1943 Map of Panama City Beach

About this map

Panama City Beach and its neighboring coastal developments are captured here during World War II, a time when the Gulf Coast shoreline was beginning its transition into a prominent vacation destination. The map shows a relatively sparse layout of coastal settlements, including Betty Lou Beach, Florida Beach, and Long Beach, clustered along the primary road hugging the Gulf of Mexico. Beyond the immediate shore, the landscape quickly gives way to marshy inlets and low-lying wetlands. To the north, the waters of West Bay dominate the view, punctuated by the marshy reaches of Big Johnson Bayou and Bollin Bayou. This 1943 survey, conducted by Lee Morrison and C. I. Hudson for the War Department, documents the early footprint of these beach communities before the post-war building boom significantly altered the topography of Grand Lagoon and the surrounding pine-flat terrain.