Fort Walton and Okaloosa County
Fort Walton Beach is a great area for recreation and relaxation. The County is known for it’s beautiful aquamarine waters and 24 miles of white sand beaches, Fort Walton is unpretentious beautiful and radiates with a southern,down-home hospitality.
Some statistics
Population: 20,000
Over 190,000 in Okaloosa County or metro.
Median age: 38
Cost of living: 96.38 percent (U.S. average: 100 percent)
Median household effective buying income: $40,153(2000)
24 miles of beautiful beaches
Cost of living 101.5 per Accra-2nd quarter 2005
Per an MLS search (Oct 2005) The least expensive 2/2 homes started at $169,900
Entertainment and recreation
Museums,
Parks(4 Beach)
Diving
Golf
Snorkeling
Deep sea fishing!
Ft Walton is close to “The World’s Most Famous Fishing Village” located in Destin, Florida. http://www.destin-fwb.com/Activities/Water/?c=25
Weather
The sun shines 343 days a year.
Temperatures typically ranging between 70 and 92 degrees.
Average annual rainfall of 64.2 inches.
Health
4 Hospitals
11 Assisted Living facilities
9 skilled nursing facilities
240 total health facilities
To see all go to http://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com/
Job Market
Fort Walton Beach boasts one of the Southeast’s best concentrations of high tech employment, much of it focused around the aviation, aerospace and engineering businesses that call Fort Walton Beach home. Among the technology-based firms that have chosen to locate in Fort Walton Beach are
Boeing,
Lockheed-Martin
Raytheon.
With a well-trained and growing workforce, an attractive cost of doing business and a great quality of life, companies large and small find that Fort Walton Beach is a great place to do business.
http://www.floridasgreatnorthwest.com/FWBMSA.htm
Main employers.
Hurlburt AFB
Eglin Air Force Base
Together, the U.S. Department of Defense employs 23,000 people in the Fort Walton Beach area.
Industries providing employment:
Construction
Education & Health Services
Financial Activities
Information
Leisure & Hospitality
Manufacturing
Leading private employers include
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
Business Line: Resort
Hilton Sandestin Bech Resort
Business Line: Resort
ResortQuest International/Abbott Resorts
Business Line: Resort Property Management
Perdue Farms
Business Line: Poultry Processing
Wal-Mart
Business Line: Retail
Arvida/St. Joe Company
Business Line: Resort/Real Estate Development
HealthMark Regional Medical Center
Business Line: Hospital
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast
Business Line: Hospital
Seaside Development Corporation
Business Line: Resort/Real Estate Development
Professional Products, Inc.
Business Line: Manufacturer of Orthopedic Devices
Source http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=22&Display=all
Schools(Okaloosa District)
1 University
1 Community College
46 elementary, middle and High schools
Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state’s Department of Education http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm
Transportation
Air
Okaloosa County Air Terminal on State Road 85, about a 25-minute drive north from Destin or Fort Walton Beach.
Amtrak stops in Crestview, north of Eglin Air Force Base (AFB).
Automobile
Interstate 10, the major east-west route across the Panhandle.
U.S. Highway 98 serves Fort Walton Beach, Destin and many of the resorts and small beach communities along the Gulf Coast of neighboring rural Walton County
In conclusion, this is a great small community that has lots to offer. Good job potential, affordable housing, and good weather make this one of the most affordable relocation spots in Florida.
