About
No discussion of the Emerald Coast is complete without its crown jewel—Destin. Tourists from far and wide are drawn to the calm Gulf waters, white powdery sand beaches, resorts, and nightlife of this Panhandle beach town. Life in Destin revolves around water-sports and beach activities. Leisure activities are plentiful and suit all activity levels from standup paddle boarding to sport-fishing, beach volleyball to golf. Restaurants cater to vacationers, and some even have beach playgrounds for the kiddos. If you’re looking for the area’s best shopping and nightlife—you’ll find it here.
Choosing to live in this picturesque locale comes with the perks of beach-life, but also comes with its drawbacks. Over three million visitors descend on Destin each year and traffic on Highway 98 can be gruesome during the summer months. While the “off-season” commute (winter months) to Eglin AFB is only 20 minutes, adding summer congestion to that can more than double your time in the car. Hurlburt Field is just west of Fort Walton Beach down Highway 98, and it takes roughly 30 minutes to commute from Destin to this airfield, without traffic. Commuting to Duke Field also entails toll roads costing between $6 and $12 per day.
Neighbors
Beach bums and social butterflies flock to Destin. Though it becomes denser with tourists as you approach the water, there are some local enclaves filled with retirees and empty-nesters. Military residents are less plentiful, but single service members and young couples enjoy living in the condos near the water with proximity to the area’s nightlife.
Neighborhood Feel
Destin neighborhoods vary in style from luxe waterfront mansions and quaint beach bungalows to high rise condos. DIY-ers can score an “affordable” home under foreclosure and renovate it into a valuable income property, but otherwise the average military family will look to other communities for larger homes and more desirable schools.
