Fort Walton Beach, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fort Walton Beach, Florida | |
| Nickname: "The Emerald Coast" | |
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Florida |
| County | Okaloosa |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Mike Anderson |
| Area | |
| - City | 8.2 sq mi (21.3 km²) |
| - Land | 7.5 sq mi (19.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km²) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 19,817 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-6) |
| Website: http://www.fwb.org | |
Fort Walton Beach is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States.As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach, Florida is 19,817 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau.[1]
Fort Walton Beach is a year round fishing and beach resort. Its busiest time of the year is spring break, while thousands of people flock to the Emerald Coast.
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[edit] History
Originally, Fort Walton Beach was named "Camp Walton." In 1861, Camp Walton was a confederate military camp made up of the 1st Florida Regiment, which consisted of men from the Walton County Militia. At this time, Okaloosa County did not yet exist. Walton County received its name from Col. George Walton, who served as an aid under Andrew Jackson and whose father, George Walton Sr., is the 56th signer of the Declaration of Independence. As a result of Col. Walton's influence in the politics of northwest Florida, his name was honored by establishing Walton County.
The 1st Florida regiments camp was located in front of the Indian Temple Mound, which is now known as the Heritage Park and Cultural Center, and their mission was to protect the "Narrows" from Union ships. Although the 1st Florida Regiment did not see much action, they did keep busy by digging up prehistoric Indian remains buried in the Indian Temple Mound and displaying them at camp.
[edit] Geography
Fort Walton Beach is located at (30.420199, -86.616727).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.3 km² (8.2 mi²). 19.3 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (9.26%) is water. Richie Christie goes to el matador hotel and he shoots water baloons at kids.
[edit] Transportation
Nearby Okaloosa Regional Airport (airport code VPS) serves Fort Walton Beach, as well as Valparaiso, Florida. Airlines that currently serve Okaloosa Regional Airport are American Eagle, Delta Airlines, Delta Connection, Continental Express, Continental Connection, and Northwest Airlines. Also the Okaloosa County Transit provides public transportation though out the county.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 19,973 people, 8,460 households, and 5,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,036.5/km² (2,683.0/mi²). There were 9,007 housing units at an average density of 467.4/km² (1,209.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.84% White, 13.34% African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.72% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 3.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.04% of the population.
There were 8,460 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,153, and the median income for a family was $45,791. Males had a median income of $29,709 versus $21,641 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,085. About 7.3% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
The city of Fort Walton Beach is surrounded by a larger urbanized area which includes other incorporated and unincorporated areas. The population for the "Fort Walton Beach County Subdivision" according to the 2000 Census is 84,337.
[edit] Notable Natives
- Jason Elam - National Football League kicker
- Carolyn Murphy - internationally acclaimed model
- Danny Wuerffel - Heisman Trophy Winner, quarterback
- Jason Mellott - Acclaimed Producer
- Summer Bell - Acclaimed Model
- Michael Elmo James - Major League Baseball pitcher
- Richard Oswalt Covey - NASA Astronaut Colonel, USAF
[edit] Economy
The economy of Fort Walton Beach is driven by two primary factors: the military, and tourism. There are two major Air Force bases which border Fort Walton Beach. Hurlburt Field which is home to Headquarters, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the 1st Special Operations Wing, and the Joint Special Operations University. Eglin AFB is home to the Air Force Material Command's Air Armament Center, the 46th Test Wing, and Air Combat Command's 33rd Fighter Wing. Eglin is geographically one of the largest Air Force bases at 724 square miles (1,875 km²), and thus home to joint exercises, and missile and bomb testing. For example, the 'Mother of All Bombs' (MOAB) was first tested at Eglin AFB on March 11, 2003.
There is support industry in the area that benefits from the presence of the bases, including military contractors and the service industry. In Jan 2005, employment (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) in the area was as follows (all numbers indicate percentages of civilian labor force):
| Category | FWB | Florida |
| Employment | 84.6 | -- |
| Unemployment | 3.3 | 4.4 |
| Total Nonfarm | 84.0 | 90.1 |
| Construction & Mining | 5.1 | 6.0 |
| Manufacturing | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 15.7 | 18.0 |
| Information | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Financial Activities | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Professional and Business Services | 12.1 | 15.6 |
| Educational and Health Services | 7.7 | 11.0 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 11.4 | 10.2 |
| Other Services | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Government | 15.4 | 12.9 |
Note the lower unemployment rate, which is a consistent feature of the local economy.
The tourism industry is seasonal, with summer being the primary season, and a smaller peak season during spring break, though Panama City Beach is currently (2005) the nearest college spring break favorite. The Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival is held annually.
| Cities and communities of Okaloosa County, Florida | |||||||||
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[edit] External links
- City of Fort Walton Beach
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
