Destin, Florida

For Céline Dion's single by the same name, see Destin.

Destin, Florida
Nickname:  The World's Luckiest Fishing Village
Location of Destin (top left) in Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Okaloosa
Government
• Mayor	Craig Barker
Population  (2004)
• Total	11,119
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Website	www.cityofdestin.com

Destin is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, commonly known as "The World's Luckiest Fishing Village." Destin has grown from a historic fishing village to a premier resort destination. The city sits along the coast in the Florida Panhandle, at the end of a peninsula separating Choctawhatchee Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. It is famous for its emerald-colored waters and sugar-white sand beaches; hence, the area is also known as the Emerald Coast.

Geography

Destin is located at 30°23′36″N 86°28′31″W (30.393407, -86.475276).Template:GR According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.2 km² (8.2 mi²). 19.5 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (7.95%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,119 people, 4,877 households, and 3,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 570.1/km² (1,477.1/mi²). There were 10,599 housing units at an average density of 543.5/km² (1,408.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.21% White, 0.37% African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.66% of the population.

There were 4,877 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,042, and the median income for a family was $60,498. Males had a median income of $42,218 versus $26,146 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,048. About 3.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 12,162.

Destin's White Beaches

Destin is famous for its white sand beaches. The sand is some of the whitest in the world. The sand actually comes from the Appalachian mountains, and is made of finely ground quartz crystal giving the appearance of sugar. Residue flows down the Apalachicola River and is deposited into the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the currents the sand drifts west and settles from east of Panama City to the Alabama coast.

Vacationing In Destin Florida

Destin has quickly become one of the worlds most popular vacation spots. The entire city is 12 miles long, broken up into various "areas". Crystal Beach, Miramar Beach, and Frangista Beach are some of the more common family oriented vacation destinations. There are a number of beach houses that are for rent by owner, offering travelers the option of avoiding Hotels and Condo's. Such websites as [[1]] offer single-family homes with private pools, which, are becoming much sought after for vacationing families and groups

Places of interest

Emerald-green waters in Destin, FL, part of Florida's "Emerald Coast".

• Destin Commons
• Destin Harbor
• Henderson Beach State Park
• Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
• James Lee Park
• Jolee Island Nature Park
• Big Kahuna's water park
• Silver Sands Outlet Mall

Notable citizens

• Danny Wuerffel - former Florida Gators and NFL quarterback.
• Tyson Ritter - Bassist/Vocalist of the band The All-American Rejects
• Nick Wheeler - Guitarist of the band The All-American Rejects
• Ernest Shahid - Commercial real estate developer

External links

• City of Destin
• Destin Area Chamber of Commerce
• Emerald Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau
• The Beachcomber - Destin newspaper
• Destin Hotel and Condo Interactive Map