Florida Heartland
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2009) |
The Florida Heartland (also known as South Central Florida) is a region of
Development
The region is primarily rural in nature, with the primary economic driver being agriculture. Important products grown in this area include tomatoes, beef, sugarcane, cucumbers and citrus products including oranges.
In Hardee county, phosphate mining is also a substantial industry, particularly along the Peace River basin.
Demographics
As of the
The racial makeup of the region was: 65.6% White (150,302) 22.2% Hispanic (50,817) 9.8% Black (22,510) 1.2% Other/Pacific Islander (2,687) 0.7% Asian (1,701) 0.5% Native American (1,192)
Government
Each county in the region has its own county government. Within each county, there are also self-governing cities and towns. The majority of land in each county is controlled directly by the county government. It is common for incorporated municipalities to contract county services in order to save costs and avoid redundancy.
Education
Each of the six counties has its own school board, with four of the county school systems consisting of one high school, one alternative school and no more than two middle schools. Highlands County has three high schools while Hendry County has two.
The six school districts are all members of the Heartland Educational Consortium, located in Lake Placid, Florida. The Consortium is one of three educational consortia in the state, created by state legislature to provide support to small and rural school districts.
South Florida State College, the largest post-secondary institution based within Florida's Heartland, is located in Avon Park and has campuses in Lake Placid, Bowling Green and Arcadia.
Other community colleges that have campuses in the Florida Heartland include the
Regional Transportation
Highways
There are no interstate Highways in the Florida Heartland. The Florida's Turnpike passes through the northeastern corner of Okeechobee County, and includes the Fort Drum service plaza, but there are no exits along that segment. Interstate 75 briefly passes through extreme southwestern DeSoto County, but there are no exits in the county.
U.S. Highways in the region:
|
State Roads in the region include:
|
Airports
There is no scheduled airline service in the Florida Heartland. The following General Aviation airports operate in the region:
Seaports
There are no seaports, as there is neither a seacoast nor navigable rivers, but the Okeechobee Waterway is a navigable canal which crosses the region, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean through Lake Okeechobee. There is a proposal underway for a potential "Inland Port" to be located in the Florida Heartland. This inland port would be an extension of the Ports of West Palm Beach, Everglades and Miami which lack the current and available real estate to expand their facilities.
Railway
There are three freight lines operating in the Florida Heartland, with approximately 190 miles of track:
Amtrak service operates on CSX tracks, with stops in Sebring and Okeechobee.
Tourism
Tourism is an economic driver in the area, but far less so than most of the rest of the state. The lack of development and amenities results in fewer tourists visiting the area, and there are no oceanfront beaches to attract nearby residents. The largest tourist attraction is the
Area codes
Area code 863 is used throughout the region.
Regional media
Newspapers
There are two daily newspapers published in the Heartland, the Okeechobee News (Okeechobee), and Highlands News-Sun (Sebring).
Other daily newspapers that serve the Heartland include:
|
|
Television stations
There are no local television stations in the Florida Heartland. TV service originates in
.Radio stations
The following radio stations operate in the Heartland:
WRMI, a Miami-based shortwave radio station, broadcasts from facilities near Okeechobee. The Okeechobee site was previously the longtime home of Family Radio's WYFR from 1977 to 2013.
Florida Heartland Population Data
Counties
County | County Seat | Pop. (2020) | Pop. (2010) | Pop. (2000) | Change (2020–2010) | Change (2000–2010) | Change (1990–2000) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DeSoto County | Arcadia | 33,976 | 34,862 | 32,209 | -2.5% | +8.2% | +35.0% |
Glades County | Moore Haven | 12,126 | 12,884 | 10,576 | -5.9% | +21.8% | +39.3% |
Hardee County | Wauchula | 25,327 | 27,731 | 26,938 | -8.7% | +2.9% | +38.2% |
Hendry County | LaBelle | 39,619 | 39,140 | 36,120 | +1.2% | +8.1% | +40.5% |
Highlands County | Sebring | 101,235 | 98,786 | 87,366 | +2.5% | +13.1% | +27.7% |
Okeechobee County | Okeechobee | 39,644 | 39,996 | 35,910 | -0.9% | +11.4% | +21.2% |
Total | 251,927 | 253,399 | 229,209 | -0.6% | +11.0% | +31.1% | |
Florida - statewide | 21,538,187 | 18,801,310 | 15,982,378 | +14.6% | +17.6% | +23.5% |
Incorporated municipalities
|
|
|
Metropolitan and micropolitan areas
There are no United States Census Bureau-designated
- Arcadia, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (DeSoto County, Florida)
- Clewiston, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Hendry County, Florida)
- Okeechobee, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Okeechobee County, Florida)
- Sebring, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Highlands County, Florida)
- Wauchula, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Hardee County, Florida)
References
- ^ Cecile Hulse Matschat, Suwannee River: Strange Green Land (University of Georgia Press, 1938), page 1–14
- ^ "Motor Sports: 12 Hours Of Sebring: No Smoke, Nothing In The Mirrors: Diesel Powers Audi To Sixth Straight Win At Sebring". Motor Trend.
External links
- FHREDI - Florida's Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative
- FHRCH - Florida's Heartland Rural Consortia for the Homeless, Inc.
- Heartland Library Cooperative - Public Library System for Highlands, Hardee, Desoto and Okeechobee counties