[chicityliving]

hi everyone! as the title say i'm 27, asian male, and moving to Destin in a month. i was wondering about the gas prices, cost of food(groceries\milk),and all around general vibe of the whole area. will there be people my age in the town? finding a job is not a problem since i'm moving there because of one. also, what are some cool, "hip" non-tourist places to chill? thanks and see you guys soon!

[Memphis1979]

Almost every place in Destin is for tourists. Sorry, you just can't get away from them there.

What city are you moving to? Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Valp, South Walton?

Lots of different things in all of those areas. Destin and South Walton are much more "touristy". The other cities are a little more family oriented. The beaches are nice just about everywhere you go. You'll learn them yourself. Clubs are all hopping during the summer, usually with tourists, but your young, have some fun.

Gas prices aren't crazy, I think they are around 2.50 a gallon right now. Costs of groceries aren't outrageous. Depending on where you are willing to stay, rent can be a bit pricey.

I like Bayou Blues in Niceville for a laid back bar. Good food, and mostly local folks there. Really, as I said, if its in Destin, its for tourists. Nothing wrong with your going there and mingling with the tourists though.

[chicityliving]

cool! thanks for the info!
coming from chicago, gas isn't that expensive down there.
my employer is hooking me up with a place (not sure where though,) until i find a place of my own. is there a neighborhood that's predominantly young professionals or is it just scattered across the board? thanks again!

any other info people?

[beachmouse]

For all that Destin can be pretty touristy, the bigger Ft. Walton Beach area is a military town, with about 70% of the economy in Okaloosa County attributed to Department of Defense spending. So there are a fair number of under 30s in the area, but they only generally are here for 3-5 years before they PCOS somewhere else.

There's a small but noticeable Asian population in the area, mostly Thai, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese. (ie. where the USAF has had bases over the past 50 years, a young lady met a nice GI, family reunification visas followed...)

Food prices are pretty average by national standards with no sales tax on most grocery store food. Publix is seen as the good grocery store chain, and Fresh Market is as close to Whole Foods as we're likely to get. For specialty items, there's For The Health of It in Blue Mountain Beach and a couple of Asian and Mexican specialty markets in the area.

For all that it gets written up in the tourist mags, The Red Bar in Grayton Beach draws a pretty good local crowd. In Ft. Walton Beach, Buffalo's Reef for wings and beer, Tijuana Flats for Americanized Mexican, and Magnolia Grill for people-watching in terms of local movers and shakers are interesting.

I'm not a party/bar person, but Helen Back and The Swamp on Okaloosa Island seem to have good followings. The Swamp also gets smaller venue concert tours. For mid to middle-large concerts, you have to go to the Pensacola Civic Center, and for the remaining big stadium tours, you're talking New Orleans, Tampa, or Atlanta. Speaking of New Orleans, it's a weekend trip, and the closest 'big' city to the area.

In terms of hipness, it's largely a beer and boats kind of area for the year-round crowd, with the hipper parts located in the touristy areas along CR 30-A. (Seaside, Grayton Beach and the like)

[OTownKnight]

Destin is the place to be for sure. Be prepared to deal with tourists though. I think the only time that tourists don't infest the place is September-early November. Winter=snowbirds. Spring=Spring Break. Summer=beach season and vacations.
Destin has some pretty good nightlife though. I know that Club Overboard is a pretty popular place for people in their 20's.
Real Estate is very expensive though, and activities in destin are mainly geared toward tourists. The Destin Commons is one of the nicest shopping complexes in the Florida Panhandle though. If you're looking for relatively inexpensive housing, stay north of highway 98. Everything south of 98 is either waterfront, luxury condos, or mansions. Other than that, Destin is the best town in the Panhandle in my opinion.

[007.5]

If youre single and 27, youll enjoy it in Destin. Gets busy from June thru Sept with Tourists...but there are SO many other things that will offset the aggravation of easily getting around on Route 98 during Tourist Season. I saw a fair amount of Asian fellas last year around Destin so youll fit in well, plus, the Panhandle being conservative with good christian values...you wont run into racial prejudice . If youre into sports...especially water sports....then this is going to be a slice of heaven for you . As for night life, Im told The Swamp, A.J.'s , and Hellen Back in Destin are good places to hang... all have live music . Theres summer Festivals that are good. The beaches are superior , and the town of Destin is a bit upscale and pretty clean looking .

[chicityliving]

thank you for the all quick replies and information.
seems like there's a lot of fun to be had down there.
now i'm really looking forward to the move.