Okaloosa County
History of Crestview
The City of Crestview received its charter from the Florida
Legislature and was officially incorporated in 1916.Crestview’s name
was chosen because its location on the peak of a long woodland range
between the Yellow and Shoal rivers which flow almost parallel on
the east and west side of the City.After Okaloosa County was formed
by the State Legislature in 1915 from portions of the western Walton
County and eastern Santa Rosa County, Crestview became the County
Seat in 1917 and remains so today.
With a population of approximately 15,000 citizens, Crestview is
located at the junction of three major highways (U.S. 90, State Road
85 and Interstate Highway 10) which resulted in its acclaimed
designated as the “Hub City” of northwest Florida. The City is 50
miles east of Pensacola, 120 miles west of Tallahassee and 30 miles
inland from the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Crestview’s elevation of
235 feet above sea level places it as one of the highest points in
the state. Also, it receives 65 inches of rainfall annually—the most
in the State of Florida.
The CSX, Inc. Railroad runs through Crestview. Parallel with this
railroad is the Old Spanish Trail which extends from Jacksonville
west to El Paso, Texas thus being one of the great truck lines of
the country and rich in tradition and history of the Indian, French,
Spanish and English settlers in this nation.
If
one should wonder what has happened to make Crestview the thriving,
friendly, fast growing City we know today, it might be said that it
was a fabled fountain of gold or silver. In actuality, it was the
dreams and visions of the staunch and sturdy few who were living
here in 1915. These early residents realized the natural advantages
offered at this particular site for the building of a City and they
set out to provide the foundation for such an undertaking.
Here in Crestview you will find an assortment of comfortable homes,
churches, schools, recreational facilities, businesses and
industries, all working together as a happy, growing City. The
health, fire and police departments under a stable and prosperous
City government working to make this City a wonderful place to live
protect all these things.
The Crestview area is served by the Okaloosa County School District,
the # 1 rated school district in the state of Florida for 2003 for
the Governor's A+ plan, and one of the few districts in the State
where SAT and ACT scores steadily climb and pupils score well above
the state and national average.
Okaloosa County consistently ranks above the national levels in
comprehensive tests of basic skills given in grades one through
nine. Okaloosa maintains one of the highest graduation rates in
Florida.
Crestview also has five elementary schools and two middle schools:
Antioch, Bob Sikes, Northwood, Southside, Walker Elementary Schools.
Davidson Middle School and Richbourg Middle School.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredit all
Okaloosa county schools. They all have well-staffed media resource
centers as well as computer labs.
Excellence is the password at Crestview High School, which offers
many extracurricular activities, as well as programs for students at
all academic levels.
Crestview Vocation Center offers a variety of training programs to
equip students with the skills to be successful in a world filled
with technology. Vocational Education is also provided at two rural
K-12 schools, which serve Baker Schools and Laurel Hill Schools.
Tall Pines Academy (TPA) is a private non-profit preschool through
12th grade facility in its 18th year of
service to the Crestview Area. The school is registered with Florida
Department of Education, and is accredited by the Florida Council of
Private Schools. TPA also manages a Distance Learning Home School
Program. Its After-School Childcare Program provides bus
transportation to and from area elementary schools.
Higher education is provided by Okaloosa-Walton Community College (OWCC),
an accredited, two-year public institution which offers associate
degrees in more than 80 academic and technical disciplines. OWCC
serves approximately 16,000
students annually at six full-time campuses and centers including a
full-time center in Crestview, the Robert L. F. Sikes Center,
located on US Hwy 90 East. College-credit, non-credit, adult basic
education, occupational certificates, college and vocational
preparatory programs, GED preparation and testing and continuing
education programs are offered in both day and evening classes.
Also, the main campuses for Pensacola Junior College and the
University of West Florida are 50 miles west of Crestview, with
branch campuses in Fort Walton Beach, Eglin Center and Hurlburt
Center.
Information provided by the Crestview Chamber of Commerce.
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