Navarre, Florida

This article is about the mainland community of Navarre. For the nearby beach community, see Navarre Beach, Florida.

Navarre is an unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County in the Northwest Florida Panhandle. Navarre is about 25 miles east of Pensacola and about 15 miles west of Fort Walton Beach. The community is roughly centered on the junction of U.S. Route 98 and State Road 87.^[1] It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The founder of Navarre was Colonel Guy Wyman, colonel in the United States Army. He initially platted the town in 1925.^[1] His family used to visit the area, and they had purchased a lot of property. Wyman was in World War I where he met a French nurse named Noel. He wanted to bring her back with him to the United States to marry her, and the only way he could bring her back was to adopt her. So, he did. Noel had actually named Navarre after a province in Spain near France.^[2][1] During the Great Depression, they couldn’t pay the taxes on it. So they had to start selling it off. Part of that property is where the Navarre Park is today. Noel traveled to New York to teach French to earn money to pay the taxes. When she came back, Colonel Wyman had taken a shining to another young lady. When their divorce was final, he told Noel not to set foot on his property. She came on his property allegedly to tend to a pet cemetery that she had, and Colonel Wyman shot her. He didn’t get in trouble because he had warned her. Colonel Wyman’s parents were murdered in Navarre by the Roberts brothers. Apparently, the Roberts brothers thought the Wymans had a lot of money, tried to rob them and ended up murdering them. They were nabbed and hanged in Crestview, Florida.

Geography

Navarre is located at 30°24′04″N 86°51′47″W / 30.401°N 86.863°W / 30.401; -86.863Coordinates: 30°24′04″N 86°51′47″W / 30.401°N 86.863°W / 30.401; -86.863. It is located within a portion of the Florida Panhandle observing the Central Time Zone. Elevation is 10 feet^[3].

The community of Navarre is located on the Gulf Coastal Plain and is built on mostly sandy soil. It is bounded geographically in the north by the East River and on the south by the Santa Rosa Sound.^[1]

Demographics

According to an ongoing incorporation study commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce; Tallahassee based Government Services Group Inc, released a population figure of 29,997 residents living in the unincorporated area of Navarre (one of the fastest growing areas in Florida). There are 9,000 more residents than the US Census estimate of 20,967 in 2000. Navarre is located in one of the top school districts in Florida. There were 7947 Single Family homes in the Navarre area as of 2005, up from 5,017 in 2000. Single-family owner-occupied homes with a median household income of $41,164. The below racial characteristics of the community are from 2000 estimates^[4]:

• White 97.8%
• Black 0.9%
• hispanic0.0%
• Native American and Alaska Native 0.7%
• Asian 0.3%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1%
• Other 0.9%
• Multiculteral 0.2%

Attractions

Navarre is centered near the junction of U.S. Highway 98, the primary east-west route between Pensacola and the Fort Walton Beach area, and State Road 87. It is located near several large military facilities: Naval Air Station Pensacola to the west and Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base to the east.

Tourism has increased in the Navarre area, leading the community to declare itself "Florida's Best Kept Secret." A boardwalk, a park (with water playground), a duck pond, and butterfly house are located near the bridge to Navarre Beach, which is immediately across Santa Rosa Sound to the south. Surfing and beach volleyball are popular attractions.

Hurricanes

As a low-elevation community near the Gulf of Mexico, Navarre is often threatened by hurricanes. Significant damage was incurred as a result of Hurricanes Erin, Opal, Ivan, and Dennis. Many homes and businesses immediately along Santa Rosa Sound (generally south of U.S. Highway 98) suffered storm surge as a result of those storms. Structures to the north are located on higher ground, but wind damage remains a threat.

Education

Education in Navarre is administrated by the Santa Rosa County District School system headquartered in Milton, Florida. The schools that serve the Navarre community are:

• Navarre High School (Grades 9-12)
• Holley Navarre Middle School (Grades 6-8)
• Holley Navarre Intermediate School (Grades 3-5)
• Holley Navarre Primary School (Grades K-2)
• Woodlawn Beach Middle School (Grades 6-8)
• West Navarre Primary School (Grades K-2)
• West Navarre Intermediate School (Grades 3-5)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Navarre Town Center Plan". Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners. http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/zoning/ntcp/ntcpfinalapprovedplan/introduction.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-07. 
2. ^ "Discover Navarre Beach Florida". http://www.navarrefl.com/location1.html. 
3. ^ "USGS Geographic Names Information System". US Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:287558. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
4. ^ "Detailed Tables - American FactFinder". http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P003&-CONTEXT=dt&-tree_id=4001&-all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=86000US32566&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 

[www.navarrechamber.com]

External links

• Navarre Area Chamber of Commerce
• Navarre Beach Area Official Visitor Information: Florida Beaches to Rivers
• Holley-Navarre Fire District
• Santa Rosa Medical Center Hospital and Emergency Room located in Milton, Florida. The primary provider of hospital based healthcare services in Santa Rosa County.