Florida Heartland

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 2020 United States Census, there were 251,927 people living in the Florida Heartland region. 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==

Like much of Florida, each county in the region has its own government. Within each county, there are also incorporated cities and towns. ==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 Indian River State College's Dixon Hendry Campus in Okeechobee, and the Fort Myers-based Florida SouthWestern State College with its Hendry/Glades Center in LaBelle. ==Regional transportation==

Highways There are no exits from Interstate highways in the Florida Heartland. The only Interstate highway to pass through the Florida Heartland is Interstate 75, which passes briefly through extreme southwestern DeSoto County near Port Charlotte, however, there are no exits in the county. 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. U.S. Route 27 and U.S. Route 17 are the only major four-lane highways within the Florida Heartland region. U.S. 27 runs from the southeastern corner of the region at the Hendry–Palm Beach county line just east of Clewiston to the northern boundary of the Heartland region at the Highlands–Polk county line. U.S. Route 17 runs from the DeSoto-Charlotte County line north to the Hardee–Polk county line. 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. 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: CSX Transportation, Seminole Gulf Railway, and South Central Florida Express. 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 in the Florida Heartland is the Sebring International Raceway, southeast of Sebring in Highlands County. 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. 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. Lake Okeechobee and Lake Istokpoga in Highlands County attract fishers to the area. ==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 Today (Sebring). Other daily newspapers that serve the Heartland include: 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 Incorporated municipalities Metropolitan and micropolitan areas The Sebring, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Highlands County, is the only MSA within the Florida Heartland region. With a 2023 estimated population of 107,614 the Sebring MSA has the smallest population of Florida's 22 Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Additionally, the Census Bureau has identified four Micropolitan Statistical Areas: • Arcadia, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (DeSoto County, Florida) • Clewiston, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Hendry County, Florida) • Okeechobee, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Okeechobee County, Florida) • Wauchula, Fla. Micropolitan Statistical Area (Hardee County, Florida) ==References==