Mary Esther is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida. The city is located in Northwest Florida, in between Fort Walton Beach and Navarre, and incompasses 2.5 square miles of land.
Founded in 1946, Mary Esther is noted as one of the first areas settled in this part of Northwest Florida. The city was named after the two daughters of John Newton, who established the first post office in the Mary Esther community in 1871. The opening of Santa Rosa Mall in 1976 sparked a commercial building boom in Mary Esther that no one had ever envisioned. The 2 1/2 square mile city now boasts an estimated population of 4,400 residents.
The beaches and other outdoor surroundings create an inviting atmosphere in Mary Esther. This welcoming city allures visitors with its seafood restaurants and shopping. Residents and visitors to Mary Esther are lucky enough to have two Air Force Bases nearby: Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base. Other notable attractions for the city include Santa Rosa Mall and the Oak Tree Nature Preserve, a heavily wooded nature park and preserve offering tranquil walking and hiking trails.
Mary Esther’s location near the Emerald Coast of Florida make it a beautiful, sought after destination for both visitors and residents, but also makes it vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise. In addition to “flood smart” information offered to the community, the city implements floodplain management efforts. These include preventive and corrective measures to reduce the risk of current and future flooding, aimed at creating a more resilient community. They take a variety of forms and generally include requirements for zoning, subdivision or building, building codes, and special-purpose floodplain ordinances.
