Destin, Florida

Destin, Florida
Seal
Nickname(s): The World's Luckiest Fishing Village
Location in Okaloosa County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30°23′36″N 86°28′31″W / 30.39333°N 86.47528°W / 30.39333; -86.47528Coordinates: 30°23′36″N 86°28′31″W / 30.39333°N 86.47528°W / 30.39333; -86.47528
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Okaloosa
Government
• Mayor	Sarah "Sam" Seevers
Area
• Total	8.2 sq mi (21.2 km2)
• Land	7.5 sq mi (19.5 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (1.7 km2)
Elevation	26 ft (8 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	12,305
• Density	1,477.1/sq mi (543.500/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	32540-32541
Area code(s)
FIPS code	12-17325[1]
GNIS feature ID	0281516[2]
Website	www.cityofdestin.com

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. Originating as a small fishing village, it is now a popular tourist destination – according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, over 80 percent of the Emerald Coast's 4.5 million visitors each year visit Destin.^[3] The city styles itself "The World's Luckiest Fishing Village",^[4][5] and claims to have the largest fishing vessel fleet in the state of Florida.^[6]

Destin is named after Captain Leonard Destin, a New London, Connecticut fishing master who settled in the area c. 1845 or 1850. The first condominiums were built in the 1970s, although Destin was not incorporated as a municipality until 1984. The city has experienced rapid growth since the 1980s.

The city is located on a peninsula separating the Gulf of Mexico from Choctawhatchee Bay. The peninsula was originally an island; hurricanes and sea level changes gradually connected the island to the mainland. As of the 1940s it technically became an island again with the completion of the Choctawhatchee-west bay canal.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 518