Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Okeechobee Okeechobee, FL

Okeechobee is a city in south-central Florida and the county seat of Okeechobee County.

Okeechobee was incorporated on June 4, 1915.

The city takes its name from Lake Okeechobee, whose name comes from the Hitchiti words 'oki' (water) and 'chubi' (big) - literally 'big water.'

Okeechobee sits on the northern shore of Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in Florida at roughly 730 square miles and the second-largest freshwater lake lying entirely within the contiguous United States, often called 'Florida's Inland Sea.'

Despite its enormous size, Lake Okeechobee averages only about nine feet deep, so the far shore cannot be seen from the city's side of the lake.

The city is close to the site of the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, a major battle of the Second Seminole War fought in 1837 between forces under Zachary Taylor and Seminole warriors resisting forced removal.

The Okeechobee area was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, the first recorded Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic.

From 1918 to 1929, Coca-Cola operated a bottling plant in Okeechobee, on the site now occupied by a Jersey Mike's Subs.

Okeechobee is a gateway for the lake's famous largemouth bass fishing, with boat ramps, bait shops and guide services drawing anglers from across the country.

Cattle ranching remains central to the Okeechobee area's identity, and the city regularly hosts events at its rodeo arena.