Shalimar, Florida

Shalimar is a town in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 718 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 738 [1]. It is part of the Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Shalimar is located at 30°26′40″N 86°34′55″W (30.444398, -86.581904)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 718 people, 288 households, and 209 families residing in the town. The population density was 955.9/km² (2,441.6/mi²). There were 311 housing units at an average density of 414.1/km² (1,057.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.42% White, 5.85% African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.51% Asian, 0.84% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.

There were 288 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $63,068, and the median income for a family was $70,250. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $27,143 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,261. About 2.9% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

Originally an area called Port Dixie, the town was developed in 1947 as a community of 160 houses to be used as housing for military officers by Clifford Meigs.

During the Civil War, 130 Germans operated a "dye" plant at Port Dixie, "actually an explosives factory and probably a submarine base as well." Costly machinery was smashed when they fled and the records were thrown into Garnier's Bayou.

Then, to Now

Some of the land that Clifford Meigs owned was donated to Okaloosa County for the establishment of a school. When it was finished it was deemed Choctawhatchee (Choctaw for short) High School. In 1969 the area needed a middle school, so Okaloosa School District built a new school in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The previous school was renamed to Clifford Meigs Middle School (Meigs Middle School for short). Meigs and Choctaw are currently A+ Schools deemed by the Florida Department of Education. In fact all schools in the Okaloosa County School District are A+ schools.

Notable Natives

• George E."Bud" Day - Medal of Honor Recipient, Prisoner of War, Vietnam. Colonel, USAF

External links

• Town of Shalimar official site