Lake Okeechobee is the second major freshwater lake within the United States. It is
not very deep, with an average depth of only 14 feet. Fishing is a year round business.
This lake has an outer surface area of 730 square miles. Its size is 448,000 acres and can
hold about 1.05 trillion gallons of water. The chief sources of inflow to the lake is
precipitation making up 39 percent, the Kissimmee River, which contributes 31 percent,
and the Harney Pond and Indian Prairie Fish Eating and Taylor Creeks add 30 percent.
Okeechobee County’s financial system is supported by agriculture. The counties
principal industries are dairy and beef livestock. The county’s yearly income from the
agriculture industry is around $ 149,681,000. The county has 418 farms with 72,712
acres under cultivation and grazing land. With 133,000 heads of cattle the county ranks
first in the state. The county also ranks first in the number of dairy cows, with 23 dairies
having 32,000 dairy cows. These dairies generate 54,688,000 gallons of milk per year,
which is three times in excess than any other county in Florida. In modern years, farms
have been expanding. At this time, the county has 11,270 acres in citrus, with 1,261,000
citrus trees producing 3,201,000 boxes of citrus fruit each year. Most of Okeechobee
County’s citrus trees are orange trees. The county has 1,039,600 orange trees and
169,800 grapefruit trees. The remaining are tangerines and other kinds of citrus. Tourism
is the second biggest industry in the county.
Every winter, thousands of people from the north head to Okeechobee County in search
of warmth from the snowy and damp weather to take pleasure in the exquisiteness of the
fish- filled waters of Lake Okeechobee.
The city of Okeechobee has a population of 5,071 citizens and roughly 1,935
families. The city an area of 5 square miles, and is more likely the main city in the
county. It is situated 27.4 degrees north of the equator and 80.82 degrees west of
the prime meridian. The city of Okeechobee functions under a city manager type of
government that is almost set up as a business corporation. The city’s ruling
body is made up of 5 representatives who live inside the city limits. They are selected to
four-year terms. Five member of the city commission elect the mayor of the city.
At this time, James E. Kirk is the Mayor. Another significant city in Okeechobee County
is Taylor Creek. Its population is around 4,081 with about 2,807 families Taylor Creek
has a land area of 10.078 square kilometers and is positioned 27.21 degrees north of the
equator and 80.78 degrees west of prime meridian. Other small cities include Mildred and
Sherman.
Some historic places can also be found in Okeechobee County. The Okeechobee
Battlefield is the spot of the Second Seminole War between US military led by Zachary
Taylor against the Seminole and Miccosuke warriors. The US armed forces won
a crucial victory, which was an important win in the war. Taylor’s actions
got him promoted to general and ultimately the presidency in 1848. The battle also led to
the exodus of thousands of Seminoles to Oklahoma. A few signs of this gruesome
encounter are still visible in Okeechobee County. Many artifacts lie covered in the saw
grass bogs and pineland forests of the battlefield. Musket balls are obscured in the bark of
Cypress trees, where Indian snipers once hid. Also in Okeechobee is the Freedman-
Raulerson House. Abraham Freedman, a young merchant, built this house. Hiram H.
Raulerson, a civic figure, bought it later. Another place to visit is Fort Drum. It
was established in 1849 between the second and third Seminole Wars. It was the first
settlement inside the boundaries of present day Okeechobee County and came about
because of military actions.
Other significant details about the Okeechobee County include, that it has a 7 percent
unemployment rate. Its name comes from two Hitchi words,- Oki meaning water,
and Chobi meaning big. The county also has 6 local banks, but no overseas banks, and
its solid waste is tossed away in sanitary landfills. Also, fuel oil and LP gas is accessible
in all districts. Okeechobee has 12,593 households and the average house purchase price
is $89,830. The county’s residents in 2000 was 35,910 and the number inhabitants is
projected to reach as high as 45,273 by the year of 2015. According to the county
population, 70.7 percent are white, 5.3 percent are black, 1 percent are Native Americans,
0.6 percent are Asians, 13 percent are Hispanic, and 9.4 percent are mixed races or other.
Okeechobee County is perhaps one the most important counties in Florida. It is
mostly known for Lake Okeechobee, but is serves other purposes also. It strengthens
Florida’s tourism industry, and leads the state in beef and dairy production. No doubt,
without Okeechobee County, Florida would not be complete.