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Community Growth

Crestview is growing and thriving like never before! We are growing at a rate of approximately 10 percent per year. We are considered one of the fastest growing cities in Florida, and we have been nationally recognized as a top 20 metropolitan area with the highest rates of house appreciation. Over 20,000 permits have been issued for new homes with completion dates set during the next 12 months. In June 2007, over 20 new businesses were building their stores in Crestview. Add to that all the new businesses moving into already built facilities and one can see how quickly we are developing. With all this new development comes job opportunities and more income spent locally. The Alabama border and south Covington County border are just north of Crestview. We are surrounded by small towns that count on Crestview for all their needs. Crestview alone has a population of over 22,000 and over 82,500 residents in the immediate area. Including south Covington County in Alabama and DeFuniak Springs in north Walton County, businesses cater to a population of approximately 147,000!

Okaloosa income levels have grown faster than the majority of the nation at a rate of 7.1 percent. Okaloosa County’s unemployment rate was 2.3 percent in March 2007. Our economy is mostly driven by the military, tourism, real estate and manufacturing. The growth management terms for the city and county have stated that there is so much development going on that it is hard to keep track of it all.

Not only are new businesses coming in, native businesses are expanding. Some of these businesses are the county’s larger employers and include L-3 Crestview Aerospace (winner of the 2002 Governor’s Business Leadership Award for District 1), Aerospace Integrations Corporation (winner of the 2001 Governor’s Leadership Award for District 1), Bayou Mechanical, Lowe’s, Gulf Power (a Southern Company), Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) (a TouchStone Energy Cooperative, EJM Aerospace Services and NEW Corporation), the first major corporation to take advantage of the area’s Enterprise Zone, and Segers Aero, just to name a few. Eglin Air Force Base, which is already Okaloosa’s largest employer, will also grow due to other base closings. Many of Crestview’s nationally franchised restaurants are in the top two percent of their chains.

Crestview and Okaloosa County have been nationally recognized as a “hot spot” for living and business development by the following:

Best Places to Live in America
MONEY Magazine

Preferred Southern Site
Southern Business & Development

Fastest Growing Small Metro
Taimerica Management Company

Least Stressed Labor Market in U.S.
The Wadley-Donovan Group

Small City Retirement Growth
U.S. News & World Report

Best Small Places for Business and Careers

The Forbes Magazine

Five Star Quality of Life Quotient
Expansion Management Magazine

Outstanding Community to Retire
The Searchers Data Research Company

Blue Ribbon School District
Top Third Nationally

Best Beaches for Vacationing
USA Today, Parent Magazine and Florida Living Magazine