You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
In 1931, what was to be Shalimar and its thereabouts was an elaborate scheme of amazing proportions that captured the eye of many an investor and the attention of nearly all of Northwest Florida.
Port Dixie, it was called.
In "A History of Okaloosa County" by Henry Allen Dobson, the author referred to the Port Dixie development as "A grandiose scheme which had the ingredients of a great hoax."
It was to be an extraordinary commercial-industrial complex on Garnier’s Bayou and chartered as the Port Dixie Harbor and Terminal Company.
The optimistic venture depended on two things: the enlargement of Destin East Pass to accommodate large sea vessels, and the construction of a railroad that would service the complex.
Following rampant rumors of the development’s birth and details of its far-flung facets – realty company, railroad, port, steamship lines, ship-building plant, tire plant, town site, night club – the complicated plan fell on its face.
"The Corps of Engineers decided that the plans to dredge Destin East Pass to accommodate deep-water vessels was not feasible," Dobson wrote. "It is not known for certain whether capital for the railroad was contingent upon a positive report by the Corps of Engineers on the pass proposal, or whether company was simply unable to finance the railroad. In any case, the project died, died with no obituary, no post-mortem."
Port Dixie was the first of many ventures to see unexpected change in the yet-to-be-named Town of Shalimar.
When Clifford Meigs started the town in the early 1940s, he developed a community of 160 houses to be used as housing for military officers.
Said to mean "by the beautiful water," Shalimar became the lovely home – although often only for a short time – of dozens of military and, later, civilian families.
A Dec. 31, 1944 article in the Atlanta Journal reads: "Life beyond the ragged hammocks, the flat sage grassland and the blue waters becomes remote. The little community at Shalimar is a world of its own…and always there hangs the Damocles’ sword of ‘When will overseas orders arrive?’ The peace and beauty of the this little hidden home spot is made more poignant because of this constant apprehension."
In the 1940s, few thought Meigs’ plan to develop military housing would be a prosperous one.
An article in the Nov 12, 1959, Playground News (what is now the Northwest Florida Daily News), quotes Meigs as saying: "I furnished the land and another fellow did the buildings…it was a gamble, though. People said I was crazy to build houses way out here in the woods, that the base would fold up as soon as the war was over, and I would be left with empty houses on my hands. But it didn’t work out that way, and the 160 houses I had constructed stayed rented all the time." Meigs turned his gamble into a success.
But not until gambling of another sort prompted the issue, did Shalimar incorporate.
Florida law prevented clubs in unincorporated areas from staying open from 12 a.m. Saturday until Monday morning, according to the Playground News of 1959. That meant could be trouble for the famed Shalimar Club owned by Roger Clary and described in "A History of Okaloosa County" as a "sumptuous" spot.
Best known for its gambling, Dobson wrote, the club’s opening "was the social event of 1947." But because its home wasn’t incorporated, the club’s existence was threatened.
"The Fort Walton Beach places were doing a booming business on the weekends while there were rumors that the sheriff might enforce the law in Shalimar and close the place there," Meigs told the Playground News. "The owner came to me and suggested incorporation, and while I didn’t think I had much to gain then, I agreed. With only about three other freeholders in the area, it was a simple matter to get incorporated."
Although helped by the Town’s incorporation in 1947, the Shalimar Club and other gambling hotspots didn’t fare too well for too long.
"The collapse of Okaloosa gambling was brought about by the glare of outside publicity, reform zeal from within and the direct intervention of Governor Fuller Warren. The first wind of adversity was blown in by the Tampa Tribune’s expose of gambling in Fort Walton," Dobson wrote.
Despite such glitches, Shalimar began to build its own character, much of which came from Meigs, its founder and mayor from 1947 to 1960, when he died.
Jim Tras was Shalimar’s first elected mayor in 1965 following a short term in office by Clyde Meigs – Clifford’s brother – and a term of two to three years by Sara Tras, who was married to Clifford Meigs at the time of his death. She is currently married to Jim Tras.
Greatly responsible for Shalimar’s continuous growth, the Meigs family donated land for Choctawhatchee High School (now Meigs Middle School), Meigs Stadium and what eventually became the Shalimar Courthouse Annex. Before the annex was completed in 1947, a winery stood in its place, according to Sara Tras.
Today, the Meigs family continues to spur growth in quickly changing Shalimar. Clifford Meigs, Jr., owner of Shalimar Ventures, a commercial development firm, has built a car wash, convenience store and has other ideas "on the drawing board."
That, he believes, would suit his father just fine.
In the 1959 Playground News interview, Shalimar’s founder said the area should not depend entirely upon Eglin for its growth. With that in mind, Meigs says of his dad: "I think that he definitely would agree with some of the other local people here that we need other industry.
I give a lot of credit to the Air Force, but then I give a lot of credit to this area and to the beauty of the area and the water and the climate. We’re building a real large retirement base."
Even in 1944, Shalimar’s settler had that in mind. "Pilots, returned from combat overseas, are settling at Shalimar now," the Dec. 31, 1944 Atlanta Journal reads. ‘The billeting officer gives them first preference. And I am glad they can have its peace and quietness, its unique charm…to help salve the mental wound of battle."
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In Fort Walton Beach there was a very heavy statue of Santa stolen on Friday night from a family's front porch. This Santa was first discovered to be stolen by the Granddaughter of the owners who spotted it missing first. A local police officer did see a Jeep Cherokee with a Santa strapped to the top of it going north towards Crestview on the night it was stolen. The search is now on for the stolen Santa and the family just wants it back. It had to take two people in the kidnapping because this Santa weighed a lot. Solid concrete statue. Please if things are not difficult enough, please return Santa.
Kelly Klein at Red Hot Realty offers the most comprehensive Real Estate Services for Destin, Florida. My Real Estate Services cover the areas of Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Niceville and Panama City Beach. Make the most exciting investment in Real Estate in Destin FL, Santa Rosa Beach FL, Waterfront Properties, and Panama City Beach FL Real Estate or purchase a Niceville FL Home for Sale, it will be a satisfactory and rewarding experience for you. I won't steal Santa from your new home either.
A funny thing happened to me on the way to the blog today. I was looking for away to broadcast my blog and read an article Published by Joseph FerraraPing.fm is Latest Social Networking Posting Tool which it allows you to push your blog or just a quick note through a whole list of social media sites. Well I pushed a wrong button and invited everyone that has come in contact with me through email. You might think that it might be more like a social disease than social media. I hope if you are interested you will visit, if not I hope you are mad at that you caught a social media transmitted disease SMTD.
The real reason I started this was to start expressing my thoughts on Real Estate, the Internet and the next type of brokerage. They are some real smart people out there. I have been reading a lot of the other bloggers. This is how the scientist envisioned the Internet. Where some really smart people can exchange ideas and help each other become better at their job and help more people. the Real estate business will be very different in the future, and those who recognize this will prosper and really help people buy and sell real estate. The transactions will become smother. You have more information then ever before. You be able to see more option know more about your neighborhood, schools, activities, and the history of your home. You will save on the economy of efficiency and the saving of not having expensive office space.
posted also @ http://www.uberrealty.com/ViewBlog/43/
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