Osceola County, Florida

Osceola County is a county in the  of Florida and was formed on May 8, 1917. As of the, the population was 268,685. Osceola County's seat is Kissimmee.

Osceola County is included in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla..

Etymology
Osceola County is named for the leader Osceola, whose name means "Black Drink Cry [Asi Yaholo]".

History
Osceola County was created in 1887. 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. In 1844, Brevard County was carved out from Mosquito County. When Florida became a state in 1845, Mosquito County was renamed Orange 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 until 1917 when Okeechobee County was formed.

Since the late 20th century, Osceola County has experienced a significant influx of migrants from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the unincorporated territory of the United States,, and in the Puerto Rican was the largest self-reported ancestry group.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,506 sqmi, of which 1,327 sqmi is land and 178 sqmi (11.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

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

Airports
Kissimmee Gateway Airport

Major highways

 * Osceola County Road 522 FL.svg
 * Osceola County Road 522 FL.svg
 * Osceola County Road 522 FL.svg
 * Osceola County Road 522 FL.svg
 * Osceola County Road 522 FL.svg

Demographics
As of the of 2012, there were 287,416 people, and 92,526 households residing in the county. The was 203 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 128,170 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile (21/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 38.2% Non-Hispanic, 13.0% Non-Hispanic or , 0.7% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 2.5% from two or more races. 47.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, majority of which are Puerto Ricans, who account for 25.0% of the population and are the largest ancestral group in the county.

36.72% of the county population is affiliated with a religious congregation. There are 206 religious congregations in the county. 15.87% are ; 1.22% are ; 4.83% are, 3.53% are , 7.92% are members of other faiths, 0.05% are , 0.18% affiliate with an eastern faith, and 3.12% affilitate with Islam.

There were 60,977 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were 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 $39,214, and the median income for a family was $44,061. Males had a median income of $30,034 versus $23,750 for females. The for the county was $20,536. About 13.3% of the population were below the, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Kissimmee
 * St. Cloud

Census-designated places

 * Buenaventura Lakes
 * Campbell
 * Celebration
 * Four Corners
 * Poinciana
 * Yeehaw Junction

Other inincorporated communities

 * Bull Creek
 * Deer Park
 * Harmony
 * Holopaw
 * Kenansville
 * Narcoossee

Government links/Constitutional offices

 * Osceola County Charter
 * 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
 * (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

History

 * Osceola County Collection on RICHES Mosaic Interface