Locat­ed on the Gulf Coast, the resort town evolved from small fish­ing com­mu­ni­ties. Devel­op­ment began in the 1930s, and a con­struc­tion boom in the 2000s trans­formed it into a pop­u­lar tourist des­ti­na­tion. It com­bines nat­ur­al beau­ty, rich his­to­ry, and mod­ern ameni­ties.