Having lived in Florida since 1993, I've driven through some towns with odd names: Cadillac, Christmas, Festus, Frostproof, Early Bird, New York, Sopchoppy, Wacahoota and Two Egg, Florida to name a few.
This past week I drove through Okahumpka, Florida.
How was the town named?
Some quick research shows the name derives from an Indian term for "lonely or bitter waters."
The most recent census in 2010 reports a total population of 267.
The previous census in 2000 reported a total population of 251.
Only 16 people were added to the census in the last ten years!
Maybe that's what the forefathers who named the town planned all along...a town that never grows!
To steal (and alter) a line from a great movie, The Field of Dreams, "If you name it Okahumpka, they will not come."
Or maybe, it's just too lonely there and the water really is bitter!
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