potential Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas recovery and its potential 

 effects on residential and industrial development in Northwest Florida. 



RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT 



Between 1970 and 1980 the percentage growth in housing units in Northwest 

 Florida far exceeded the percentage growth in population. Even so, its resi- 

 dent population increased from 439,793 to 530,429 -- a substantial rise of 

 20.5%. In these same years, the population growth was about 40% for Florida 

 and about 11% for the Nation. The number of housing units increased 48% in 

 Northwest Florida, 73% in Florida as a whole, and 29% nationally. Because of 

 housing demands, it is important to understand the characteristics of residen- 

 tial development in Northwest Florida, and to determine how housing demands 

 might be affected by onshore demands of OCS oil and gas recovery. 



GENERAL NUMERICAL TRENDS 



The increase in housing units in Northwest Florida in 1970-80 doubled 

 that of 1960-70 (Table 1), but because of even faster growth in the State as a 

 whole, the percentage of Northwest Florida's units in the State total was 6.8% 

 in 1950 and only 5.8% in 1980. 



Table 1. The numbers of housing units in Northwest Florida and in Florida and 

 their increase at 10-year intervals from 1950 to 1980 with Northwest Florida's 

 percentage contribution to the State total given in parentheses (U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Commerce 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981a). 



Escambia County has long had the greatest number of housing units in 

 Northwest Florida. In 1950, it had almost half of the units, but in 1980, its 

 share dropped to 41%. The greatest increase in housing was in Okaloosa 

 County, which contributed 10% of the housing units in the region in 1950 and 

 20% in 1980. Bay County had 20% of the housing in 1980, about the same as 30 

 years ago. 



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