Physical Characteristics. Highlands County is northwest of Lake Okeechobee and is bordered by Okeechobee, De Soto, Glades, Hardee, and Polk counties. The county has 1028.61 square miles of land and 78.15 square miles of water for a total of 1106.76 square miles. The average January temperature is 63.2 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average August temperature is 81.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The average annual rainfall is 52.22 inches.
History. Highlands County was established from a portion of De Soto County in 1921 and was named for its rolling countryside.
