Living

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) The beach at Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin, Fla., has been named the number one beach in the United States on the annual list by Stephen P. Leatherman.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Starbucks goes topless 5/24/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, May 24, 2008 Florida island selected for having Nation's best beach "Dr. Beach" (That would be Stephen P. Leatherman, a Florida International University professor) has picked Caladesi Island on Florida's west coast as the best beach in the 2008 ranking for his annual list. Caladesi beat out beaches in Hawaii, along the Eastern Seaboard and in California for this year's honor. Runners-up this year were Hanalei Beach, Hawaii; Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla.; Coopers Beach in Southampton, N.Y.; Coronado Beach in San Diego; Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y.; Hamoa Beach, Hawaii; Cape Hatteras, N.C.; Cape Florida State Park near Miami; and Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island, S.C. Caladesi's somewhat remote location, even though it is in the Tampa Bay area, factored into Leatherman's rankings. Most beachgoers reach the island by a 15-minute, $9 ferry ride. Visitors -- unless they bring their own boat -- are limited to four-hour stays at the beach, which is a state park. Leatherman compiles his list as part of the National Healthy Beaches Campaign, and this year plans a television special featuring the nation's best beaches, he said. On the Net: Caladesi Island State Park: www.floridastateparks.org/CaladesiIsland Stephen Leatherman's beach rankings: www.drbeach.org Associated Press

1. ‘One bad choice' blamed in death of 4 friends in fatal wreck 2. Man failed to scrape windshield before crashing into Everett school bus 3. County official's alleged intoxication at fatal crash site under investigation 4. 2 injured in Everett fire 5. Father gets 13 years in 6-year-old's fatal shooting 6. Man’s car plunges into Lake Stevens 7. Whining, lying and crying 8. More slaying scene evidence is linked to Shawna Forde 9. Gregoire backs off move of state parks into Department of Natural Resources 10. Boeing rival Northrop Grumman threatens to drop out of Air Force tanker contest 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Wildcats fall to familar foe in semis • ‘Nutcracker' times three • Road warrior • Mavericks reloading • Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Cities prepare for winter blast repeat • Wolfpack duo takes last shot at state tourney • This Weekend in Your Town • Tips for the stormy season • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million