The Emerald Coast (part of the area that is sometimes referred to as the Redneck Riviera) is an area in the US state of Florida on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, roughly bounded by Pensacola, Florida on the west and Panama City, Florida on the east. The area is known to have some of the most stunning beaches in the world, famous for their sugar-white sands and warm, emerald-green waters. For many years, the beaches were also deemed to have the whitest sand in the world where it sparkled in the sun and squeaked when walked on. Contrary to popular belief, the sand is not bleached by the sun, but comprises Appalachian quartz that filters down to the coast from the mountains. The emerald-green color of the water is due to the sugar-white color of the sand laying beneath the clear blue water thus providing the area's namesake feature. Popular vacation destinations include Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, WaterColor, Panama City Beach, relative newcomer Destin, and Seaside, a development community whose iconic pastel-paint and tin-roof construction was made famous in the Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show, filmed in the area from 1996-1997. Other communities on the Emerald Coast include Perdido Key, Navarre, Sandestin, Mexico Beach, Grayton Beach, Inlet Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, and Seagrove. The area is known as a family drive destination, although in the past decade, its popularity has expanded greatly, leading to new construction booms and seemingly overnight changes. Many development communities similar to Seaside have sprung up in Walton County and the west end of Panama City Beach, raising property values. Deep-sea fishing is a huge draw for the area, with Destin holding the nickname "World's Luckiest Fishing Village" (and several saltwater world records) and Panama City Beach hosting the annual high-dollar Bay Point Billfish Invitational. Eating seafood is perhaps even more popular than catching it, with a seafood restaurant and/or oyster house seemingly on every other corner. This roughly 100-mile stretch is home to several military bases, with installations including Pensacola Naval Air Station (home of the Navy's famed Blue Angels flying squadron and the initial training site where all naval aviators earn their "wings of gold"), Hurlburt Field, Eglin Air Force Base (one of the largest military bases in America), Tyndall Air Force Base (home to the Air Force's new F-22 Raptor fighter jets), Coastal Systems Station-Naval Surface Warfare Center (home to the Navy Experimental Diving Unit and Naval Diving & Salvage Training Center), and Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center. In addition to military and related civilian contractors, which are a major presence, tourism, fishing and hospitality industries are also major employers in the area.
"Redneck Riviera"
The Emerald Coast, particularly Panama City Beach, is known colloquially as the Redneck Riviera, although this term is sometimes applied to a larger region of the coast from Mobile, Alabama to Apalachicola, Florida. Redneck Riviera is also the title of a song by Tom T. Hall about this region. Lyrics include:
- Gulf Shores up through Apalachicola
- They got beaches of the whitest sand
- Nobody cares if gramma's got a tattoo
- Or Bubba's got a hot wing in his hand
The term is also often used in reference to Myrtle Beach, SC.
See also
External links
- Northwest Florida Recreation Information by Outdoor Gulf Coast
- Find information on the best places to eat, stay, and play on the Emerald Coast
- Pictures of Florida's Emerald Coast
