Why isn’t there more development along I-10 in Florida Panhandle

No industry. All public lands.

I was wondering the same thing when I was in Cape San Blas/Port St. Joe a few weeks ago.

I think part of it is roads and infrastructure. Even though southwest Georgia is bumfricky too, it was all four-lane divided highway until about 30 minutes from the Georgia/Florida line. Then you get into Florida, you drive on a two lane road for 20 minutes and get to a little town. Turn left at the Dollar General and then right at City Hall and then right at the railroad tracks. Drive 20 minutes on a two lane road until you get to the next little town and repeat.

The scenery also was about as sad and ugly as possible. With all the slash pines and dried up undergrowth, it looks like a bomb zone.

Other factors are also hurricanes and government property like the other guy posted and also about 10-15 other factors

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it was all four-lane divided highway until about 30 minutes from the Georgia/Florida line.

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GRIP corridors in a nutshell.

I like how most of those exits along that stretch don't have businesses right up against the exit. You have to drive 1/4 of a mile before seeing anything.

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Lots of state and federally owned land along that stretch.

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But why? Is it nature preserves? I know there is some military but not that much

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There's a publicly traded company that owns a lot of it. St Joe Co, ticker: JOE +/- 150,000 acres easy of Destin I think

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Yeah most available large parcels out that way are St Joe.

That’s a good thing dude but since you asked, it’s obviously due to the lack of industry. Same thing for I-45 between Dallas and Houston and I-49 between Shreveport and Lafayette.

This is actually a reason among others why the panhandle is my favorite region in Florida. There’s some decent hills once you get near Tallahassee. Culturally it’s synonymous with the rest of the Deep South. Much different than the peninsula of Florida. That ain’t for me what so ever. I’d put the water and sand from Pensacola to PCB up against anything the peninsula has.

I mean in some places that is 50+ miles from the coast where the activity is centered. Go 50 miles outside of Manhattan and there are some pretty damn big rural stretches of nothing too.

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This is actually a reason among others why the panhandle is my favorite region in Florida. There’s some decent hills once you get near Tallahassee. Culturally it’s synonymous with the rest of the Deep South. Much different than the peninsula of Florida. That ain’t for me what so ever. I’d put the water and sand from Pensacola to PCB up against anything the peninsula has.

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100% agree.