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History · Pretty Bayou

Pretty Bayou’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Pretty Bayou. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Pretty Bayou is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bay County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,911 at the 2020 census, down from 3,206 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Panama City–Panama City Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2018, Hurricane Michael caused significant damage to the city.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,206 to 2,911 (-9%). Half of its homes were built before 1979.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pretty Bayou yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Pretty Bayou’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pretty Bayou’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from Pretty BayouWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Pretty Bayou.Meet them →
By decade

Pretty Bayou, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Pretty Bayou is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Pretty Bayou has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Andrew School in Panama City, 1.8 miles away.

Pretty Bayou and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Pretty Bayou. Tap a dot.
St. Andrew SchoolPanama City Publishing Company BuildingPayne, A.A.-Christo, John Sr., HousePanama Grammar SchoolSherman ArcadeRobert L. McKenzie House

Closest to Pretty Bayou

St. Andrew SchoolPanama City · Building1.8miPanama City Publishing Company BuildingPanama City · Building2.2miPayne, A.A.-Christo, John Sr., HousePanama City · Late 19th and 20th Century Revival · Built 19273miPanama Grammar SchoolPanama City · Building3.5miSherman ArcadePanama City · Building3.8mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. St. Andrew School’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Pretty Bayou?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Pretty Bayou’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Lynn Haven📜 Springfield📜 Parker📜 Callaway
We left the porch light on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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