Reviews & Comments
Belle Glade, FL
The "Glades," western Palm Beach County, Fla. -
7/8/2006This area is just on the eastern "edge" of Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Lake O is the second-largest lake within the continental US, and is considered by many as the "bass capital of the world." The lake is almost completely surrounded by a 25-35 foot high dike that is over 120 miles long, as a result of a horrendous hurricane in 1928 that left over 2500 dead and/or missing. The LOST, or Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a portion of the Florida Trail, circles the lake on top of the dike. The area is great for hiking, birding, and of course fishing.
There is much to love, and much to be doubtful about - Friendly people, "deep south" culture interlaced with Southwestern US/Mexican/Central American and Caribbean, with a smattering of Islamic. In this low-to-moderate income area, many immigrants/refugees of varying cultures work the vast cane fields, corn, rice and nearby citrus and vegetable farms. "Big Sugar" owns most of the land, and we are near the northern-most portion of South Florida that is part of the Everglades Restoration.