Seaside, Florida

     Almost everyone knows about the truly inspiring town of Seaside, Florida. When I visited Seaside as a child in the early 2000s, people from all over the Southeast would drive 10+ hours to visit for a week and experience the community and beach. Something about spending a week in this place makes one feel like they are transported to an entirely different world. As a child, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what I loved about Seaside, but now as an adult (with a slight understanding of new urbanism) I can understand the hidden aspects that have made Seaside so loveable. 

Homes in Seaside, Florida.

    The walkability of Seaside is one of the things that people love about it. When visiting, you can escape the mundane suburban sprawl for a taste of a lively community bustling with people and amenities. For a lot of people that come to visit, this type of community is such a stark contrast to what they are used to. This creates an otherworldly type feeling that keeps families coming back regularly, despite the rising prices. In Seaside, it is very common for families to rent a house and vacation for a week or two. From each house there, you can walk very easily to a restaurant to get some food, common spaces to hang out, and arguably the best amenity of Seaside, the beach access. 

    Seaside has many wonderful amenities that make it a place people are always wanting to visit. Other beach communities have popped up to try and replicate the success of Seaside, making the whole area a successful beach town. 

Food and shopping in Seaside, Florida.

    There are definitely some issues when it comes to many new urbanist communities and Seaside isn't an exception. One of the main concerns with a place like Seaside is how expensive it is. Understandably, people want to live or visit in a place as wonderful as Seaside. But because of this, it creates an environment where everything is extremely expensive as well as over crowded.  

    When I was growing up, Seaside was a bustling community full of people and still pretty crowded. The last time I visited, it seemed to be 10 times worse. Though I understand why people want to visit, it is disappointing to see something transform from a pretty busy and bustling place to feeling like it is far past its max capacity.

    For many of us, Seaside is a nostalgic place full of wonderful memories. Hopefully one day many more communities can exist that are affordable and still have the same magic that Seaside does. The specialness of Seaside is truly exceptional. Maybe it's partially the nostalgia from my childhood, but I do know it is also the conscious design decisions that were crafted specially to make this place wonderful to visit.