

In 2016, Okeechobee became home to the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. This multi-day, multi-genre music festival attracted approximately 30,000 people to the city in its first year. [10]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.lamartin.com/history/history_of_okeechobee_county/chapter5.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.cityofokeechobee.com/Elected%20Official%20&%20Staff%20List.pdf
  3. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ↑ "Okeechobee". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ Joe Crankshaw (January 29, 2009). "Battle of Lake Okeechobee to be re-enacted this weekend". Treasure Coast Palm. Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group.
  10. ↑ http://www.southflorida.com/sf-okeechobee-festival-wrapup-20160308-story.html
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