I'm in Walton County, just West of Washington County and I'm 86+++. The Northern part of the County is Rural while the southern (beach areas) part is crowded. Eglin AFB owns a large amount of the County, so real-estate prices can be high in the Southern (Beach) parts. Modern hospitals are common in the populated areas and Emergency Care Centers are located throughout the rural areas. Ambulance service is common throughout the County, and Senior Citizen Centers are popping up everywhere. Our Wx is a bit cooler than Southern FL, but we normally only have 2 cold months - January & February. On the other hand we don't get as hot as the Southern FL. folks during the remaining 10 months of the year. The AFB allows us to hunt on a large part of their land , so lots of places to hunt/fish - also some shooting ranges available.. Washington County is just East of me and is more rural because there is no AFB or Beaches. I-10 runs East & West through most of the Panhandle Counties making travel in those directions easier. We don't get as much hurricane activity as Middle FL. does, but one seeks us out every-now-and-then... I'll try to answer any other questions that you might have.. Good luck