Okaloosa_County,_Florida

Okaloosa County, Florida

Okaloosa County, Florida

County in Florida, United States

30°41′15″N 86°35′33″W

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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.[1] Its county seat is Crestview.[2] Okaloosa County is included in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Okaloosa County was created by an act passed on September 7, 1915,[3] formed from the eastern ranges of Santa Rosa County and the western ranges of Walton County.

Okaloosa means "black water" (oka means "water" and lusa means "black") in the Choctaw language. The name may have come from the related language spoken by the Chatot and other peoples of the Florida Panhandle.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,082 square miles (2,800 km2), of which 930 square miles (2,400 km2) is land and 152 square miles (390 km2) (14.0%) is water.[5] Fort Walton Beach and three United States Air Force bases, (Duke Field in the North and Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field are in the south).

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Beach in Destin, Florida

State Parks and Forests

  • Blackwater River State Forest:[6] 189,594 acres (76,726 ha) spanning Okaloosa and neighboring Santa Rosa County.[7]
  • Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Recreation Area:[8] 357 acres (144 ha) of sand pine forest along Choctawhatchee Bay. The park provides facilities for camping, hiking, fishing, and canoeing. It is located five miles (8 km) east of Niceville on State Road 20.[9]
  • Henderson Beach State Park:[10] 1.3 miles (2.1 km) of sugar sand beach along the Gulf of Mexico. The park provides facilities for camping, RV-ing, and picnicking, as well as a pavilion and boardwalk. It is located just east of downtown Destin on U.S. 98.[9]

Demographics

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As of the 2020 United States census, there were 211,668 people, 79,235 households, and 51,719 families residing in the county.

As of 2015,[16] there were 198,664 people and 95,494 households. As of the census of 2010,the population density was 194.4 people per square mile (75.1 people/km2).

  • White alone=81.5% (July 1, 2015)
  • Black or African American alone=10.2% (July 1, 2015)
  • American Native and Alaskan Native alone=0.7% (July 1, 2015)
  • Asian alone=3.2% (July 1, 2015)
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone=0.3% (July 1, 2015)
  • Two or more races=4.1% (July 1, 2015)
  • Hispanic or Latino=8.6% (July 1, 2015)

As of 2015, there were 95,494 households. Within the 2010 census, 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94.

According to the 2010 census, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.

In 2015, the median income for a household in the county was $55,880. The per capita income for the county was $28,902. 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

The county's public schools come under the Okaloosa County School District.

Northwest Florida State College serves over 10,000 residents of Okaloosa County annually for bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and certificates. The college maintains four campuses in Okaloosa County: Niceville, Crestview, Ft. Walton Beach, and Hurlburt Field, and one campus in Walton County, FL.

Libraries

Okaloosa County is served by the Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative. Formed in October 1997, the Cooperative originally included the county and the cities of Crestview, Mary Esther, and Niceville. The cities of Fort Walton Beach, Valparaiso, and Destin all joined the Cooperative by the year 2000.[17] The Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative is governed by an independent, inter-governmental agency with seven members.[18]

Transportation

Airports

Highways

See also: List of county roads in Okaloosa County, Florida

Surface transportation

Emerald Coast Rider (formerly Okaloosa County Transit)[19] operates bus services in the county.[20]

Okaloosa County's new Courthouse first case was held January 2, 2019.
Several road signs at the county and Destin boundary.

Politics

Okaloosa County is one of the most conservative counties in Florida. Incumbent George W. Bush won the county in 2004 with 78% of the popular vote and in 2008 the Republican candidate John McCain polled 72%.[21] Mitt Romney won the county in 2012 with 73.80% (70,168) of the popular vote, and Donald Trump won 70.42% (71,893) in 2016.[22]

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Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

See also

Notes

  1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[12][13]

References

  1. [1]
    "2020 Census Data". data.census.gov.
  2. [2]
    "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. [3]
    Hutchinson, Leonard Patrick, "History of the Playground Area of Northwest Florida", Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, Florida, 1st ed., 1961, no Library of Congress card number, no ISBN, page 41.
  4. [4]
    Simpson, J. Clarence (1952) [1910]. Boyd, Mark F. (ed.). Florida Place-Names of Indian Derivation. Special Publication No. 1 (Revised ed.). Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Geological Survey. p. 80.
  5. [5]
    "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. [6]
    "Florida State Parks".
  7. [7]
    McGovern, Bernie (2011). Florida Almanac 2012. Pelican Publishing Company. p. 186. ISBN 9781589808461.
  8. [8]
    "Florida State Parks".
  9. [9]
    McGovern, Bernie (2011). Florida Almanac 2012. Pelican Publishing Company. p. 214. ISBN 9781589808461.
  10. [10]
    "Florida State Parks".
  11. [11]
    "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. [12]
    https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
  13. [13]
    "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  14. [14]
    "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  15. [15]
    "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  16. [16]
    "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  17. [17]
    Okaloosa County Library Cooperative. (2011). Introduction to the Okaloosa County Library Cooperative. Retrieved from https://www.cityofdestin.com/DocumentCenter/View/602/Introduction-to-Okaloosa-County-Public-Library-Cooperative%5B%5D
  18. [18]
    Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative. (2018). About Us. Retrieved from https://readokaloosa.org/client/en_US/default/?rm=ABOUT%5B%5D US0%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7Ctrue
  19. [19]
    "Welcome to Emerald Coast Rider". Emerald Coast Rider. 2015. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  20. [20]
    "Ride The Wave! - EC Rider". www.ecrider.org. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  21. [21]
    "2008 US Presidential Election Results by County - USATODAY.com". Content.usatoday.com. November 10, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  22. [22]
    "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
  23. [23]
    Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
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