Lucas
A Town by the Sea Side – Seaside, FL
Seaside is a beach town located right on the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida panhandle. It is around 100 miles southeast of Pensacola down the coast. 
The town of Seaside began in 1978 when its founder, Robert Davis, “inherited the family property from grandfather J.S. Smolian” (seasidefl.com). Seaside is still a vibrant beach town to this day that sees thousands of visitors every year. (Image – www.google.com/maps) 
Seaside is centered around the idea that it is a place of relaxation by the beautiful blue/green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The town offers shops, restaurants, galleries, rental homes, and a “thriving town center” (seasidefl.com). As you can see, the shops offer quality clothing as well as other beach items. (Image source – http://www.originalgreen.org/blog/2011/the-necessity-of-hope.html)
From the Seaside website: “We provide a sense of connectedness, a link to the outdoors and to a sense of community. Lush gardens and native trees dot the landscape, and a front porch built on almost every cottage ensures you never meet a stranger while in Seaside. Be a part of the experience. Add your chapter — your voice — to the story” (seasidefl.com)
Seaside looks like a Celebration, FL in a beach town version. Everything is carefully laid out like it was designed on a game of Minecraft. All of the buildings are white or another very light color and it is all centered out of the main town square, or the post office, which sits in the middle of the square. The town clearly opens up to the beach and includes it as a large aspect of the town.
(Image source – https://www.garrettrealty.com/communities/seaside)
Here is an overview photo of Seaside. The town appears to open up to the ocean as well as everything comes away from the town center.
An interesting fact about Seaside was that the 1998 hit The Truman Show was filmed in Seaside and featured many different aspects of the beachside town. 
(Image source – http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/07/seaside_celebrates_15th_annive.html)
Here, Jim Carey walks down the streets of Seaside, clearly enjoying what Seaside is all about – relaxation and clear blue skies that warm its residents and visitors as well as the enjoyable town that makes this beach town so attractive.
Seaside doesn’t really resemble the hippie communes that I’ve read about, but rather it resembles the suburban, Levittown style communities that we read about earlier. While every structure is not the same, uniform style, the majority of the town looks as though it is all of the same style and color scheme. There seems to be no real difference between neighborhoods, but rather the town as a whole seems to fit one style of neighborhood. The designers noted that the town should be pedestrian-friendly so presumably including lots of open space that is unavailable to cars and other vehicles, but also be able to incorporate cars and a mass-transit system. They also wanted to create a community that fit the “ecology and culture of the region” (DPZ.com – https://www.dpz.com/Projects/7903).
(Image source – (https://www.cottagerentalagency.com/wp-content/pdfs/townmap.png)
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The town was carefully laid out. Each road and building was thought of. The town has open space for pedestrians, but also roads that allow cars to pass through the town. The town center includes the post office in the center.
Seaside appeals to utopian ideals by depicting itself as a place where someone can experience pure relaxation free from outside commitments or stress. The opening line on the website reads, “a simple, beautiful evening” and depicts a couple clearly displaying their love for one another. They appear to lack any regard to the outside world and are solely focused on one another and the love between them. The following images continue this theme and paints a picture for the website visitor that Seaside is a utopian-style town where you can escape reality and enter a fantasy world with no worries.
(Don’t be wary about adding more than what was listed. Including a brief “story recap” of Seaside’s growth, for example, would be a positive contribution!- Paige)
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