Lorida is an unincorporated community in eastern Highlands County, Florida, along U.S. Route 98 between the cities of Sebring and Okeechobee. The community sits near the north and east shores of Lake Istokpoga, one of Florida's largest lakes, and is defined by its rural, lake-country setting. Lorida grew up organically rather than as a planned town. Beginning in the 1910s, settlers began laying down roots along the marshy shore of Lake Istokpoga, establishing the small farming community that preceded today's settlement. The name Lorida dates to 1938, when a local postmaster and a railroad official dropped the letter "F" from "Florida" to avoid confusion with a nearby railroad station. The community is best known as a fishing destination. Numerous fish camps and lodges line the north and east shores of Lake Istokpoga, serving anglers drawn to the lake's well-known bass fishing. The lake itself is shallow and expansive, a defining feature of the landscape and a major draw for visitors and seasonal residents. Lorida lies within reach of the Kissimmee River and Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, which protects a stretch of Florida's dry prairie ecosystem. Students attend Highlands County Schools, with campuses in nearby Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid. Along the highway, light industry and services mix with the fish camps and lodges that serve the lake's anglers, reflecting the community's long reliance on the water. It is a place shaped less by growth than by the rhythms of the lake and the surrounding cattle and citrus lands, giving Lorida a distinct identity in central Florida's Lake Wales Ridge country.