Osceola County, Florida

Osceola County, Florida
County courthouse in Kissimmee
Seal
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded	May 12, 1887
Seat	Kissimmee
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,506.35 sq mi (3,901 km²) 1,321.90 sq mi (3,424 km²) 184.45 sq mi (478 km²), 12.24%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	268,685 203/sq mi (78.47/km²)
Website	http://www.osceola.org/

Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045,^[1] making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States.^[2] Its county seat is Kissimmee.^[3]

History

Osceola County was created in 1887. It was named for the Indian leader Osceola, whose name means "Black Drink Cry[Asi Yaholo]."

On July 21, 1821, Florida was divided into two counties, named Escambia County to the west and St. John's County to the east. In 1824, the southern part of St. John's County became Mosquito County, with Enterprise as the county seat. When Florida became a state in 1845, Mosquito County was renamed Orange County. In 1844, Brevard County was carved out from Mosquito County. On May 12, 1887, Osceola was named a county, having been created from both Orange and Brevard Counties. Osceola County reached all the way down to Lake Okeechobee until 1917 when Okeechobee County was formed.

Since the late 20th century, Osceola County has experienced a significant influx of immigrants from Puerto Rico,^[4] and in the 2000 U.S. Census Puerto Rican was the largest self-reported ancestry group.^[5]

Government

Osceola County is a Charter county, and an administrative subdivision of the State of Florida. Voters approved the County Charter in March 1992, and it took effect on October 1, 1992. The structure of County government under the charter does not depart dramatically from the structure of a County government outlined in the Florida Statutes.

Osceola County Government is governed by three sets of elected officials, each of which independently directs separate branches of County Government. These include: the five-member County Commission, five separate Constitutional Officers, and a number of Judicial Officers. Under State law, the County Commission is responsible for funding the budgets of all Osceola County Government, including the independently elected Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers, as well as the Commission's own departments. Each independent officer has discretion to administer his or her own programs. The County Commission exercises oversight only over its own departments.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,506.35 square miles (3,901.4 km²), of which 1,321.90 square miles (3,423.7 km²) (or 87.76%) is land and 184.45 square miles (477.7 km²) (or 12.24%) is water.^[6]

Adjacent Counties

• Orange County, Florida - north
• Brevard County, Florida - northeast
• Indian River County, Florida - east
• Okeechobee County, Florida - southeast
• Highlands County, Florida - south
• Polk County, Florida - west
• Lake County, Florida - northwest

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	3,133		—
1900	3,444		9.9%
1910	5,507		59.9%
1920	7,195		30.7%
1930	10,699		48.7%
1940	10,119		−5.4%
1950	11,406		12.7%
1960	19,029		66.8%
1970	25,267		32.8%
1980	49,287		95.1%
1990	107,728		118.6%
2000	172,493		60.1%
2010	268,685		55.8%
[7][8][9]

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 172,493 people, 60,977 households, and 45,062 families residing in the county. The population density was 130 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 72,293 housing units at an average density of 55 per square mile (21/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 47.20% Non-Hispanic White, 10.36% Non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.06% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. 34.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, majority of which are Puerto Ricans, who account for 25.36% of the population and are the largest ancestral group in the county.

There were 60,977 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 19.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,214, and the median income for a family was $42,061. Males had a median income of $29,034 versus $21,746 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,022. About 9.10% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Municipalities

Incorporated

1. City of Kissimmee
2. City of St. Cloud

Super suburb

A new super suburb is planned in Osceola County called Destiny it would house up to 240,000 residents.

Unincorporated

• Buenaventura Lakes
• Bull Creek
• Campbell
• Celebration, originally created by the Walt Disney Company
• Deer Park
• Harmony
• Holopaw
• Kenansville
• Poinciana
• Yeehaw Junction

Special districts

• Reedy Creek Improvement District (special taxing district created for Walt Disney World)

Schools

The School District of Osceola County, Florida serves the county.

Colleges

• Valencia Community College - Osceola Campus

Libraries

• Hart Memorial Central Library
• Veterans Memorial Library, St. Cloud Branch
• Buenaventura Lakes Branch Library
• Poinciana Branch Library
• West Osceola Branch Library
• Kenansville Branch Library
• Narcoossee Library Annex

See also

Florida portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Osceola County, Florida

References

1. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2006-01-12.xls
2. ^ http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/cb07-42tbl3.xls
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ Rohter, Larry (1994-01-31). "A Puerto Rican Boom for Florida - NYTimes.com". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F05E0DB1539F932A05752C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2010-02-19. 
5. ^ "File:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". En.wikipedia.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.jpg. Retrieved 2010-02-19. 
6. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
7. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/fl190090.txt
8. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table
9. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

Government links/Constitutional offices

• Osceola County Government / Board of County Commissioners
• Osceola County Supervisor of Elections
• Osceola County Property Appraiser
• Osceola County Sheriff's Office
• Osceola County Tax Collector
• Kissimmee Utility Authority (local power and Internet provider)

Library System

• Osceola Library System

Special Districts

• School District of Osceola County
• South Florida Water Management District
• St. Johns River Water Management District

Judicial branch

• Osceola County Clerk of Courts
• Public Defender, 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Orange and Osceola Counties
• Circuit and County Court for the 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

• Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce
• Osceola County Guide

Coordinates: 28°04′N 81°09′W / 28.06°N 81.15°W / 28.06; -81.15