City of Ocoee

The City of Ocoee was formed as a small agricultural settlement supported by the local citrus and vegetable farming industry. The town was first settled adjacent to Starke Lake, southeast of Lake Apopka, in the mid-1800’s.

Following the end of the Civil War, a number of settlers moved into the area including Captain Bluford M. Sims, a native of Tennessee who served in the Confederacy. He had purchased a tract of land from Dr. J. D. Starke and established the first citrus nursery in the United States. Sims had a number of other credits and accomplishments to his name including road commissioner, Freemason, and contractor for the first framed court house in Orlando. It is the section of land Sims used for citrus growth which now comprises most of what is considered downtown Ocoee. Sims led a group of early settlers in having the town platted and in 1886 the name was changed to Ocoee.