BASICS:
Escambia County is located in the extreme Northwestern corner of the State, bordered on the west and north by Alabama, on the east by Santa Rosa County, and on the South by the Gulf of Mexico. The County encompasses 661 square miles, or 420,480 acres, with an additional 64,000 acres of water area. From the Gulf of Mexico north to Alabama is a distance of approximately 50 miles. The population is currently estimated at 296,709.
Escambia County has a rich and proud history. The region provides a little bit of everything - casual beach living, active city life, or open farm land. This is a not only a great place to visit as indicated by our high volume of tourists, but also a great place to live and work.
Pensacola Bay Area General Information
- 52 miles of Gulf waters and protected, pristine shoreline
- Pensacola Bay Area population more than 400,000
- Central time zone
- More than 95 daily flights (For more information visit www.FlyPensacola.com)
- High season: April to August, value season: August to March
- Home of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels
- 343 days of sunshine (give or take a few)
- Average high temperature: 77°, average low temperature: 60°
- America's first European settlement (in 1559)
HISTORY:
America’s history begins right here. A half-century before the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the original residents of Escambia County—the Creek and Poarch Indians—were on hand for the first landing of Europeans anywhere on the American mainland. Over the course of the next 400 years, the flags of five nations flew over this area on one or more occasions.
Escambia County was created by the Territorial Legislature on July 22, 1821 to be Florida’s first county, a distinction it shares with St. John’s County.
FIVE FLAGS:
More than 438 years ago, settlement of Florida began here on the shores of Pensacola Bay. With more than one thousand colonists, Don Tristan de Luna raised the flag of Spain in Escambia County. Although this first settlement would last only two years, it was a precursor to the struggles which, over the intervening years, saw the flags of five nations flutter in our skies.
Abandoned for 139 years, the bluffs bordering the bay again saw visitors, and another attempt at settlement in 1698. In that year, Don Andres de Ariola and 350 Spanish soldiers succeeded in constructing the first permanent post and fort on Pensacola Bay. Seeing an opportunity to secure the port, the Spanish constructed another fort on Santa Rosa Island near the mouth of the harbor. That was in 1719. Troops of the King of France took control of the forts and Bay soon after.
Spain regained control of the area in 1722, and moved their settlement to Santa Rosa Island where they could better defend against an approach by hostile troops. Like the first attempt at colonization, a hurricane passed over the Bay and wiped out the colony.
Spain abandoned further attempts to settle it. As part of the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which ended the Seven Years War in Europe, Spain ceded the area to the British. The British added order to the area by laying out the streets of today's Pensacola Historic District, establishing gardens and a public water well. While Britain was occupied in the Revolutionary War, Spain recaptured Florida in 1781.
A new chapter of history in the County began when Pensacola became part of the United States in 1821. With future-president Andrew Jackson as a resident and the first territorial governor, Escambia County became the first county in the new territory.
A new flag was raised over the County in 1861 when troops of the Confederate States of America occupied Fort McRee at the harbor entrance. After a lengthy standoff, Confederate forces evacuated the city in 1862 leaving it again under the "Stars and Stripes."
Great Place to Live
Whether you enjoy the classics, jazz, or contemporary music, you will find it all right here. The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra delights listeners every season with its renditions of the classics. Each Thursday during the summer, Seville Square hosts thousands for free concerts where they can stretch out on the grass, enjoy a picnic, and listen to everything from rock and roll and Broadway show tunes to a military brass band. You can also enjoy concerts by the Choral Society, Jazz Society, and Barbershop Chorus. If you like chamber music, you will love the Summer Music Festival, and the County Youth Orchestra will delight you.
If you’re interested in browsing through the works of accomplished artists, join us each November for the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival. This juried event draws more than 200 artists who display thousands of works of art in all media. Join the more than 200,000 people who enjoy this festival annually. For year-round enjoyment, the Museum of Art offers a standing collection of 20th century American artists and 19th and 20th century glass with 18 changing exhibitions annually. The Downtown Arts District Association also sponsors several "gallery nights" which highlight a multitude of independent and cooperative art galleries in the downtown area.
If you enjoy the theater, you have several choices for your pleasure. The Cultural Center is home to the Pensacola Little Theater which has served the community for more than 60 years. With a repertoire which ranges from musicals to dramas and comedies, the Theater provides year-round entertainment. The historic Saenger Theater provides the backdrop for Broadway touring companies, concerts, and local entertainment groups. You can also enjoy performances by the Pensacola Opera and Ballet Pensacola. Additionally, the performing arts departments at both the University of West Florida and Pensacola Junior College offer promising thespians the opportunity to display their wares.
Education is key to a vital community, and Escambia County has the educational resources at its disposal to make a difference in the community.
The University of West Florida (UWF), part of the state’s university system, occupies a sprawling, wooded campus just north of Interstate 10. With less than 8,000 students, the University has the feel of a small college with class sizes averaging less than 25. Through its colleges of arts and social sciences, business, education, and science and technology, the University contributes to the highly trained and qualified workforce found locally.
In addition to UWF, the County is served by Alabama’s Troy State University which maintains a large presence in the local area with more than 3,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Additionally, Pensacola Christian College serves about 3,700 students annually and emphasizes religious and academic subjects.
Pensacola Junior College provides college credit courses to more than 32,000 students each year. With its five campuses, PJC offers traditional liberal arts courses, nursing, dental and health training, legal, environmental sciences, agriculture, and horticulture courses. Additionally, PJC provides local businesses, industries, and government with a wide variety of professional and continuing education programs, many tailored to the individual needs of the organization.
The history of American aviation is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola. With nearly 300,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the largest museums of its type in the world, and the most visited museum in the state of Florida. In its halls, you will see on display more than 130 beautifully restored aircraft, equipment, and artifacts from the nearly ninety years of U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aviation tradition.
As the site of the first Naval Air Facility in the United States, Pensacola was the logical site for the museum which was first sited in only 8,500 square feet. Growing from an initial collection of a half dozen small aircraft, the museum now occupies a 35 acre site 10 miles south of Interstate 10. In addition to its aircraft, the museum boasts an IMAX theater, flight simulators, and displays of the finest aviation art, photographs, models, and memorabilia in the country. When you finish your tour, which is hosted by one of many volunteers who actually flew some of the aircraft on display, you can enjoy lunch at the Cubi Bar Cafe.
The Museum is free to the public and is donor-supported through the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation.
Just a few blocks from the center of downtown Pensacola, you can enter the world of yesteryear in Historic Pensacola Village. Part of the Seville Historic District, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Village is in the heart of one of the oldest districts in the Southeast.
Escambia County has more than thirty miles of gulf-front beaches beginning at the Alabama border on Perdido Key and stretching eastward to Santa Rosa Island and Pensacola Beach. Home to the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the County has the finest white sand beaches in the world. Inside these barrier islands, the area abounds with swimming, sailing, fishing, and boating opportunities on its bays, rivers, lakes, and bayous.
Sugar white sands and azure water...sea oats and blue skies...quiet solitude...these are the pleasures that await you when you visit the Gulf Islands Natural Seashore. Stretching from one end of the County to the other, these barrier islands protect the mainland from the ravages of the sea and offer unbroken vistas of nature at its finest. Once at the water’s edge you will be treated to miles of pristine beaches with warm Gulf waters lapping at the shoreline. The only sounds you will hear are the waves, an occasional sea bird calling out, and the sound of your feet as they settle in the sand.
If you are looking for a wide-variety of activities with a festive atmosphere, visit Pensacola Beach. Here you will find a full range of "fun-in-the-sun" activities, with shopping and great dining. If you’re looking for a place to stay, you will also find accommodations ranging from first class hotels to bungalows at the water’s edge. To get around the island, we even have a free trolley with a distinct tropical air. Pensacola Beach is also the gateway to two sections of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and historic Fort Pickens.
If you’re interested in a more "laid back" atmosphere, visit Perdido Key. Here you will find some of the same attractions you will find at Pensacola Beach at a distinctly less hurried pace. Perdido Key also boasts two sections of the National Seashore.
Great Place to do Business
Escambia County offers a work force that can meet all your needs. With an average age of 33.5 years, more than 76% of the working population has completed high school and 26% are college graduates.
Long known for its military training mission, the region is home to many private sector companies that provide high-tech support for military operations, including the new Naval Air Technical Training Center. For specialized technical training, the George Stone Area Vocational Technical Center is a fully accredited training center which is designed to handle requests from existing and future industry. If customer service is key to your organization, Pensacola Junior College, in collaboration with local industry and government, is developing the curriculum for an Associate’s degree in customer service to ensure a fully-trained and eager source of quality employees is available.
For the current or prospective business owner, the University of West Florida provides quality business and economic development assistance in order to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity and improved management skills. Under the auspices of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, the UWF SBDC links the resources of federal, state and local governments with the state educational system and private sector to provide management and technical training, and business development programs to meet the specialized and complex needs of the diverse Florida business community.
Access to transportation is key to getting your product to the marketplace, and Escambia County has everything you need.
For rail freight service, the County is served by both Burlington Northern Railway and CSX Transportation—and Amtrak provides passenger service to a downtown terminal.
Air service is conveniently provided from Pensacola Regional Airport with more than 60 flights each day including direct flights to Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Dallas, Jacksonville, Memphis, and Charlotte. Its central location makes it just minutes away from downtown, the beaches, malls, commerce and industrial parks, and the interstate.
The Port of Pensacola covers 50 acres of downtown waterfront, offering nearly 500,000 square feet of warehouse space and four acres of open storage. Accommodating vessels with a draft up to 33 feet, it is also served by both railroads and is only blocks from an on-ramp to the interstate system.
Interstate 10 passes through the heart of Escambia County and provides easy east-west access to the entire Gulf Coast. Combined with a large number of specialty carrier truck lines and quick connections to Interstates 65 and 75, Escambia County offers one of the most efficiently-served trucking regions in the country.
The Blue Angels Air Show
Pensacola is proud to be home of the Navy’s Blue Angels. The team awes spectators with its stunning aerobatics and graceful precision flying performed in blue and gold F/A-18 Hornets. The “Blues” formally perform two shows in Pensacola – in July and November. The Blue Angels team performs throughout the country during its season but gives Pensacola visitors a chance to watch weekly practices. The "Blues" soar to amazing heights that will really throw you for a loop. Come see the Blue Angels Air Show every July at beautiful Pensacola Beach or the Homecoming Show in November at the Naval Air Station.
Santa Rosa Island, home of Pensacola Beach, is a barrier island in The Gulf Islands National Seashore. 52 miles of unsullied, undeveloped beaches and the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico beckon with recreational opportunities from fishing, boating, birding, swimming, hiking, collecting seashells, attending a ranger guided program and exploring the historic forts.
Pensacola Beach
Pensacola Beach is the hub of Santa Rosa Island, one of the longest barrier islands in the world.
The Gulf Islands National Seashore covers much of the island, keeping beaches accessible to the public and preserving the area's environment and history.
Restaurants, shops and entertainment abound on Pensacola Beach. To get a different view of the shore, stroll the Pensacola Beach Pier, or try one of our many watersports. From parasailing and sailing to deep sea fishing and surfing, you'll never run out of fun things to do at Pensacola Beach. The calendar is filled with special events and public pavilions provide free jazz, blues, rock and country music several nights a week during warm weather.
Beaches on Santa Rosa Island (Santa Rosa Island Authority)
1. Casino Beach - Located in the heart of Pensacola Beach and named for the old casino building that held dances and special events, Casino Beach lies beneath the famous beach ball water tank and is home to Gulfside Pavilion, the venue for many free concerts.
2. Gulf Islands National Seashore - There are two points to visit the Seashore! Stroll, bike, hike, surf, or enjoy solitude.
3. Langdon Beach - Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, Langdon Beach is located west of Pensacola Beach.
4. Opal Beach - Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, Opal Beach is approximately three miles east of Pensacola Beach.
5. Quietwater Beach - To your left past the tollbooth, Quietwater is aptly named and lines Santa Rosa Sound. It's safe and shallow for little ones.