More historic than 4% of U.S. towns · #571 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Panama City Beach was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first Panama City Beach post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1977.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Panama City Beach’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Panama City Beach is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #571 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Panama City Beach’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Panama City Beach’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1977.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Panama City Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Panama City Beach was incorporated as a city in 1970 when a number of beachside communities merged, including the original Panama City Beach resort area founded by Gideon Thomas after the US 98 Hathaway Bridge across the west bay out of Panama City opened in 1929. Thomas purchased land along what became Thomas Dr in 1932 and opened for business in 1936. Also Long Beach Resort, created by J. E. Churchwell when he purchased land that was a former defunct beach resort owned by W.T. Sharpless (who was murdered after trying to collect tax from beachgoers in 1931) at the intersection of Thomas Dr and Front Beach Road in 1932 and opened for business in 1935. Other communities and resorts involved in the merger were Edgewater Gulf Beach, West Panama City Beach, Laguna Beach, Dutchville, Playville, and Julia.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Panama City Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Panama City Beach sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Panama City Beach.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewSanta Claus at, 1956
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Panama City Beach’s page.
The Panama City Beach post office opened in 1939, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1977.
How does Panama City Beach rank for history?
Panama City Beach is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #571 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Panama City Beach?
0.1% of Panama City Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 2001.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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