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Florida State...
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Florida Counties
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Florida Counties
In 1821, there were only two counties in Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the
east. From these two counties were formed 67 today. In 1968, the electors
of Florida granted local voters the power to adopt charters to govern their counties. Charters are formal
written documents that confer powers, duties, or privileges on the county.
To date, there are 19 charter counties in Florida. Collectively these
counties are home to more than 75 percent of Florida's residents.
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Okaloosa County, Florida
Okaloosa County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Crestview
Year Organized: 1915
Square Miles: 936
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Court House: 101 E. James Lee Blvd, Rm. 105
County Courthouse
Crestview, FL 32536-3552
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Choctaw Indian words oka (water) and lusa (black).
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Okaloosa County was formed in 1915. Okaloosa was an Indian word meaning "a pleasant place," "black water", or
"beautiful place".
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,082 square miles (2,802 kmē), of which, 936
square miles (2,423 kmē) of it is land and 146 square miles (379 kmē) of it (13.53%) is water. Ft Walton Beach and
two United States Air Force bases (Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field) are located in the south.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Covington County, Ala.
- East: Walton County
- South: Gulf of Mexico
- West: Santa Rosa County
- Northwest: Escambia County, Ala.
Cities and Towns:
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- Cinco Bayou |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Crestview
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Destin |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Fort Walton Beach |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Laurel Hill |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Mary Esther |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Niceville |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Shalimar |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Valparaiso |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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