Editing Santa Rosa County, Florida (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|1174|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1012|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|162|sqmi}} (13.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

===National protected area===
* [[Choctawhatchee National Forest]] (part)

===Regions===
Santa Rosa County can be divided into three distinct sections: South Santa Rosa, Central Santa Rosa, and North Santa Rosa. The sections are centered on the main east–west roads that pass through the county.
[[File:Navarre Beach Florida sand.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Navarre Beach, Florida|Navarre Beach]]]]

South Santa Rosa County comprises the area from Holley and [[Navarre, Florida|Navarre]] in the east to [[Gulf Breeze, Florida|Gulf Breeze]] at the western end of the [[Fairpoint Peninsula]], and along [[U.S. Route 98 in Florida|U.S. Highway 98]]. A section of [[Santa Rosa Island, Florida|Santa Rosa Island]], containing the unincorporated community of  [[Navarre Beach, Florida|Navarre Beach]], is also part of South Santa Rosa County. Major bodies of water including [[Santa Rosa Sound]], [[Pensacola Bay]] and [[East Bay (Santa Rosa County, Florida)|East Bay]] strongly influence the housing and life style of citizens in the southern part of the county. This fast-growing region serves primarily as "bedroom communities" for [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] to the west and [[Hurlburt Field]], [[Fort Walton Beach, Florida|Fort Walton Beach]], and [[Eglin Air Force Base]] to the east. 

Central Santa Rosa County is the area north of the bays and south of the extensive forests separating it from North Santa Rosa. The central section developed along the so-called [[Old Spanish Trail (auto trail)|Old Spanish Trail]] that ran from [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] to [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]], and further points west. Today, [[U.S. Route 90 in Florida|U.S. Highway 90]] closely parallels the old trail, and is the main highway that connects the region. Despite recent growth, the Central Region is best identified by its rural roots, and can be best characterized by traditional [[Southern United States|Southern]] culture. The [[Pace, Florida|Pace]] and [[Milton, Florida|Milton]] communities compose the Central Region, with both having populations roughly around 30,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/32570|title=Zip Code 32570 Profile, Map and Demographics - Updated December 2019|website=Zipdatamaps.com|language=en|access-date=December 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/32571|title=Zip Code 32571 Profile, Map and Demographics - Updated December 2019|website=Zipdatamaps.com|language=en|access-date=December 31, 2019}}</ref> The county seat, [[Milton, Florida|Milton]] is located where the trail crossed the [[Blackwater River (Florida)|Blackwater River]]. To the west of Milton bordering the Escambia River, [[Pace, Florida|Pace]] has experienced exponential growth both residential and commercial. [[Interstate 10 in Florida|Interstate 10]] also passes through this section of the county. The [[U.S. Navy]] presence is marked by [[Naval Air Station Whiting Field|Whiting Field]] and [[Naval Outlying Landing Field Spencer|NOLF Spencer Field]].

Northern Santa Rosa County is forest and farming country. The only town in the north is [[Jay, Florida|Jay]]. Most development has been along [[Florida State Road 4|State Road 4]] which runs through the northern sections of [[Escambia County, Florida|Escambia]], Santa Rosa, and [[Okaloosa County, Florida|Okaloosa]] counties. A large oil and natural gas field around Jay produced a great deal of oil, and made many farmers millionaires in the 1970s and 1980s, but the field has been depleted and is producing little oil today. The citizens have, for the most part, returned to farming and forestry for their livelihoods.

[[State Road 87 (Florida)|State Road 87]] traverses the county from north to south, between U.S. Highway 98 and the border with [[Escambia County, Alabama]] near [[Brewton, Alabama|Brewton]], where it connects with [[State Route 41 (Alabama)|State Route 41]]. This road is a primary [[emergency evacuation]] route for the county during [[hurricanes]].

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Escambia County, Alabama]] - north
* [[Okaloosa County, Florida]] - east
* [[Escambia County, Florida]] - west