Osceola County, Florida

Osceola County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States.  Its  is.

History
Osceola County was created in. It was named for the leader , whose name means "Singer of the Black Drink."

On, Florida was divided into two counties, named to the west and  to the east. In, the southern part of St. John's County became , with as the. When Florida became a state in, Mosquito County was renamed. In, was carved out from Mosquito County. On, Osceola was named a county, having been created from both Orange and Brevard Counties. Osceola County reached all the way down to until  when  was formed.

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

Osceola County Government is governed by three sets of s, 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, the county has a total area of 3,901 (1,506 ). 3,424 km² (1,322 sq mi) of it is land and 478 km² (184 sq mi) of it (12.24%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - south
 * - west
 * - northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 172,493 people, 60,977 households, and 45,062 families residing in the county. The was 50/km² (130/sq mi). There were 72,293 housing units at an average density of 21/km² (55/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 77.20%, 7.36% or , 0.46% , 2.20% , 0.08% , 9.06% from , and 3.63% from two or more races. 29.41% of the population were or  of any race.

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 $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 for the county was $17,022. About 9.10% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

2005 estimates
As of 2005 Osceola County's population was 49.8% non-Hispanic white, 37.8% Hispanic, 10.1% African-American, 2.8% Asian, and 1.9% non-Hispanic persons reporting more than one race.

Incorporated

 * 1) City of
 * 2) City of

Unincorporated

 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)
 * (special taxing district)

Schools
The serves the county.

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

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
 * (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 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
 * Tourism shows sign of slowdown
 * Osceola County Guide