Okaloosa Island
Encyclopedia
Okaloosa Island is a regionally used term for a small section of larger Santa Rosa Island
located in Okaloosa County, Florida
. Okaloosa Island is home to hundreds of residential homes, high rise condominiums and major hotels and motels. The area is unincorporated
and uses Fort Walton Beach as a mailing address but it is not actually part of that city. The island is part of Florida
's Emerald Coast
and features spectactular sugar-white sand
beaches.
Okaloosa Island is connected to Fort Walton Beach via the Brooks Bridge
and to Destin, Florida
via the Destin Bridge
. Both 4-lane bridges are part of U.S. Highway 98. The island is surrounded by water with Santa Rosa Sound
and Choctawhatchee Bay
to the north and the Gulf of Mexico
to the south. The other major thoroughfare on Okaloosa Island is Santa Rosa Blvd. One unit of the Gulf Islands National Seashore
is located on the island.
An 875 acres (3.5 km²) parcel of Santa Rosa Island
with three miles (5 km) of Gulf frontage was conveyed to Okaloosa County on July 8, 1950 in an informal ceremony at the county courthouse in Crestview, Florida
. The county paid the federal government $4,000 to complete the transaction, which was the result of the efforts of Congressman Bob Sikes
. This area had been known as Tower Beach with the establishment of an amusement park, boardwalk and hotel from the mid-1930s. Tower Beach, with a board walk, casino, restaurant and concession stands, and operated by Thomas E. Brooks, of the same family for whom the Brooks Bridge is named, was largely destroyed by fire on Saturday, March 7, 1942. Wartime priorities precluded its reconstruction.
All of Santa Rosa Island
that is in Okaloosa County is generally considered "Okaloosa Island" except for land owned and used by Eglin Air Force Base
.
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island[p] is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles east of the Alabama state border...
located in Okaloosa County, Florida
Okaloosa County, Florida
Okaloosa County is a county located in the state of Florida. Located in northwest Florida, it extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2000 census, the population was 170,498. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 182,172. The 2009 estimate for the...
. Okaloosa Island is home to hundreds of residential homes, high rise condominiums and major hotels and motels. The area is unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and uses Fort Walton Beach as a mailing address but it is not actually part of that city. The island is part of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's Emerald Coast
Emerald Coast
The Emerald Coast is an area in the US state of Florida on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico which stretches about 100 miles through four counties, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay, from Gulf Breeze on the east side of Pensacola Bay to Panama City on the east side of the St...
and features spectactular sugar-white sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
beaches.
Okaloosa Island is connected to Fort Walton Beach via the Brooks Bridge
Brooks Bridge
The Brooks Bridge is a four-lane steel and concrete structure that carries highway U.S. Route 98 over Santa Rosa Sound just west of the Choctawhatchee Bay between downtown Fort Walton Beach, Florida and the three-mile section of Okaloosa Island controlled by the city of Fort Walton Beach. It is...
and to Destin, Florida
Destin, Florida
Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida. It is a principal city of the Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.Located on Florida's Emerald Coast, Destin is known for its white beaches and emerald green waters...
via the Destin Bridge
Destin Bridge
The Destin Bridge carries U.S. Route 98, connecting Destin, Florida to the east with Santa Rosa Island to the west. The bridge passes over Destin's East Pass which is a relatively narrow body of water connecting Choctawhatchee Bay to the north with the Gulf of Mexico to the south....
. Both 4-lane bridges are part of U.S. Highway 98. The island is surrounded by water with Santa Rosa Sound
Santa Rosa Sound
Santa Rosa Sound is a sound connecting Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida. The northern shore consists of the Fairpoint Peninsula and portions of the mainland in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County...
and Choctawhatchee Bay
Choctawhatchee Bay
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 129 mi2...
to the north and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
to the south. The other major thoroughfare on Okaloosa Island is Santa Rosa Blvd. One unit of the Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of 7 islands...
is located on the island.
An 875 acres (3.5 km²) parcel of Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island[p] is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles east of the Alabama state border...
with three miles (5 km) of Gulf frontage was conveyed to Okaloosa County on July 8, 1950 in an informal ceremony at the county courthouse in Crestview, Florida
Crestview, Florida
Crestview is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. Crestview’s name was chosen because of its location on the peak of a long woodland range between the Yellow and Shoal rivers which flow almost parallel on the east and west side of the City....
. The county paid the federal government $4,000 to complete the transaction, which was the result of the efforts of Congressman Bob Sikes
Robert L. F. Sikes
Robert Lee Fulton Sikes was a U.S. Representative from Florida.Born in Isabella, near Sylvester, Georgia, Sikes attended the public schools....
. This area had been known as Tower Beach with the establishment of an amusement park, boardwalk and hotel from the mid-1930s. Tower Beach, with a board walk, casino, restaurant and concession stands, and operated by Thomas E. Brooks, of the same family for whom the Brooks Bridge is named, was largely destroyed by fire on Saturday, March 7, 1942. Wartime priorities precluded its reconstruction.
All of Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island[p] is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles east of the Alabama state border...
that is in Okaloosa County is generally considered "Okaloosa Island" except for land owned and used by Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
.