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Northwest Florida boasts some of the Unites States’ finest beaches, attracting visitors from throughout Florida, neighboring states and beyond. Walton County developments such as Seaside, Rosemary Beach and Watercolor are pioneers of New Urbanism and some of the most exclusive communities in the United States. The region’s natural beauty can also be found in Cape San Blas, St George Island, Dog Island and many other locations stretching across the coast. Northwest Florida is, and will continue to be, a world-class coastal destination.

Bay County is home to Panama City and Panama City Beach, the main urban hubs of Northwest Florida. Bay County is a popular tourist destination for families and students, the vast majority of which arrive by road. This will soon change along with the entire demographic nature of the region.

State and local governments along with the St. Joe Company will soon commence construction of the new, $300 million Panama City/Bay County Intl’ Airport. The new airport, scheduled to open in 2009, will be located in the West Bay Sector, providing air travelers with convenient access to Bay and Walton Counties. With the capacity to accommodate heavy aircraft in high volumes, the new airport will lower the costs of air travel to the region. Northwest Florida will become more accessible to a wider demographic and economic base, particularly the 70 million baby-boomers reaching retirement age.

In Oct. 2006, CNN Money along with Moody’s Economy.com cited the new airport as one of the factors that led them to rank Panama City as the #1 U.S. real estate investment over the next five years. The region is anticipating an economic boost, similar to the one experienced by the Naples/Ft. Myer’s area upon completion of the Southwest Florida International Airport in 1983.

In addition to the tourism industry, the regional economy is also fueled by its huge military presence and the aerospace/defense industry that supports it.