The Smallest Post Office in America!

I have a particular fondness for South Florida. I love the ocean breezes, the sand, the gentle waves lapping the beach, and the palm trees swaying with their fronds rustling. As I drive south, the last “Bridges Freeze Before Roadway” sign is more than 200 miles behind us. 

For the past several years I’ve attended conferences on Lido Key, an island off the coast of Sarasota. This, plus our visits to Sanibel Island and to family in the Naples area, usually dictates that I travel on the Gulf side of the state. My favorite area in all of Florida is the Keys. To reach U.S. Route 1 leading to the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S., I have to travel across the bottom of Florida. My usual travel, Route 41, is also known as Alligator Alley. 

Travelling across Rt. 41, there are several interesting sights, one of which is the Ochopee Post Office, the smallest post office in America. I’ve stopped by this post office several times during my travels, but it’s always too late in the day for it to be open. I wanted something post marked from the tiny P.O.so I dropped some post cards in the night drop. However, they arrived post marked Naples. Oh well!

The Ochopee Post Office serves a population of 11. If you’ve been in one of my business classes during the “close the post office” discussions, you know I feel the P.O. should be run like a business. If certain offices don’t make a profit…close the dogs! However, further research shows that this little post office has a delivery route that serves customers in three counties, along a 132 mile stretch! 

Of the 3,654 post office slated for possible closure, more than 2,000 bring in less than $24,000, cost close to $100,000 to operate, AND have other post offices within 5 miles. But the little P.O. at zip code 34141 serving 11 locals AND a delivery route of more than 132 miles is OK with me. I checked the post office closing list and Ochopee was not on the list. Good!