Clewiston sits on the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County, Florida, about 80 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale and roughly 60 miles from both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The city was founded in the 1920s as a planned community for workers in the emerging sugarcane industry, and agriculture has defined it ever since. U.S. Sugar Corporation, headquartered in Clewiston, remains the dominant employer, and the surrounding fields produce a large share of Florida's sugar crop — earning the city its nickname, "America's Sweetest Town." Lake Okeechobee is Clewiston's other defining feature. As the largest lake in the southeastern United States, covering roughly 750 square miles, it has made the city a nationally known fishing destination, particularly for trophy largemouth bass and speckled perch. Roland Martin Marina anchors the local fishing economy, and B.A.S.S. and FLW tournament events regularly draw anglers from across the country. The Herbert Hoover Dike, which encircles much of the lake, provides a long-distance trail popular with hikers and cyclists. The city itself is home to about 7,300 residents and serves as the eastern anchor of Hendry County, with LaBelle as the county seat to the west. Clewiston's schools belong to the Hendry County School District, including Clewiston High School. Housing ranges from in-town single-family homes and manufactured housing to rural acreage and farm properties on the outskirts. For newcomers, Clewiston offers a distinctly inland, agricultural South Florida lifestyle at a lower cost than the coasts — a working small city with deep roots in sugar, a world-class fishery at its doorstep, and both of Florida's coasts within about an hour's drive.