1881Government
The Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad Company, chartered in 1881, opened its line between Pensacola and Chattahoochee in January 1883.
1885Infrastructure
When the railroad company was unable to cover its debt obligations, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad covered the shortfalls until 1885 and then foreclosed, absorbing the ro...
1894Economy
In 1894, sawmill operator W.
1906History
The L&N provided the line with freight cars and purchased the operation in 1906, renaming it the Yellow River Branch.
1916Government
Crestview was officially incorporated as a city in 1916.
1917Crime
Robert Blackwell was convicted of murdering Nancy and Bud Davis in 1917 and was sentenced to death.
1920History
On July 23, 1920, Crestview hosted Okaloosa County's first public hanging.
1921Crime
The second and final public execution in Okaloosa County took place on September 23, 1921, when Putnam Ponsell and Jacob Benjamin Marin were hanged for the murder of John F.
1926Education
=== Public high school ===
Crestview School, the first school for African Americans in Crestview, was built in 1926.
1937Economy
In 1937, Smith-Johnson Company, Inc.
1941Architecture
A modern bus terminal served by Greyhound Lines' Jacksonville-Los Angeles route, with connections north to Atlanta, Memphis, and New York, opened on the corner of Ferdon and Pea...
1943Military
In January 1943, a misunderstanding involving Crestview's constabulary led to the town being briefly off-limits to military personnel from Eglin Field.
1944Education
In 1944, a city block was purchased for a new high school for Black students.
1945Education
In 1945, Crestview Colored High School was built on School Avenue.
1949Culture
On July 31, 1949, the L&N inaugurated the Gulf Wind streamliner through Crestview, connecting New Orleans and Jacksonville in partnership with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, re...
1966Civil Rights
After integration in 1966, high school students were transferred to the previously all-white Crestview High School, and Carver-Hill was utilized for younger students until 1982,...
1971History
This service was discontinued on April 30, 1971, when Amtrak took over most U.S.
1980History
The all-time record high is 105 °F (41 °C), recorded on July 14, 1980.
1981History
The all-time record low is 8 °F (−13 °C), recorded on January 13, 1981.
1985History
Without significant shippers to sustain the line, it was eventually used for freight car storage in the early 1980s and was abandoned in May 1985, with 25.3 miles of track removed.
1994History
Route 90
Florida State Road 85
I-10
FL-85
From early 1994 through August 2005, Crestview was served by the tri-weekly Amtrak Sunset Limited.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,766 people, 5,297 households, and 3,893 families residing in the city.
2002History
In 2002, the Crestview Robert L.
2005Culture
As part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round, Crestview experienced significant population growth when the U.S.
2007Government
In 2007, longtime mayor George Whitehurst resigned, leading to the election of David Cadle, a retired director of the Crestview High School band, The Big Red Machine.
2010History
== Demographics ==
=== 2010 and 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,134 people, 8,984 households, and 5,971 families residing in the city.
2019History
Cadle was succeeded in 2019 by JB Whitten, a retired U.S.