Panama City, Florida

One of Panama City's great draws is its location on St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Its beautiful beaches make it a popular tourist destination, but its small-town atmosphere is what encourages people to return and perhaps eventually to call it home.

Panama City, in the Florida Panhandle, celebrated its centennial throughout 2009, complete with an official song that harks back to its small-town roots. When the First Methodist Church, then located on the corner of 4th Street and Magnolia Avenue, hosted its first wedding on May 5, 1917, the event was also the city's first wedding, the union of Susie Kelly and Thomas Percy Dean.

Susie Kelly Dean later wrote a waltz, with the music composed by C.J. Bryan, that is now the official song for Panama City's 100th anniversary celebration.

St. Andrews Bay attracted little attention in the early years of the United States. Its small community was established during the Civil War in an area now known as Old Town St. Andrews, but all 32 cottages and homes were destroyed by a federal attack from The Restless.

In the 1880s, the St. Andrews Bay Railroad Land and Mining Company sold 25 x 82-foot lots for $1.25, which thousands of investors scarfed up sight unseen. One proud new owner called his property Floriopolis, and another referred to his land as Park Resort. In 1889, these names were changed to Harrison, in honor of Benjamin Harrison, then the 23rd president of the United States. Seventeen years later, in 1906, the name changed once again to Panama City, referencing the Panama Canal, which was then under construction.

In 1909, the city was incorporated and the area flourished. Two rail lines were now in the area that extended to the North Bay. During the 1920s, Florida's real estate market boomed and, in 1929, the state opened the DuPont and Hathaway Bridges across the bays. The Coastal Highway, now U.S. 98, was also finished.

World War II completed the change of Panama City from a small town to a bustling seaport in the early 1940s. The city's population tripled during the war, and many veterans chose to make the area their permanent home.

Today, with a population of almost 37,000 people, the city has not forgotten its small-town roots, even while enjoying the benefits of upscale tourist developments. If in doubt, sit back, relax and listen to Susie Kelly Dean's waltz as Panama City celebrates 100 years of the good life.