Ocoee
A District 1 Community

Overview

Once a sleepy city founded after the Civil War by confederate soldiers and their families, Ocoee has grown into the third-largest city in Orange County.

The settlement began when Dr. J. D. Starke led a group of slaves into the area in the mid-1850s. Many of the men, including Starke, were stricken with malaria and hoped by moving they could escape further outbreaks. They established a camp along the northern shores of a lake with open pine woods and found that the clear, clean water did indeed bring them better health. So Starke and his slaves worked in the fields near Lake Apopka during the day and retired to the warm, calm haven at night.

It was around this nucleus in which the community of Starke Lake began to grow. Though the town would eventually change its name, the lake which brought such good health to the man who originally settled here, still bears his name - Starke Lake.

Home to more than 37,000 people, Ocoee is located at the heart of three major expressways, making it an ideal location for working families and businesses alike. Meanwhile, its history is faithfully preserved for future generations via the Ocoee Christian Church and the Withers-Maguire House and Museum. The city’s past culture is observed in the beautiful parks, brick roads and historic buildings.

Contact Us

Commissioner Nicole H. Wilson
201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor
Orlando, FL 32801

Email: district1@ocfl.net
Phone: 407-836-7312

Sign up for our newsletter for regular BCC Updates at the bottom of nicolewilson.org.

All e-mail sent to this address becomes part of Orange County public record. Comments received by our e-mail subsystem can be read by anyone who requests that privilege. In compliance with "Government in the Sunshine" laws, Orange County Government must make available, at request, any and all information not deemed a threat to the security of law enforcement agencies and personnel.