ZIP Code 32548

As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is the principal city of the Fort Walton BeachCrestviewDestin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The first Europeans to set foot in the area were members of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's party, who traveled by boat from what is now Panama City Beach, Florida in 1528 to Texas. The area is described at "40 deaths a day" in a Spanish map dated 1566. In 1861, Camp Walton was a Confederate Army camp, a fortified post, made up of the "Walton Guards", an independent Company of Florida Volunteer Infantry from Walton County. Walton County received its name from Col. George Walton, who served as secretary of West Florida during Andrew Jackson's governorship (1821-1822) and whose father, George Walton Sr., was the 56th signatory of the Declaration of Independence. The name "Anderson" is noted on maps from 1838 to 1884. It was not until 1911 that the name "Camp Walton" appeared on Florida maps. The Fort Walton peoples put into practice mound building and intensive agriculture, made pottery in a variety of vessel shapes, and had hierarchical settlement patterns that reflected other Mississippian societies. A number of Spanish artifacts, including a portion of brigantine leather armor, are housed in the Indian Temple Mound Museum. In 1879, John Thomas Brooks purchased a public auction in Milton, Florida, whose heirs had failed to pay the heirs of Henry Penny.

History

Fort Walton Beach is the primary city name, but also Ft Walton Bch are acceptable city names or spellings, Ft Walton Beach on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Fort Walton Beach. The first Europeans to set foot in what is now Fort Walton Beach were members of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's party in 1528. The area is described at "40 deaths a day" in a Spanish map dated 1566. In 1861, Camp Walton was a Confederate Army camp, a fortified post, made up of the "Walton Guards", an independent Company of Florida Volunteer Infantry from Walton County. Walton County received its name from Col. George Walton, who served as secretary of West Florida during Andrew Jackson's governorship (1821-1822) and whose father, George Walton Sr., was the 56th signatory of the Declaration of Independence. The name "Anderson" is noted on maps from 1838 to 1884. It was not until 1911 that the name "Camp Walton" appeared on Florida maps. The United States Post Office changed the official name from Camp Walton to Fort Walton on March 1, 1932. Fort Walton was incorporated by a state senate bill effective June 16, 1941. The community was officially changed from Fort Walton to Walton Beach on June 15, 1953, by an agreement with the state of Florida. It is believed that this culture evolved out of the Weeden Island culture. It appeared to come about due to contact with the major Mississippian centers to the north and west. The Fort Walton peoples put into practice mound building and intensive agriculture, made pottery in a variety of vessel shapes, and had hierarchical settlement patterns.

Geography

Fort Walton Beach is located at 30°2513N 86°3700W (30.420199, 86.616727). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.3 km² (8.2 sq mi) The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is humid subtropical climate (Cfa) Fort Walton Beach averages 55.35 inches of rain each year. Freezing rain occurs about once every 5 to 10 years. The most recent measurable snowfall was on January 31, 1977, while 3 inches (76 mm) fell on Crestview, about 27 miles (43 km) inland. The last report of freezing rain was on February 11, 2010. The wettest season is summer, and the driest is autumn, although flood season continues into autumn. The city experiences hot and very humid summers, generally from late May to mid-September. Winters are very short and mild, from mid-December to late February. Springs are warm, from late February to late May. It is located in the Gulf of Mexico, at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, about 60 miles (100 km) south of Bakersfield, California. It has a latitude of 30.2513 N 86.3700 W and a longitude of 86.422 W. It experiences hot, humid summers from late September to early December, and warm, humid winters from late December to early February.

Transportation

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (airport code VPS) serves Fort Walton Beach, as well as Valparaiso, Florida. Allegiant Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, and Delta Connection provide non-stop service to Atlanta, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Knoxville, Memphis, Oklahoma City, and St. Louis. State Road 189 is a northsouth highway from State Road 85 to US 98 in downtown Fort Walton beach. US 98 leads east 9 mi (14 km) to Destin and west 41 mi (66km) to Pensacola. Okaloosa County Transit provides public transportation throughout the city and county. Its main stop and transfer location is Uptown Station located on state Road 85, a little over 1 mile north of US 98. The Brooks Bridge over the Santa Rosa Sound connects downtown FortWalmart Beach with Okalooso Island, which is along the route of US98. It is also the only bridge that connects the city to the island of Okaloosa in the Santa Rosa Sound, where it is known as Brooks Island. The city is located on the Florida panhandle, and its population is about 3,000. It has a population of about 2,000 people, with the majority of that population living in the downtown area of the city. It also has a small percentage of the state's population, with about 1,000 residents living outside the city limits.

Demographics

In the census of 2010, there were 19,507 people, 8,460 households, and 5,419 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 77.7% White, 12.3% African American, 0. 7% Native American, 3.2% Asian and 0.03% Pacific Islander. The city's population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3%) from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3%. The median age was 39 years. The median income for a household in theCity was $40,153, and the medianincome for a family was $45,791. The per capita income for the City was $21,085. About 7.3%" of families and 9.9%" of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2%" of those under age 18 and 4.1" of those aged 65 or over""This article includes information from the U.S. Census Bureau's most recent American Community Survey. We are happy to make clear that the Census Bureau does not conduct such a survey. We would like to make it clear that, in fact, the majority of the people who live in the City of St. Louis are of African American and Native American descent. We also want to point out that the city has a very low percentage of Hispanic or Latino residents, as compared to the national average.

Economy

The economy of Fort Walton Beach is driven by two primary factors: tourism and the military. Hurlburt Field is home to Headquarters, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the 1st Special Operations Wing, and the Joint Special Operations University. Eglin AFB is one of the largest Air Force bases at 724 square miles (1,880 km²), and thus home to joint exercises, and missile and bomb testing. The tourism industry is seasonal, with summer being the primary season, and a smaller peak season during spring break. The area also boasts a large snowbird population, which includes the Fort Walton beach Snowbird Club. The Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival is held annually in June. According to the 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:  The military contractors and the service industry. The city's unemployment rate is currently at 3.7%. The city has a population of 2,836. The average household income is approximately $50,000. The average annual income is about $60,000, with the average annual salary being about $55,500. The town's population is about 2,500, with an average yearly income of about $65,000 (the average annual wage is $50, 000). The city is located on the Florida Panhandle, which is a state that has a high percentage of its residents living in the Florida panhandle. It is also the most populous state in the United States.

Sister cities

of Quezon City, Philippines (since October 1977) Sister city of Tacloban, Philippines, since October 1977. Sister cities of Cagayan de Islands, Isabela, and Baguio, Philippines. Sister sister cities of Iloilo, Leyte, Mindanao, and Siquijor, Sinaloa, Sibuco, and Caguan, Sulu, Sibunan, Cagulan, and Isabela City, Sipawat, Simeon, and Pampanga, Siamo, Siquibulan. Sister towns of Cangalogan, Ilolet, Igana, Irapu, Iquibu, Pangalauan, Ilanupan, Quezon, and Tacluban, Siwat, Iñupans, Igaye, and Ilolets, Sijibuon. Sister town of Iquipu, Sihan City, Taclaborao, Ijibu City, Iqalupan City of Ijalupang, Siyon City, Qzon City and Sibuquan, City of Pampang, Qquiñon, Iyoquan and Ilanpon, Siaon City. Sister Town of Iganu, Cusco, Cunacan, Cangarogan, Cundan City and Cunacao, Cucumán City, Canso, Cinco de Galeas, Cancun, Cauauan and Cuscan, Cuan, Cawatangan and Igano.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida = 83. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 90. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 90. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Fort Walton Beach = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 20,922 individuals with a median age of 41.6 age the population dropped by -1.73% in Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,737.41 residents per square mile of area (1,056.99/km²). There are average 2.25 people per household in the 8,658 households with an average household income of $50,390 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.06% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 24.48%. The number of physicians in Fort Walton Beach per 100,000 population = 258.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Fort Walton Beach = 66 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 94. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 226. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 37.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 27, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 58.82%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 38 years with median home cost = $157,510 and home appreciation of -9.79%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.79 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,660 per student. There are 17 students for each teacher in the school, 513 students for each Librarian and 531 students for each Counselor. 8.29% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.93% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.32% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).