Hardee County, Florida

Hardee County Education, Geography, and History

Hardee County is a county located in the state of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 27,731. Hardee County was created on April 23, 1921 from DeSoto County. The county seat is Wauchula, Florida. This county is named for Cary A. Hardee (1876-1957), governor of Florida at the time of creation of Hardee County. 

Hardee County comprises the Wauchula, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Hardee County Name

Hardee county is named for Cary A. Hardee, Governor, 1921-1925.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Hardee County History

The county is named for Cary A. Hardee, Governor of Florida from 1921 to 1925. Hardee County was created in 1921.

On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley went directly through Hardee County. Maximum sustained winds in downtown Wauchula were clocked at 149 MPH with higher gusts. Most buildings in the county sustained damage, and many were totally destroyed.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 638 square miles (1,653 km²), of which, 637 square miles (1,651 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (3 km²) of it (0.16%) is water.

Hardee county is located close to the center of Florida. The central Florida soil that consist of Hardee county today is some of the richest in the world and makes Hardee county  one of the country's top prime agricultural centers.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Polk County
• Southeast: Highlands County
• South: DeSoto County
• West: Manatee County
• Northwest: Hillsborough County
  

Education

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