Crime Scene and Trauma Cleanup in Shalimar, FL

Shalimar is a small incorporated town in Okaloosa County in the Florida Panhandle, part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metropolitan area.

Shalimar began in 1943-1944 as Port Dixie, a community of about 160 houses built by developer Clifford H. Meigs to house military officers from the rapidly expanding Eglin Field during World War II.

The Town of Shalimar was incorporated in June 1947, and founder Clifford Meigs served as its first mayor until his death in 1960.

Local accounts say Shalimar incorporated in 1947 partly so that its residents could gamble legally at the Shalimar Club.

Shalimar had a population of 737 at the 2020 census, up slightly from 717 in 2010, packed into just 0.3 square miles of land on the shore of Choctawhatchee Bay.

Many of Shalimar's residents are active-duty military personnel and retirees, thanks to the town's location just south of Eglin Air Force Base.

Clifford Meigs donated land to Okaloosa County for Choctawhatchee High School, which opened on September 22, 1952, and Shalimar is also served by Shalimar Elementary School and Meigs Middle School.

One of Shalimar's most notable residents was George E. 'Bud' Day, the celebrated Air Force veteran who died in 2013.

Streets in Shalimar such as Meigs Drive, Clifford Drive and Sara Drive are named for the town's founding Meigs family.

The unincorporated areas east and north of town, including Lake Lorraine and Poquito Bayou, still carry a Shalimar postal address even though they lie outside the town limits, and locals still call the area between Shalimar and Lake Lorraine 'Port Dixie'.