Okeechobee is close to the site of the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, a major battle of the Second Seminole War, fought between forces under the command of Zachary Taylor and Seminole warriors resisting forced removal to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s.

In the 1930s, Okeechobee was the commercial center for the surrounding area, shipping hundreds of train cars of winter vegetables annually.

Some plant flowers and shrubs to lure bugs, and occasionally install electric lights to attract moths, beetles, and other nocturnal insects.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,254 people, 1,814 households, and 1,316 families residing in the city.

[17] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,621 people, 1,839 households, and 1,152 families residing in the city.

This multi-day, multi-genre music festival attracted approximately 30,000 people to the city in its first year.