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Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach History

   From Indians to pirates to sunburned Spring Breakers, Fort Walton Beach has seen it all.
   Archeological evidence shows five distinct Indian periods between 600 and 1650 A.D. Pirates took over the land from the late 1500s through the early 1800s. The most famous of these pirates was William Augustus Bowles, an English soldier-turned-renegade who was nicknamed Billy Bowlegs.
   In the mid-1800s, Fort Walton Beach was known as Brooks Landing. During the Civil War, the Walton Guards set up camp in the area, which was renamed Camp Walton. The city kept this name until 1932, when a Civil War cannon was discovered in a downtown Indian mound, leading city fathers to rename it Fort Walton. Five years later, the city was chartered, and Fort Walton Beach became its official name.
   Much of Fort Walton Beach sits on the far eastern end of Santa Rosa Island. Because this portion of the island is located in Okaloosa County, it's also referred to as Okaloosa Island. The 40-mile-long barrier island is surrounded by Santa Rosa Sound to the north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, offering water activities from fishing and swimming to boating and a myriad of water sports.
   Fort Walton Beach also is adjacent to Choctawhatchee Bay, which is one of Florida's top fishing locales, and it's just across the bridge from the neighboring community of Destin. Both cities are top destinations for Spring Break revelers, although many year-round residents also call the area home due to its warm weather and scenic location.

Activities

   There's plenty of water-based fun in Fort Walton Beach, but there are other activities to keep you occupied once you dry off.
   There are more than a dozen golf course in the area, including the 18-hole Fort Walton Beach Golf Club and the nine-hole Island Golf Center.
   Fort Walton Beach Landing features a boardwalk, fishing pier, gazebo and stage. Liza Jackson Park has 1,000 feet of waterfront space with picnic tables, grills, a boat ramp, fishing pier and covered pavilion. And just north of town, Blackwater River State Park offers hiking and canoeing along a natural sand-bottom river.
   Learn more about Fort Walton Beach's past at the Indian Temple Mound and Museum, located in historic downtown. The museum houses the nation's largest collection of prehistoric southeastern Indian ceramics, dating from the 1300s, and exhibits explore the lifestyles of four southeastern tribes.
   The Emerald Coast Science Center is a hands-on museum with more than 250 touchable, interactive exhibits. Fly a model airplane in the mini-air tunnel, learn about the human body in the Hall of Life, or get up close and personal with millipedes and tarantulas in the Nature Discovery Room.
   The Gulfarium is the second largest marine park in the nation. Both educational and entertaining, the facility features a variety of marine animals, including bottlenose dolphins, turtles, sea lions and penguins.
   Each June, the Billy Bowlegs Festival honors the pirate who once set up camp at Fort Walton Beach. Highlights include a mock invasion of the town, a torchlight parade, races and fireworks.
   Other annual events include Emerald Coast Boat Week, Dog Daze, and the Northwest Florida Fair & Fine Arts Show.

Fort Walton Beach Fast Facts

   Location: Fort Walton Beach is located along the Florida Panhandle between Gulf Breeze and Destin.
  *Total area: 8.21 square miles (7.44 square miles land area; 0.76 square miles water area)
  *Population: 19,973
  *Housing units: 9,007
   Average annual rainfall: 69.20 inches
   Average temperatures: 81ºF in summer, 49ºF in winter
*Information provided by 2000 Census

Schools

   There are 20 public schools in Fort Walton Beach, including Silver Sands School for Exceptional Children, Okaloosa Applied Technology Center and Emerald Coast Marine Institute.
   Okaloosa-Walton Community College and the University of West Florida at Fort Walton Beach are also located nearby.

Homes

   There are a large variety of beach homes and condos available in Fort Walton Beach. Homes are available for year-round occupancy or vacation rental.

Maps of Fort Walton Beach

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