Learn More About International Law in Destin, Florida

Destin is a city located on the Emerald Coast of Florida, in Okaloosa County. The city styles itself "The World's Luckiest Fishing Village", and claims to have the largest fishing vessel fleet in the state of Florida. Destin is known for its white beaches and emerald-colored waters. Originating as a small fishing village, it is now a popular tourist destination – according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, over 80 percent of the Emerald Coast's 4.5 million visitors each year visit Destin. Destin is named after Captain Leonard Destin, a New London fishing master, who settled in the area around 1845 or 1850. He built a New England colonial home at the location of the Monroe Point military reservation. Captain Destin and his descendants fished the area for decades. The first condominiums were built in the 1970s, although Destin was not incorporated as a municipality until 1984. The city has experienced rapid growth since the 1980s. Destin is a principal city of the Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located on a peninsula separating the Gulf of Mexico from Choctawhatchee Bay. The peninsula was originally an island; hurricanes and sea level changes gradually connected the island to the mainland. Destin has a total area of 21.2 km² (8.2 mi²). 19.5 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (7.95%) is water.