| Holmes County is a county with an estimated population of 19,264 as of 2005. Its county seat is Bonifay, but it also includes Esto, Noma, Ponce de Leon, and Westville. Created in 1848, Holmes County was named for Thomas J. Holmes, a North Carolina native who came to settle in the area. Holmes County was recently chosen to be the site of Jim Fowler's Life in the Wild. It is to be a wilderness preservation and education theme park. Holmes County has a total area of 489 square miles of which 6 square miles is water. |