Franklin County

Home Sweet Home

When you travel the four-mile bridge that spans Apalachicola Bay from Franklin County, you enter the heart of the real estate market served by the Realtor Association of Franklin County--St. George Island, ranked among some of the best beaches in the country. Lining the 30 miles of white-sand beach are vacation homes ranging in price from $90,000 to $1.2 million. There are several communities on the island worth considering. At East End Beaches, located, as you might expect along the eastern section of the island, properties were sold off in five- and eight-acre tracts in the mid-1970s and divided into one-acre residential sites. There's also a gated community, the St. George Island Plantation, with about 850 half-acre and one-acre home sites. Home buyers looking for something smaller should consider 300 Ocean Mile, a townhome community with 97 units, and properties at the Villas of St. George, a 42-unit condo community.

With 70 percent of the island built out, the amount of land available for new construction is limited, which keeps prices of existing homes relatively high, says Norred. For $100,000, you can obtain a 1,200-square-foot home with two bedrooms, two baths and a deck on an interior lot. (Minimum square footage of any home built on the island is 1,000 sqare feet.) Looking for something a little larger? Plan on spending about $140,000 for a 1,600-square-foot home. The closer you get to the water, the more you'll pay. Building costs are comparable to other coastal communities--$80 per square foot on the east end of the island, up to $130 per square foot for homes built at St. George Island Plantation.

Those seeking a quieter way of life often stay on the mainland.The majority of homes in Franklin County are located either in Apalachicola or Carrabelle. The big, older homes that come onto the market here from time to time (about 12 a year) are popular with newcomers. Other areas to consider include Alligator Point, a beach community that attracts residents from Tallahassee who own second homes here. Nearby St. Teresa is a charming area popular with longtime Tallahassee families. Looking for more privacy? Consider the community of Dog Island, accessible only by private boat and small airplane, where it's you, the beach and only 99 other home sites.

Vital Stats

Population: 10,079
Median age: 47
New citizens: 180 yearly
New job creation: NA
Unemployment: 3.6 percent in August, 1999
Cost of living: 95.52 on Florida's Price Level Index (weighted state average=100)
Per capita income: $16,395
Median household effective buying income: $23,586

Rain & Shine

This section of Florida enjoys some seasonal variations, although its climate is mild and temperatures usually range from moderate to warm. Average temperature in January is 53.7 degrees Fahrenheit; average temperature in August is 81.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, about 58 inches of rain falls each year, but most of it during the summer season.

Job Market

Commercial fishing--especially for the famous Apalachicola Bay oysters, crab and shrimp--and tourism account for many of the region's jobs. Although only 11,000 people live here, over150,000 visit annually. They require rooms, meals, activities, and tourism-related jobs provide work for many residents. With only about 3,000 people in Apalachicola, the county's largest city and its county seat, no employer is either huge or dominant. Diversity rules. Major private employers include Pristine Oyster (100), Bay St. George Nursing Home (60), Leavins Seafood (40), Weems Memorial Hopsital (80), Florida Power (21) and Lynn's Quality Oysters (32).

Class Notes

Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm). There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.

Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.

For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."

U.S. Highways 98/319 hug the Gulf of Mexico along Franklin County's scenic coastline until they separate in its northeastern sector. Other major roadways include State Roads 65 and 375. No interstates run through Franklin County, although I-10 isn't far north.Tallahassee Regional Airport is about 75 miles away. From there, it's possible to connect to major hub cities in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville or Atlanta and then connect with routes around the world. Two small municipal airports serve Carrabelle and Apalachicola, both coastal cities. The closest port is located 25 miles from Apalachicola. It's the 28-foot deep Port of St. Joe in neighboring Gulf County that offers stevedoring but not warehousing.

Great Outdoors

It really is great in Franklin County's massive wilderness. Bird watchers love to visit here for the chance to glimpse rare species. A favorite stop for bird watching is the St. George Island Causeway, where a mountain plover was sighted recently and Sprague's pipits are viewed with some regularity. Black skimmers, least terns, gull-billed terns and common goldeneye are sighted during certain seasons of the year. Connecticut warblers frequent the youth camp woods segment of George Island State Park, and on occasion you may even see a snowy plover if you walk the beach area from where the paved road ends. Many species are common here year-round or as winter visitors, but several other uncommon residents include the white-breasted nuthatch, Swainson's warbler, Henslow's sparrow, purple finch and the pine siskin. Extremely rare, the red-throated loon visits once in awhile in the winter. The snow goose and white-winged scoter provide equally rare winter sights; the Mississippi kite, the black rail and Wilson's plover bring birders delight on their rare summer stops.

The beaches are great and essentially unspoiled. Sometimes called the Forgotten Coast, nature still holds the high hand here. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, famed University of Maryland coastal geologist, calls Julian Bruce State Park on St. George Island one the country's top 20 beaches. In 2000, he ranked it No. 11. In fact, almost 2,000 acres and nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes are the major attractions of the St. George Island State Park on the long island's eastern end. Accessible only by boat, the other three barrier islands flanking Apalachicola Bay prove astonishing in their own ways and on their own terms. On Little St. George Island's southern tip, the Cape St. George Lighthouse stands sentinel. Its brick, conical structure is the third effort by man to position a lighthouse at this location. Alas, the first two were destroyed by a hurricane and high winds. Dog Island features remote, uncrowded beaches. St. Vincent Island shelters birds and wildlife. It's a federal wildlife refuge.

For more experience with nature and several sporting activities as well, there's the forest. More than a half-million acres and huge portions of four counties--including Franklin--comprise the Apalachicola National Forest, a combination of pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, rivers, lakes and wilderness regions, particularly Bradwell Bay and Mud Swamp/New River.

Good Sports

Franklin County has no pro sports teams, and residents rely on personal sports for a physical challenge. High-exertion activities include canoeing the Sopchoppy and lower Ochlockonee, hunting, freshwater or saltwater fishing, hiking part of the Florida National Scenic Trail and camping -- but be prepared to encounter alligators and snakes along with eagles, deer, raccoons and other assorted woodland critters and swampland inhabitants. Guides, charters and tours routinely set out into the wildenerness.

Hot Times in the City

This region is a quiet one, and most people learn to amuse themselves. Culture in a formal sense is mostly absent, but that doesn't mean the residents lack culture. There are public libraries, a National Estuarine Research Center, Apalachicola Maritime Museum and the Apalachicola Historical Society. The John Gorrie Museum honors a man who pioneered an artificial ice-making machine, which was a precursor of air-conditioning. John Gorrie deserves a museum and the gratitude of all Florida residents and visitors because he was one of the first to figure out how to make Florida livable year-round. Apalachicola offers a 146-block historic district, including the David G. Raney House and Trinity Episcopal Church, both of architectural interest. As a working fishing village, Apalachicola fascinates many who enjoy its activity and authenticity. Although it's small, the village isn't conventionally quaint; and although it has lots of history, it's not a static kind of place--not at all.

Major festivals include the St. George Island Annual Music & Art Festival in October, the 37th Annual Florida Seafood Festival in November, the St. George Island Charity Chili Cookoff & Auction, Annual Antique Automobile Race and Display in April and, the same month, the Historic Apalachicola Antique Boat Show.

Shop 'til You Drop

There's a Mini Mall, but shopping centers aren't mammoth here; no massive malls beckon residents. But Franklin County's not without shopping--food and supplies for the locals and lots of very nice gift shops, book stores and boutiques catering primarily to tourists and travelers. For prime-time shopping, you'll need to travel to Tallahassee or Panama City. For antiques, shop Havana or Quincy in rural Gadsden County, north of the national forest and northwest of Tallahassee.

Nightlife

The best thing about the nightlife here is the seafood. Some people go to Apalachicola primarily to eat out. The two well-known fine-dining places are the Gibson Inn restaurant and Chef Eddie's Magnolia Grill, both in Apalachicola, or Boss Oyster -- oysters 15 different ways -- and Roberto's Owl Cafe, a relaxed eatery. It's alleged that the Magnolia Grill gets a little pretentious at times, especially after receiving a rave review. Also worth a try are the Oyster Cove Restaurant or Finni's Bar and Grill on St. George Island.

College Scene

Were it not for the Internet and distance learning, Franklin County would be in the educational wilderness. But today, wherever books, computers, radios and televisions go, education occurs. The proverbial professor on the other end of the log can be in Tallahassee or Gainesville, New York or Oxford--at least theoretically. There's no escaping, however, the obvious lack of post-secondary schools in the county. The closest two-year community college is Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City. Four-years schools aren't far either. Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mining University (FAMU) are both in Tallahassee, only 75 miles away.

Just for Seniors

Franklin County has assisted living facilities as well as nursing homes, but the area is essentially a young county -- only 29 percent of its residents are older than 65, yet there's help for its senior citizens when they need it. Public and private-sector senior services, whether free, sliding-scale or fee-based will be among the resources listed by the Information and Referral (I&R) specialist who answers the county's Elder Helpline. Call 850/697-3760 for assistance.