Gulf County
A Place for Dreamers
Six beach and waterway destinations, including several pet-friendly spots, make Gulf County the ideal scene for dreamers daring to chase the horizon. Whether it’s relaxing on the tranquil beaches of T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph State Park, strolling the easily walkable downtown of Port St. Joe or fishing the untouched, serene waters of the Dead Lakes, you’ll lose yourself in your imagination, and that’s completely okay.
In Gulf County, you can see sea turtles crawling ashore to lay their eggs and the occasional alligator floating down the Apalachicola River, all in the same day. The fun doesn’t stop once the sun goes down, either. Port St. Joe has several bar & grills with live music nightly — like the Lookout Lounge, the best Karaoke bar in the region and host to many bachelorette parties and Girls’ Nights Out. Various annual festivals also set up shop throughout the region, such as the Forgotten Music Fest and the Blast on the Bay Songwriter’s Festival which brings in a vibrant group of Nashville musicians to the county every October.
- Beaches and Waterways
- Living Here
- Working Here
- Learning Here
Authentic Beach Living for Everyone
From inland, river-side cities like Wewahitchka to Gulf Coast beach towns like Port St. Joe, life in Gulf County is truly as easygoing as the breeze. Find unmatched freshwater fishing and photography opportunities at Wewahitchka’s Dead Lakes — one of the richest eco-systems in Florida and home to Tupelo Honey making for more than a century. Or check out the annual Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Festival in Port St. Joe and the pet-friendly St. Joe Beach — the pur-fect place to take your four-legged friend.
A Family-Friendly Gulf Coast
Leave your cares where you come from because a beautiful sunset is going down in Gulf County. Can’t decide whether you enjoy water or wildlife more? Gulf County lets you have both with national wildlife refuges like St. Vincent Island and snorkeling, kayaking and paddle boarding opportunities up and down the coast. Become a local through Gulf County’s small-town “Moms and Pop” style storefronts and boutique shops. And with an overall cost of living that is 11% less than the national average, top-rated schools and a mix of housing opportunities, Gulf County is a great place to raise your family.
Opportunity Abounds
Gulf County is home to endless opportunity. The county is tracking some of its lowest unemployment rates in decades, bolstered by the 2021 opening of Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s newest shipyard, employing 135 skilled workers, and Skyborne Technology’s new airship fabrication facility in Wewahitchka and flight operation hanger in Port St. Joe. Cattle and Cowboys have also been a mainstay in Gulf County since 2014 when the Deseret Ranches purchased 186,000 acres, approximately 52% of the county. And, we can’t forget investments new and established, such as the St. Joe Company’s $30 million investment into the region to reopen the Port St. Joe or the Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital’s first-class healthcare services for over 12 years.
Learn Where You Vacation
It’s Gulf County Schools’ mission to ensure that no student is left behind. Starting in August 2021, the Gulf Coast State College’s (GCSC) Foundation guaranteed an annual, automatic scholarship for Gulf County high school graduates enrolled in a full-time degree. The college also established a Gulf/Franklin Satellite Campus in 1998, focused on providing convenient, quality education to the county’s workforce. This campus houses special continuing education, personal enrichment, and occupational education programming, like a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Correctional Officer program.
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