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-2^nd 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.

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