Florida Heartland

The Florida Heartland region was originally settled and inhabited by Americans of predominantly English ancestry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

[1] While located in Palm Beach County, the nearby rural cities of South Bay, Belle Glade and Pahokee as well as the census-designated place of Lake Harbor, located on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, are more associated with the Florida Heartland than the remainder of South Florida.

In much of the Heartland and rural Florida, it is common for incorporated municipalities to contract county services in order to save costs and avoid redundancy.

The six school districts are all members of the Heartland Educational Consortium, located in Lake Placid, Florida.

The Florida's Turnpike passes through the northeastern corner of Okeechobee County, and includes the Fort Drum service plaza, however, there are no exits along that segment.

Other four-lane highways within the Heartland region include Florida State Road 70, which runs from Okeechobee east to the Okeechobee-St. Lucie County line, and Florida State Road 80, which runs from Whidden Corner several miles west of Clewiston west to the Hendry-Lee County line.

The lack of development and amenities results in fewer tourists visiting the area, and there are no oceanfront beaches to attract nearby residents.

There, the 12 Hours of Sebring, an American Le Mans Series race usually held in the second week of March, drew a "paying crowd" of more than 169,000 in 2006.

[2] Many seasonal residents (sometimes referred to as "snowbirds") live in the area during the winter months only, as temperatures in south Florida stay very moderate during that time of year.

TV service originates in Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.