Area Stats
Zip Codes: 32459, 32461
School District: Walton County School District
School Rating: 8/10
Median Home Value: $1,250,000
Santa Rosa Beach and the 30A corridor represent some of the most sought-after real estate on Florida's Gulf Coast. This stretch includes unique beach communities like WaterColor, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, and Alys Beach, each with distinct architecture and amenities. The area offers luxury homes, beachfront estates, and cottage-style properties with access to rare coastal dune lakes. Residents and visitors enjoy upscale dining, boutique shopping, and state parks. The 30A market attracts buyers looking for premium coastal living, strong rental income potential, and a lifestyle centered on beach culture. Property values reflect high demand and limited inventory in this protected area.
Best Places To Eat
Café Thirty-A: Fine dining with New Orleans-inspired cuisine and an award-winning wine program.
The Bay: Upscale waterfront restaurant in Grayton Beach featuring seasonal Gulf Coast cuisine.
La Crema Tapas & Chocolate: Spanish-inspired tapas and desserts in a charming Rosemary Beach setting.
George's at Alys Beach: Coastal cuisine with locally sourced ingredients and rooftop dining.
Surfing Deer: Casual eatery in Seaside known for fresh seafood tacos, burgers, and a family-friendly vibe.
Must Visit
Grayton Beach State Park
Grayton Beach State Park protects one of the most pristine stretches of coastline in Florida. This 2,000-acre park features sugar-white sand dunes, coastal dune lakes, and hiking trails through rare scrub forests. The beach consistently ranks among the best in the nation, and the park offers a glimpse of what the 30A area looked like before development. You can kayak on Western Lake, hike the nature trails, or simply enjoy the untouched shoreline. This park matters because it represents the balance between growth and preservation that defines the 30A community. Residents fiercely protect these natural areas, and visiting Grayton Beach State Park shows you why people pay a premium to live here. It's the reason this coastline remains special.
Did You Know?
County Road 30A, which gives the area its famous nickname, was originally a simple coastal road built in the 1930s to connect the scattered fishing communities along the shore. The highway remained largely undiscovered until the 1980s when developer Robert Davis created Seaside, one of the first New Urbanist communities in America. Seaside's design inspired the town in the movie "The Truman Show," which was filmed there in 1998 and put 30A on the national map. The area is also home to rare coastal dune lakes, with 15 of the world's roughly 30 coastal dune lakes found right here along this stretch of coastline. These lakes form when natural depressions fill with fresh water and occasionally breach the sand dunes to mix with the Gulf, creating unique ecosystems found in only a few places worldwide.
