Okaloosa County is located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 211,668. Its county seat is Crestview. Okaloosa County is included in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Walton County is located on the Emerald Coast in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida, with its southern border on the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,305. Its county seat is DeFuniak Springs. The county is home to the highest natural point in Florida: Britton Hill, at 345 feet (105 m). Walton County is included in the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Crestview is the largest city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 27,134 at the 2020 census, up from 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Okaloosa County. With an elevation of 235 feet (72 m) above sea level, it is one of the highest points in the state.
Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. It is a principal city of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,931 at the 2020 census, up from 12,305 at the 2010 census.
Fort Walton Beach, often referred to by the initialism FWB,is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is a principal city of the Crestview−Fort Walton Beach−Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Laurel Hill is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The City of Laurel Hill is part of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 584 at the 2020 US Census, up from 537 at the 2010 census.
Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located near Eglin Air Force Base on Boggy Bayou that opens into Choctawhatchee Bay. It is part of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,772 at the 2020 census, up from 12,749 at the 2010 census.
Shalimar is a town in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 737 at the 2020 census, up from 717 at the 2010 census.
Valparaiso is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 4,752, down from 5,036 at the 2010 census.
The Emerald Coast is an unofficial name for the coastal area in the US state of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico that stretches about 100 miles (160 km) through five counties, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay, which include Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, and Panama City Beach. Some south Alabama communities on the coast of Baldwin County, such as Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan embrace the term as well.
Florida's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida, covering the state's western Panhandle. It includes all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa counties, and portions of Walton county. The district is anchored in Pensacola and also includes the large military bedroom communities and tourist destinations of Navarre and Fort Walton Beach and stretches along the Emerald Coast. The district is currently represented by Republican Matt Gaetz. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+19, it is the most Republican district in Florida.
The Northwest Florida Daily News is a daily newspaper published in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It was founded in 1946 and is owned by Gannett.
Fort Walton Beach High School is a secondary school located in the center of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Lindsay Smith is the current principal. Placement classes have an open enrollment policy. The athletic program offers football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, softball, baseball, swimming, cross country, track, volleyball, girls and boys weightlifting. The Vikings have won two state championships in football, two state championships in girls basketball, and one state championship in boys weightlifting.
Destin Executive Airport, also known as Coleman Kelly Field, is a public use airport owned by and located in Okaloosa County, Florida. The airport is one nautical mile (2 km) east of the central business district of Destin, Florida. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
Crestview High School is the only high school in the city of Crestview, Florida. It was founded in 1926, and was part of a racially segregated system, served only white students until 1966, when the students from Carver-Hill, the school for African-Americans, were transferred there. It is the largest high school in the Okaloosa County School District, which serves all of Okaloosa County. The mascot of the school is the bulldog.
State Road 85 is a north–south state highway that runs from US 98 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida north to State Route 55 at the Florida/Alabama state line. In its earliest inception, it was just a clayed road over graded sandy soil, and was known early in the twentieth century as the Georgia, Alabama and Florida Highway.
Escambia Farms is a rural, unincorporated community in northern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a metropolitan area consisting of Okaloosa and Walton counties in northwest Florida, with the principal cities of Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin. As of the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 286,993, up from 235,865 at the 2010 census.
Carver-Hill School was a school for African Americans in Okaloosa County, Florida. It was the only school for African Americans in the county. Its former lunchroom housed the Carver-Hill Museum until a museum building was constructed.
Florida's 4th House district elects one member of the Florida House of Representatives. The district is represented by Patt Maney. This district is located in the Florida Panhandle, and encompasses part of the Emerald Coast, as well as part of the Crestview metropolitan area. The district covers southern Okaloosa County. The largest city in the district is Crestview. As of the 2010 census, the district's population is 158,781.
