LaBelle

Hendry County seat on the Caloosahatchee

Founded

1895

Place

LaBelle, Hendry County

District

The Glades

Status as of 12 September 2026

Operating county seat, population 4,966 at the 2020 census.

Connections

5 edges, 5 distinct neighbours · betweenness 0.026 (rank 50 of 243) · location and lineage only 0.036 (rank 18) · outside share 0.20

Confidence

Medium · sources: [WLAB] [WHEN] (register)

Cattle king Francis Asbury Hendry plats the river settlement in 1895 and names it for his daughters Laura and Belle; it becomes the seat of new Hendry County in 1923 and is chartered as a city in 1925 [WLAB][WHEN]. Henry Ford buys 7,000 acres from E. E. Goodno here in May 1924, and the town hosts the Swamp Cabbage Festival each February [WLAB].

Connections

Location and lineage

• founded byFrancis Asbury Hendryplats the town and names it for his daughters Laura and Belle1895
• grew out ofDisston purchase and drainage workssettlement on the Caloosahatchee follows the dredging era1881 onward
• tied venture or seat ofA. Duda & Sonscitrus purchased at LaBelle in the 1960s1960s to present

Events and recognition

• featuresSwamp Cabbage Festivalthe river town's festival1966 to present

Support

• supported byUF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education CenterHendry County growers inside its service area1958 to present