Beautiful Brooks Street Has It All
Between 1940 and 1970, the population of Fort Walton Beach grew by 700 percent making the coastal beach town one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Today, the “city on the move” boasts a bustling Main Street filled with new businesses, shops and restaurants.
One of the most popular neighborhoods lies along a long tree-lined lane that winds along the Choctawhatchee Bay called Brooks Street. If you are traveling west, you have to traverse the Brooks Bridge, a four-lane bridge that carries you over Highway 98 at mile 223 of the Intercoastal Waterway.
This bridge and street are named for John Thomas Brooks, who purchased just over 100 acres of what is now downtown Fort Walton Beach. Under the bridge is a park area named Brooks Landing that was beautified by the city not that long ago.
Like many things in Fort Walton Beach, the bridge is a work in progress. Attractions of living on Brooks Street are the proximity to downtown Fort Walton Beach and the conveniences it offers and the beauty of the bay enjoyed in a single-family home, townhome or condominium located in an old, established neighborhood, where kids still ride bikes and go Trick or Treating.
Ben Acock is a broker/owner for Emerald Wave Realty who has been selling real estate for 14 years. As director of the Fort Walton Beach chapter of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors (ECAR), Acock is knowledgeable about the value of an investment here.
“This particular area is appealing because it’s up and coming,” he says. “With the plans for Fort Walton Beach expansion downtown it offers a unique integration of business and residential like you would find in many bigger cities.”
At press time, according to the ECAR, the average square foot price for residential properties located in the Brooks Street neighborhood area was $171.47 square feet, which given proximity to the bay is understandably higher than the $122 square foot average of Fort Walton Beach proper.
If you are looking for a waterfront experience without the hassle of maintenance, there are a few handsome condominium developments with active listings for two- and three-bedroom properties. A 2,058 square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath condo built in 2006 is listed for $525,000 and boasts sweeping balconies with bay views, a storage space and a private garage. This puts you directly on the water, but homes inland are much less. In fact, the median price for homes sold here last year was $278,000, making Brooks Street an affordable neighborhood compared to many other Emerald Coast communities this close to the area’s prized white-sand beaches.
Brooks Street is a prime location according to Acock. “With waterfront in this area of Fort Walton Beach, you are close to many amenities plus you are just a couple miles from the Destin harbor,” he says. “You can watch the sailboats float past, and if you have a boat, you have direct access to the Destin Pass and the Gulf of Mexico.”
Altogether, the Brooks Street neighborhood seems to have it all for those looking to live the coastal lifestyle dream. “It’s as close and inexpensive in a waterfront residence with the quickest access to the Gulf that you can probably find,” Acock says.
