Seaside, Florida

Last updated

Seaside, Florida
Unincorporated community
Seaside, Florida.jpg
Seaside Post Office
Motto(s): 
"A simple, beautiful life."
USA Florida location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Seaside, Florida
Coordinates: 30°19′12″N86°08′16″W / 30.320118°N 86.137705°W / 30.320118; -86.137705
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of Florida.svg  Florida
County   Walton
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
32459
GNIS feature ID1955357 [1]
Architectural collage of new urbanist Seaside, Florida Seaside Florida architecture.jpg
Architectural collage of new urbanist Seaside, Florida
Entrance sign to Seaside, Florida Seaside Entrance.JPG
Entrance sign to Seaside, Florida
Post office at the center of Seaside Seaside1.jpg
Post office at the center of Seaside

Seaside is an unincorporated master-planned community on the Florida Panhandle in Walton County, between Panama City Beach and Destin. One of the first communities in America designed on the principles of New Urbanism, the town has become the topic of slide lectures in architectural schools and in housing-industry magazines, and is visited by design professionals from all over the United States. [2]

Contents

History

Seaside Chapel, a community landmark designed by Merrill, Pastor, & Colgan in 2001. Seaside Chaple BW.jpg
Seaside Chapel, a community landmark designed by Merrill, Pastor, & Colgan in 2001.
Beach of Seaside Beach of Seaside in Walton County in Florida Panhandle.JPG
Beach of Seaside

The community was first constructed in 1981. [3]

The idea behind Seaside came in 1946, when the grandfather of future founder Robert S. Davis bought 80 acres (32 ha) of land along the shore of Northwest Florida as a summer retreat for his family. [4] [3]

In 1978, Davis inherited the parcel from his grandfather, and aimed to transform it into an old-fashioned beach town, with traditional wood-framed cottages of the Florida Panhandle. Davis, his wife Daryl and, the architectural partners and Driehaus Prize winners, Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company toured the south studying small towns as a basis for planning Seaside. [5] [6] The final plan was complete around 1985. [5]

The town was used as the main filming location of the 1998 film The Truman Show . [7]

Location

Seaside is located along County Road 30A immediately adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico. [3] Via County Road 30A, Rosemary Beach is 8 mi (13 km) to the southeast, and Miramar Beach is 16 mi (26 km) to the northwest (via County Road 30A to US 98).

Design

Seaside is one of three planned communities on Florida's Gulf coast designed by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. [3] The other two are Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach. The three are examples of a style of urban planning known as New Urbanism. As Seaside is privately owned, no other municipal governments had planning jurisdiction over Seaside, and therefore the developers were able to write their own zoning codes.

Individual housing units in Seaside are required to be different from other buildings, with designs ranging from styles such as Victorian, New Classical, Modern, Postmodern, and Deconstructivism. [8] Seaside includes buildings by architects such as Léon Krier, Robert A. M. Stern, Steven Holl, Machado and Silvetti Associates, Deborah Berke, Gordon Burns & Associates, Thomas Christ, Walter Chatham, Daniel Solomon, Ronnie Holstead, Jeff Margaretten, Alex Gorlin, Aldo Rossi, Michael McDonough, Samuel Mockbee, David Mohney, Steve Badanes, Walker Candler, and David Coleman. [9] Another Driehaus Prize winner, the architect Scott Merrill designed the Seaside Chapel, an interfaith chapel and local landmark. [10]

Seaside has no private front lawns, and only native plants are used in front yards. [11]

Events

During the Annual 30A Songwriters Festival, produced by the Cultural Arts Association of Walton County, singer-songwriters from all over the U.S. perform in venues along Scenic Highway 30A and at a few venues in Seaside itself. [12]

The Seaside Half Marathon and 5K Race is held each year in March, and attracts runners from all across the U.S. This is quickly becoming one of the region's premier running events. The 5K Run is limited to the first 800 people that register and the Half Marathon is limited to the first 2200 that register. [13] The top three runners from each age group receive a prize, and every runner in the half marathon receives a medal upon completing the race. Participants are allowed to walk in either race. [14]

Other events include the Seeing Red Wine Festival, [15] a dance festival, a farmers market, and holiday events such as an annual production of The Nutcracker .

Organizations and institutions

Escape to Create

Escape to Create aims to celebrate artists and serve the community through Multi-Disciplinary Artist Residencies, Visiting Artists and Scholars, Arts and Cultural Programs, and Educational outreach.

Seaside Farmers Market

On Saturday mornings the Seaside Farmers Market offers fresh local produce, dairy products, baked goods, and native plants. [16] Demonstrations in cooking and gardening are also held on a regular basis. [17]

Repertory Theater

The Repertory Theater (REP) was founded in the spring of 2001, and serves more than 25,000 people every year. [18] The plays are performed by the only professional theater company on the Emerald Coast, and includes everything from family shows to sophisticated adult content shows. [19] High school students who live in the area can intern at the Seaside Repertory Theater. The program is intended to teach practical knowledge by working with the staff and get to be in charge of their own production. [20]

SEASIDE Institute

The SEASIDE Institute is a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Seaside, Florida. The organization hosts educational programs throughout the year centered around sustainability, connectivity, and adaptability.

Seaside Neighborhood School

In 1995 a group of parents and other community members from towns in Walton County, met and discussed how they could improve education within the county. Their discussions focused on making a densely populated school with grades five to eight. [21] In 1996 Seaside Neighborhood School was established. It was Florida's first charter school. [22] The school initially consisted of 50 students and one classroom. In 1998, architect Richard Gibbs designed three white buildings which became the school's site. [23] In order to maintain the small enrollment of children that attend the school, a limited number of students are accepted into each grade. If enrollment exceeds the limit, students names are drawn randomly from a lottery. After the limit has been reached, they continue to pull out names which then creates a school year waiting list. If someone withdraws from the school then the first on the waiting list will be accepted. Children of employees, Board Members, or siblings of current attendees of the school are automatically admitted. In 2013, Seaside Neighborhood School founded a collegiate high school, called Seacoast Collegiate High School. In its inaugural year, it served 80 students in grades 9 and 10. Grade 11 was added in 2014 and grade 12 was added in the fall of 2015. In August 2014, Seaside Neighborhood School also introduced a fifth grade class. [24]

Notable residents

See also

Related Research Articles

DPZ CoDesign (DPZ) is an architecture and town planning firm based in Miami, Florida, founded in 1980 by the husband-and-wife team of Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. The firm advocates for New Urbanist town planning in the United States and other countries, having completed designs for over 300 new and existing communities. In addition to Duany and Plater-Zyberk, DPZ's partners include Galina Tachieva, Marina Khoury, Senen M. A. Antonio and Matthew J. Lambert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okaloosa County, Florida</span> County in the United States

Okaloosa County is a county 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walton County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Walton County is a county 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destin, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States of America

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miramar Beach, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Miramar Beach is a census-designated place (CDP) in Walton County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,002 at the 2020 census, up from 6,146 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview—Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although many other coastal localities in Florida have appended "Beach" to their names to distinguish themselves from an adjacent inland or cross-bay municipality – such as Miami Beach, St. Pete Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Panama City Beach, Melbourne Beach, Cocoa Beach, and Jacksonville Beach – the city of Miramar, Florida is actually over 450 miles (720 km) away in South Florida. Miramar Beach is due east of Destin, Florida. It is often considered to be part of the city of Destin. However, it has its own ZIP code (32550) and is in Walton County, whereas Destin is in Okaloosa County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Urbanism</span> Urban design movement promoting sustainable land use

New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually influenced many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use strategies. New Urbanism attempts to address the ills associated with urban sprawl and post-Second World War suburban development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport</span> Airport in Florida, United States

Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport is an airport located within Eglin Air Force Base, adjacent to the city of Valparaiso and near the cities of Destin and Fort Walton Beach, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The airport was previously named Northwest Florida Regional Airport until February 17, 2015, and Okaloosa Regional Airport until September 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrés Duany</span> American architect and urban planner

Andrés Duany is an American architect, an urban planner, and a founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk</span> American architect and urban planner

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk is a professor at the University of Miami's School of Architecture and an architect and urban planner in Miami, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayton Beach State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Grayton Beach State Park is a Florida State Park located between Panama City Beach and Destin, near the unincorporated area of Grayton Beach, on CR 30A, in northwestern Florida. Its sister park is Deer Lake State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemary Beach, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, United States

Rosemary Beach is an unincorporated planned community in Walton County, Florida, United States on a beach side road, CR 30A, on the Gulf Coast. Rosemary Beach is developed on land originally part of the older Inlet Beach neighborhood. The town was founded in 1995 by Patrick D. Bienvenue, President of Leucadia Financial Corporation, and was designed by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. The town is approximately 105 acres (0.42 km2) and, upon completion, included more than 400 home sites and a mixed-use town center with shops, restaurants, and activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald Coast</span> Region in Florida, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida's 1st congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Florida

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.

A Form-Based Code (FBC) is a means of regulating land development to achieve a specific urban form. Form-Based Codes foster predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form as the organizing principle, with less focus on land use, through municipal regulations. An FBC is a regulation, not a mere guideline, adopted into city, town, or county law and offers a powerful alternative to conventional zoning regulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Gaetz</span> American politician from Florida

Donald Jay Gaetz is an American businessman and Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016, representing parts of Northwest Florida. He was Senate president from 2012 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choctawhatchee Bay</span> Bay in the Florida Panhandle

Choctawhatchee Bay is a bay in the Emerald Coast region of the Florida Panhandle. The bay, located within Okaloosa and Walton counties, has a surface area of 334 square kilometres (129 sq mi). It is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, connected to it through East Pass. It also connects to Santa Rosa Sound in Fort Walton Beach, Florida to the west and to St. Andrews Bay in Bay County to the east, via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. East Pass is the only outlet of the bay flowing directly into the Gulf of Mexico. The Choctawhatchee River flows into Choctawhatchee Bay, as do several smaller rivers and streams. The Mid-Bay Bridge crosses the bay, connecting the city of Destin to Niceville, Florida. Second bridge across the bay is the Judge Clyde B. Wells Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Rosa Beach, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, United States

Santa Rosa Beach is an unincorporated community in Walton County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan area in United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seagrove Beach, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, United States

Seagrove Beach, Florida is a two-mile-long beach community located on the Gulf of Mexico in Walton County, Florida, United States. It is located along Florida State Road 30A, east of Seaside and west of WaterSound. Seagrove Beach is recognized locally as an independent neighborhood, but its mailing address is Santa Rosa Beach. Like other communities along 30A and Florida's Emerald Coast, Seagrove Beach is known for its scenic and appealing "sugar white" beaches and blue/green waters. There are 20 public beach accesses available for use in Seagrove Beach. One Seagrove Place is the tallest and one of the oldest condominiums in the area. According to the Visit South Walton website, Seagrove Beach is "laid back, but luxurious" and home to upscale boutiques, casual cafes, a state park, and rare coastal dune lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alys Beach, Florida</span> Unincorporated luxury community in Florida, United States

Alys Beach is an unincorporated planned community in Walton County, Florida, United States directly off of CR 30A, on the Gulf Coast. Alys Beach plan was designed by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. The village is approximately 158 acres (0.64 km2).

References

  1. ↑ "Seaside". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ↑ "A Good Place to Live". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Seaside Celebrates 40 Years!". VIE Magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  4. ↑ Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living! Archived 2011-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 "The Seaside Research Portal". seaside.library.nd.edu. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. ↑ Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living! Archived 2011-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Unexpected USA: Cultural hotspots". BBC Travel. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Smart Communities Network: Overview Success Stories". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  9. ↑ Moonan, Wendy (June 8, 1995). "CURRENTS - Evoking the Mayans On a Florida Beach - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. ↑ "The Chapel at Seaside". Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  11. ↑ Pollan, Michael (June 4, 1998). "Breaking Ground; Seed. Reseed. Secede". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living!". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Seaside Half Marathon". Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Seaside Half Marathon". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Seeing Red Wine Festival 2023 in Seaside, Florida". homeownerscollection.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living!". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Seaside Farmers Market". Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  18. ↑ "About Us – the REP Theatre – Seaside, Florida, 30A, South Walton, Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach, Destin, Miramar Beach, Emerald Coast Professional Theater". Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Calendar – the REP Theatre – Seaside, Florida, 30A, South Walton, Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach, Destin, Miramar Beach, Emerald Coast Professional Theater". Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  20. ↑ "High School Company Internship at the Seaside Repertory Theatre". Seaside Repertory Theatre. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Seaside Neighborhood School – Charter School Info". Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  22. ↑ CYber SYtes, Inc. – Bethany Cahours. "Seaside Neighborhood School – A Charter School in Seaside FL". Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living!". Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Seaside Neighborhood School – Admission Policies and Procedures". Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  25. 1 2 Zak, Dan (February 20, 2018). "Rep. Matt Gaetz wants you to know who he is, and his plan is working". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
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