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Seaside, Florida

Coordinates: 30°19′12″N 86°08′16″W / 30.320118°N 86.137705°W / 30.320118; -86.137705
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Seaside, Florida
Unincorporated community
Seaside Post Office
Seaside Post Office
Motto(s): 
"A simple, beautiful life."
Seaside, Florida is located in Florida
Seaside, Florida
Seaside, Florida
Coordinates: 30°19′12″N 86°08′16″W / 30.320118°N 86.137705°W / 30.320118; -86.137705
Country United States
State Florida
County Walton
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
32459
GNIS feature ID1955357[1]
Architectural collage of new urbanist Seaside, Florida
Entrance sign to Seaside, Florida
Post office at the center of Seaside

Seaside is an unincorporated master-planned community on the Florida Panhandle in Walton County, between Panama City Beach and Destin. One of the first communities in America designed on the principles of New Urbanism, the town has become the topic of slide lectures in architectural schools and in housing-industry magazines, and is visited by design professionals from all over the United States.[2]

History

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Seaside Chapel, a community landmark designed by Merrill, Pastor, & Colgan in 2001.
Beach of Seaside

The community was first constructed in 1981.[3]

The idea behind Seaside came in 1946, when the grandfather of future founder Robert S. Davis bought 80 acres (32 ha) of land along the shore of Northwest Florida as a summer retreat for his family.[4][3]

In 1978, Davis inherited the parcel from his grandfather, and aimed to transform it into an old-fashioned beach town, with traditional wood-framed cottages of the Florida Panhandle. Davis, his wife Daryl and, the architectural partners and Driehaus Prize winners, Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company toured the south studying small towns as a basis for planning Seaside.[5][6] The final plan was complete around 1985.[5]

The town was used as the main filming location of the 1998 film The Truman Show.[7]

Location

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Seaside is located along County Road 30A immediately adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico.[3] Via County Road 30A, Rosemary Beach is 8 mi (13 km) to the southeast, and Miramar Beach is 16 mi (26 km) to the northwest (via County Road 30A to US 98).

Design

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Seaside is one of three planned communities on Florida's Gulf coast designed by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.[3] The other two are Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach. The three are examples of a style of urban planning known as New Urbanism. As Seaside is privately owned, no other municipal governments had planning jurisdiction over Seaside, and therefore the developers were able to write their own zoning codes.

Individual housing units in Seaside are required to be different from other buildings, with designs ranging from styles such as Victorian, New Classical, Modern, Postmodern, and Deconstructivism.[8] Seaside includes buildings by architects such as Léon Krier, Robert A. M. Stern, Steven Holl, Machado and Silvetti Associates, Deborah Berke, Gordon Burns & Associates, Thomas Christ, Walter Chatham, Daniel Solomon, Ronnie Holstead, Jeff Margaretten, Alex Gorlin, Aldo Rossi, Michael McDonough, Samuel Mockbee, David Mohney, Steve Badanes, Walker Candler, and David Coleman.[9] Another Driehaus Prize winner, the architect Scott Merrill designed the Seaside Chapel, an interfaith chapel and local landmark.[10]

Seaside has no private front lawns, and only native plants are used in front yards.[11]

Events

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During the Annual 30A Songwriters Festival, produced by the Cultural Arts Association of Walton County, singer-songwriters from all over the U.S. perform in venues along Scenic Highway 30A and at a few venues in Seaside itself.[12]

The Seaside Half Marathon and 5K Race is held each year in March, and attracts runners from all across the U.S. This is quickly becoming one of the region's premier running events. The 5K Run is limited to the first 800 people that register and the Half Marathon is limited to the first 2200 that register.[13] The top three runners from each age group receive a prize, and every runner in the half marathon receives a medal upon completing the race. Participants are allowed to walk in either race.[14]

Other events include the Seeing Red Wine Festival,[15] a dance festival, a farmers market, and holiday events such as an annual production of The Nutcracker.

Organizations and institutions

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Escape to Create

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Escape to Create aims to celebrate artists and serve the community through Multi-Disciplinary Artist Residencies, Visiting Artists and Scholars, Arts and Cultural Programs, and Educational outreach.

Seaside Farmers Market

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On Saturday mornings the Seaside Farmers Market offers fresh local produce, dairy products, baked goods, and native plants.[16] Demonstrations in cooking and gardening are also held on a regular basis.[17]

Repertory Theater

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The Repertory Theater (REP) was founded in the spring of 2001, and serves more than 25,000 people every year.[18] The plays are performed by the only professional theater company on the Emerald Coast, and includes everything from family shows to sophisticated adult content shows.[19] High school students who live in the area can intern at the Seaside Repertory Theater. The program is intended to teach practical knowledge by working with the staff and get to be in charge of their own production.[20]

SEASIDE Institute

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The SEASIDE Institute is a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Seaside, Florida. The organization hosts educational programs throughout the year centered around sustainability, connectivity, and adaptability.

Seaside Neighborhood School

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In 1995 a group of parents and other community members from towns in Walton County, met and discussed how they could improve education within the county. Their discussions focused on making a densely populated school with grades five to eight.[21] In 1996 Seaside Neighborhood School was established. It was Florida's first charter school.[22] The school initially consisted of 50 students and one classroom. In 1998, architect Richard Gibbs designed three white buildings which became the school's site.[23] In order to maintain the small enrollment of children that attend the school, a limited number of students are accepted into each grade. If enrollment exceeds the limit, students names are drawn randomly from a lottery. After the limit has been reached, they continue to pull out names which then creates a school year waiting list. If someone withdraws from the school then the first on the waiting list will be accepted. Children of employees, Board Members, or siblings of current attendees of the school are automatically admitted. In 2013, Seaside Neighborhood School founded a collegiate high school, called Seacoast Collegiate High School. In its inaugural year, it served 80 students in grades 9 and 10. Grade 11 was added in 2014 and grade 12 was added in the fall of 2015. In August 2014, Seaside Neighborhood School also introduced a fifth grade class.[24]

Notable residents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Seaside". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "A Good Place to Live". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Seaside Celebrates 40 Years!". VIE Magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living! Archived 2011-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b "The Seaside Research Portal". seaside.library.nd.edu. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. ^ Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living! Archived 2011-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Unexpected USA: Cultural hotspots". BBC Travel. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Smart Communities Network: Overview Success Stories". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  9. ^ Moonan, Wendy (June 8, 1995). "CURRENTS - Evoking the Mayans On a Florida Beach - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. ^ "The Chapel at Seaside". Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Pollan, Michael (June 4, 1998). "Breaking Ground; Seed. Reseed. Secede". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  12. ^ "Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living!". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  13. ^ "Seaside Half Marathon". Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  14. ^ "Seaside Half Marathon". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "The Seeing Red Wine Festival 2023 in Seaside, Florida". homeownerscollection.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living!". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  17. ^ "Seaside Farmers Market". Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  18. ^ "About Us – the REP Theatre – Seaside, Florida, 30A, South Walton, Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach, Destin, Miramar Beach, Emerald Coast Professional Theater". Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  19. ^ "Calendar – the REP Theatre – Seaside, Florida, 30A, South Walton, Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach, Destin, Miramar Beach, Emerald Coast Professional Theater". Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  20. ^ "High School Company Internship at the Seaside Repertory Theatre". Seaside Repertory Theatre. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  21. ^ "Seaside Neighborhood School – Charter School Info". Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  22. ^ CYber SYtes, Inc. – Bethany Cahours. "Seaside Neighborhood School – A Charter School in Seaside FL". Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  23. ^ "Seaside, FL | More than a way of life, a way of living!". Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  24. ^ "Seaside Neighborhood School – Admission Policies and Procedures". Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  25. ^ a b Zak, Dan (February 20, 2018). "Rep. Matt Gaetz wants you to know who he is, and his plan is working". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
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