City Profile: Okeechobee

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Lake Okeechobee offers freshwater fishing off boat or shore.

Photo Credit: Contributed Photo

The Seminole word for 'Big Water,' Okeechobee is best-known for its eponymous lake.

Okeechobee is the Seminole word for "Big Water," and Lake Okeechobee lives up to its name. The lake is vibrant with life and strong Florida history, and borders a number of quaint and charming cities within Okeechobee, Glades, Hendry, Palm Beach and Martin Counties. It served as an inland sea for early pioneers and is the second largest freshwater lake in the United States.

The Okeechobee Territory is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect and preserve the eight-mile wide littoral zone which surrounds the lake and is the habitat for "Big Water's" rare and exotic wildlife, including ibis, herons, woodstorks and eagles.

Lake Okeechobee has enriching nature tours and sports fishing. Hunting is also popular around the Lake, as white-tailed deer, quail, turkey and wild hog are plentiful. Entertaining festivals and rodeos complement the natural surroundings and make Okeechobee a living exemplification of "Old Florida."