Pensacola, Florida
This article is about the inland city of Pensacola. For the nearby beachside community, see Pensacola Beach, Florida. For other Pensacolas and Pensacola-related articles, see Pensacola (disambiguation).Pensacola is a city in
Escambia County,
Florida,
United States. It is the
county seat of
Escambia County.
As of the
2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2004, the population recorded by the
U.S. Census Bureau is 54,734.
[1] However, the greater Pensacola area had a population of 437,125. It is the largest metropolitan area in the
Florida Panhandle and the second largest on the
Gulf Coast between
New Orleans and
Tampa, after
Mobile, Alabama.
Pensacola is a
sea port on Pensacola Bay, which connects to the
Gulf of Mexico. A large
United States Navy airbase, the first in the United States, is located southwest of Pensacola (near the community of
Warrington) and is home to the
Blue Angels flight demonstration team and the
National Museum of Naval Aviation.
Pensacola is nicknamed "The City of Five Flags" due to the five flags that have flown over it during its history: the flags of
Spain (
Castile),
France,
Great Britain, the
Confederate States of America, and the
United States. Other nicknames include "World's Whitest Beaches", "Cradle of Naval Aviation", "Western Gate to the Sunshine State", "America's First Settlement", and "Red Snapper Capital of the World".
First Spanish period (1559-1719)
 |
Pensacola was the first European-inhabited settlement in what would later become the United States of America. |
The first European settlement in the
continental United States was Pensacola, which was established on
Santa Rosa Island by conquistador Don
Tristán de Luna y Arellano in 1559. Two years later, in 1561, the settlement and its fleet were destroyed by a hurricane. Two survivors managed to walk the arduous journey to Mexico City. Pensacola was permanently established by the Spanish in 1698 and became the largest city in Florida and the capital of the colony of West Florida. Another important Spanish settlement was established at Saint Marks in Wakulla county (San Marcos de Apalache). The Spanish settlers established a unique Creole culture in the region and brought in the first African slaves to the area and introduced the Roman Catholic Church.
Pensacola was the first settlement of
Europeans in what is now the
United States. The area was first sighted by a European in
1513 by Spanish explorer
Juan Ponce de León. Three years later,
Don Diego Miruelo became the first European to sail into
Pensacola Bay.
Since Pensacola was destroyed and abandoned only two years after it was first founded many people instead regard
St. Augustine, Florida, as the first permanent European settlement in what would become the United States. The City of Pensacola, however, still occasionally refers to the area as "America's First Settlement" in advertisements and travel brochures.
The city and its bay were named after the Panzacola indians, a tribe that lived near the bay when the Spanish arrived. The name was changed to Pensacola to make it easier to pronounce for the Spanish. Despite the original settlement's destruction, the name was preserved and used when the area was re-settled during the
17th Century.
The area was first referred to as "Panzacola" in
1686. Previously, it was known as "Bahía Santa María de Filipina", as it was named so by Tristan de Luna when he founded the area's first settlement. "Panzacola" was affirmed as the area's name by a royal order of Spanish King
Ferdinand VI in
1757.
The Spanish resettled Pensacola in
1698 under the direction of governor
Andrés de Arriola.
French period (1719-1722)
The French, who had established earlier settlements further west at Mobile and Biloxi, held Pensacola during this period. Overall, French influences were generally dominant among the Creoles on the Gulf Coast west of Pensacola, with Spanish influences dominant among Creoles in the modern Panhandle. A hurricane drove the French from Pensacola in 1722 and the Spanish moved the town from the storm-vulnerable barrier island to the mainland.
The French captured the settlement in
1719 and remained in control for three years. They burned the settlement on their retreat in
1722.
Second Spanish period (1722-1763)
The area was rebuilt, but ravaged by hurricanes in
1752 and
1761.
Population growth remained modest during this period, which was characterized by mission work with Indians and the development of Pensacola as an important port and military outpost. Conflict with French and British interests was common.
British West Florida (1763-1781)
 |
Pensacola, 1885 |
At the close of the
Seven Years' War (known in America as the
French and Indian War) in
1763 the British took control of Pensacola. It is during the British occupation that the area began to prosper. Pensacola was made the capital of
British West Florida and the town was laid out in its current form around the Seville Square district by surveyor and engineer
Elias Durnford.
At the end of the massive French and Indian War of 1756-1763, the British gained access to inland areas as far west as the Mississippi River and the French were expelled from the North American mainland. Louisiana was transferred from French to Spanish control. West and East Florida were transferred from French and Spanish control to British control. The British colony of West Florida, with its capital at Pensacola, included all of the Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River, as well as southwestern Alabama, southern Mississippi, and the Florida parishes of modern Louisiana. West Florida included the important cities of Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi, Baton Rouge, and, disputably, Natchez. In 1763, the British laid out Pensacola's modern street plan. This period included the major introduction of the slave-based cotton plantation economy and new settlement by Protestant Anglo-British-Americans and black slaves. British East Florida, with its capital at Saint Augustine, included the rest of modern Florida, including the eastern part of the Panhandle.
During the American Revolution (1775-1783), Georgia, including inland Alabama, revolted against the British crown, but East and West Florida, like the Canadian colonies, remained loyal to the British. Many British Loyalists, or Tories, settled in Florida during this period. Like the French, the Spanish allied themselves with the American rebels. In 1780, in the
Battle of Pensacola, the Spanish attacked the British there and succeeded in capturing West Florida for Spain. At the end of the war with the American victory over the British, East Florida was also transferred to Spain.
Third Spanish period (1781-1819)
The Spanish recaptured Pensacola in
1781 and retained control (excepting three short-lived invasions by American General
Andrew Jackson in
1813,
1814, and
1818) until
1821, when the
Adams-Onís Treaty ceded all of Spanish Florida to the United States.
The Spanish now controlled the entire Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Valley, a region vital for shipment of American goods such as cotton, tobacco, and corn. This situation was not acceptable for the American Southern settlers of inland Alabama and Mississippi, who were rapidly expanding profitable cotton plantations (and hoping to expel the remaining Indians from the entire region). After the transfer of the vast Louisiana territory from France to Spain and the subsequent purchase of the region by the United States, Spanish East and West Florida were surrounded by American Southern states and territories. Anglo-American settlement of West Florida increased and the Spanish, busy with growing rebellions throughout Mexico and South America, were not able to focus on fortifying the region. In 1810, American settlers in the part of West Florida west of the Pearl River declared the West Florida Republic a state independent from Spain. The region was annexed into the new state of Louisiana in 1812. The residents of the prosperous Alabama and Mississippi territories, eager to avoid being trapped in landlocked states without seaports, agitated to annex more of West Florida. They succeeded in doing so with the military aid of General Andrew Jackson. He captured much of West Florida in the 1810's. He briefly returned Pensacola to Spain but areas further west became part of the new states of Mississippi (1817) and Alabama (1819).In 1819, the United States once again captured Pensacola and, in 1821, all of modern Florida was transferred to the United States. Residents of Pensacola, where Anglo-Southerners now outnumbered Creoles, voted to become part of Alabama. However, as Pensacola was the largest city and most important port in Florida, Pensacola remained part of the new American Florida territory, giving Florida its current borders for the first time.
First United States period (1821-1861)
In
1825, the area for the Navy Yard was designated and Congress appropriated $6,000 for a lighthouse. The first permanent Protestant Christian congregation (First United Methodist Church) was established in
1827.
The Pensacola area is home to three historic U.S. forts,
Fort Pickens,
Fort Barrancas, and
Fort McRee, as well as
Barrancas National Cemetery. The city and Fort Barrancas were the site of the
1814 Battle of Pensacola. Fort Pickens was completed in
1834. It holds the distinction of being the only Southern fort to be held by the United States throughout the
American Civil War.
Andrew Jackson served as Florida's first territorial governor, residing at the capital of Pensacola. He was noted for his persecution of Indians and Creoles, many of whom left the territory to be replaced by an increasing number of Anglo Southern settlers, including many planters and black slaves. To determine a location for a territorital capital, riders on horseback were sent on the Old Spanish Trail from the territory's two main cities, east from Pensacola and west from Saint Augustine. The riders met at the Indian village of Tallahassee, which became the new territorial capital city. As cotton plantations flourished, Florida's growing population came to be 50% slave. In the Panhandle, most slaves outside of Pensacola were concentrated in the new capital of Tallahassee and in the plantation counties near the Georgia border, notably Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, and Jefferson. Sandier areas near the coast were less dominated by plantation agriculture.
On
3 March 1845, Florida was admitted to the Union as the 27th state. Its admission had been slowed by the struggle with the Seminole Indians in sparsely populated South Florida and the need to wait for a free state (Iowa) to enter along with it. North Florida, including the Panhandle, remained the most populated part of the state.
Confederate period (1861-1865)
When
Florida seceded from the Union on January 10th,
1861, remaining Union forces in the city evacuated to Fort Pickens. The
Confederacy then held Pensacola until the northern invasion of the city in May of
1862.
In January of 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union and join the newly formed Confederate States of America. Fort Pickens, one of three forts guarding the entrance to Pensacola Bay, was held by Federal troops. In the Battle of Santa Rosa Island, the city of Pensacola and the two Confederate forts fought against an invading Yankee army and Fort Pickens. Pensacola was conquered by Yankee troops and most of the city was burned. Residents evacuated inland to Greenville, AL. The Confederate Secretary of the Navy, Stephen Mallory, was a Pensacolian and is buried in the city's historic Saint Michael's cemetery.
Second United States period (1865-Present)
 |
General William Dudley Chipley helped rebuild Pensacola after the Civil War. An obelisk was erected in his honor at the Plaza Ferdinand VII. |
The ravages of Reconstruction greatly damaged the region's economy. Florida was readmitted to the Union on
25 June 1868.
Cotton, worked largely by the sharecropper descendants of freed slaves, remained crucial to the economy but slowly economic diversification and urbanization reached the region. Vast pine forests, their wood used to produce paper, became an economic basis. A brickmaking industry thrived at the turn of the twentieth century. Shipping declined in importance but the military and manufacturing became prominent and harvesting of fish and other seafood are also vital. Aside from cotton and pine trees, major crops include peanuts, soybeans, and corn.
Having cultural ties to the old
South, racism was very evident in the culture of the city in the
1950s and
1960s. In
1972, newly
desegregated Escambia High School endured a bloody
race riot after black students fought the school's band and other white students when the band played the school song, "
Dixie," at a football game. The school's mascot, a
rebel, was subsequently changed to a
gator.
The late twentieth century saw a dramatic increase in the beach-based tourism industry and the rapid development of previously pristine wilderness beaches, particularly those around Panama City and Fort Walton Beach-Destin. The region did not receive the twentieth century influx of northern retirees and Latin American immigrants and remained an Old South stronghold of largely (excepting military families) native-born residents. Only in the last couple of decades has the tourism and retiree beachfront development characteristic of peninsular Florida reached the region. However, this development is now rapid and dramatic, despite periodic hurricane damage.
 |
Aerial view of Pensacola ca. mid 1930s |
Many barrier island areas have gone from sand dunes and water to condos and houses; other areas remain undeveloped, especially the beautiful
Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Other notable facts
From
1885 to
1887, the famous
Apache Indian chief
Geronimo was imprisoned in Fort Pickens, along with several of his warriors and their families. Fort Pickens is now a part of the
Gulf Islands National Seashore, and as such, is administered by the
United States Park Service.
Pensacola was the capital of Florida before
Tallahassee became the capital.
Pensacola is home to a small but significant
Jewish community, whose roots stretch back to the mid to late
1800s. The first Florida chapter of
B'nai Brith was founded downtown in
1874, as well as the first
temple,
Beth-El, in
1876.
Paula Ackerman, the first woman who performed rabbinical functions in the
United States, was a Pensacola native and led services at Beth-El. Apart from the
Reform Beth-El, Pensacola is also served by the
Conservative B'nai Israel Synagogue.
Pensacola is located at (30.436988, -87.209277).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.7
km² (39.7
mi²). 58.8 km² (22.7 mi²) of it is land and 43.9 km² (17.0 mi²) of it (42.77%) is water.
The climate of Pensacola is
subtropical, with mild winters and hot,
humid summers. Summer temperatures are characterized by highs in the low 90's and lows in the mid-70's. Evening thunderstorms, preceded and followed by sunny conditions, are common during the summer months. Temperatures above 100 °F are rare, and last occurred for long stretches in the summer of
1999. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was 106 °F (41.1 °C) on
July 14,
1980.
Winter highs are, on average, in the lower 60s with lows in the lower 40s. There are, on average, seven nights per year of below freezing 32 degree temperatures. Temperatures below 20 °F are rare, and last occurred for long stretches in the two consecutive winters of
2001-
2002 and
2002-
2003. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was 5 °F (-15 °C) on
January 21,
1985.
Snow is rare in Pensacola, but does occasionally fall. The most recent snowfall was from
December 24 -
26,
2004, when the city recorded a trace of snow on all three days.
The city receives over 60 inches of precipitation per year.
Hurricanes
Pensacola's location on the
Florida Panhandle makes it vulnerable to hurricanes. Major hurricanes which have made landfall at or near Pensacola include
Hurricane Eloise (1975),
Hurricane Frederic (1979),
Hurricane Juan (1985), Hurricanes
Erin and
Opal (
1995),
Hurricane Ivan (
2004), and
Hurricane Dennis (
2005).[[Image:Katrina_pensacola.jpg|thumb|left|Flooding in Downtown Pensacola from Hurricane Katrina]]Pensacola and several surrounding areas were devastated by Hurricane Ivan. Pensacola found itself on the eastern side of the eyewall, which sent a large storm surge into Escambia Bay that eventually destroyed most of the I-10 Bay Bridge, thus crippling the region's economy. Over 6 Billion dollars in damage occurred in the metro area and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed, with another 27,000 heavily damaged. Hurricane Ivan drove up the cost of housing in the area, leading to a severe shortage of affordable housing. As of December 2005, Pensacola is still reeling from the aftereffects of Ivan especially on the economic front.
In July of 2005,
Hurricane Dennis made landfall just east of the city, sparing it the blow it had received from Ivan the year before. However, hurricane and near-hurricane force winds were recorded in downtown, causing moderate damage.
Although Pensacola only received a glancing blow from 2005's devastating
Hurricane Katrina, light to moderate damage was reported in the area. Katrina also undermined a large percentage of Pensacola's tourist base from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
|
The Pensacola Bay area, with Pensacola's city limits shaded yellow |
As of the
census of 2000, there were 56,255 people, 24,524 households, and 14,665 families residing in the city. The
population density was 956.8/km² (2,478.7/mi²). There were 26,995 housing units at an average density of 459.2/km² (1,189.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.91%
White, 30.58%
African American, 1.77%
Asian, 0.52%
Native American, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 0.54% from
other races, and 1.61% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.
Metropolitan area and counties by population (000s) and race/ethnicity:
*Pensacola metro area = 412.2, 76.1% white, 17% black, 2.6% Hispanic
**Escambia =294.4, 71% white, 22% black, 3% Asian
**Santa Rosa =117.7, 89% white, 4.6% black, 3% Hispanic
A plurality of Pensacola residents are of British ancestry.
There were 24,524 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were
married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92.
* Religion
**Christian = 93%
***Protestant = 77%
****Baptist = 47%
****Methodist = 17%
****Assemblies of God = 8%
****Presbyterian = 4%
****Episcopal = 3%
****Church of Christ = 2%
****Lutheran = 2%
***Catholic = 15%
***Orthodox = 1%
**Other = 7%
Pensacola also has a small but historic Jewish community with two Synagogues. Of the six Synagogues that existed in Florida by 1900, two were located in Pensacola. The first Jews that lived in Florida settled in Pensacola in 1763.
In city the population is spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,779, and the median income for a family was $42,868. Males had a median income of $32,258 versus $23,582 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $21,438. About 12.7% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Like other parts of the South, Pensacola was solidly Democratic for more than a century after the
Civil War. Until the 1970's, most local elections were determined by the Democratic primary. However, since the 1960's and Democratic renunciaton of racial segregation, the staunchly conservative military and Bible Belt city has become dependably Republican. While Democrats still outnumber Republicans among registered votes, the region now supports Republicans for national, state, and local offices.
In the 2004 presidential election, 65% of Escambia County residents voted for George W. Bush over John Kerry. The Pensacola area has not supported a Democrat for President since John Kennedy in 1960. In 1968, Pensacola and the rest of North Florida supported Segregationist candidate
George Wallace.
[2]Pensacola is represented in the
U.S. Congress by
Jeff Miller (
R), in the state senate by
Charlie Clary (R) and
Durell Peaden (R), and in the state house by
Holly Benson (R),
Dave Murzin (R), and
Greg Evers (R).
Pensacola is served by
Interstate 10 and the
Interstate 110 spur connecting I-10 with downtown Pensacola. Major air traffic in the Pensacola and greater northwest Florida area is handled by
Pensacola Regional Airport. Airlines currently serving Pensacola Regional Airport are American Airlines, Delta, Air Tran, ASA, COMAIR, US Air, Sky West, Continental, and Continental Express.
Amtrak train service [
3] and
Greyhound bus service [
4] are also available. The local bus service is the
Escambia County Area Transit, or the ECAT.
Major holidays in Pensacola include Mardi Gras and the Fiesta of Five Flags. Celebrations of note in Pensacola are the
Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival, the Seafood Festival, The King Mackeral and Cobia Tournnament,
Florida Springfest, Gracefest (a Christian music festival), University of West Florida Festival On The Green, The Mullet Toss at the Florabama, the Bushwhacker Festival and the Bill Fishing Tournament.
The largest daily newspaper in the area is the
Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola is also home to
WEAR-TV, the
ABC affiliate for Pensacola,
Mobile, Alabama, and
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and
WSRE-TV, the local
PBS member station, which is operated by
Pensacola Junior College. Pensacola Magazine, the city's monthly glossy magazine, and Northwest Florida's Business Climate, the only business magazine devoted to the region, are published locally. Other major networks are broadcast from nearby
Mobile, such as
CBS affiliate
WKRG,
NBC affiliate
WPMI, and
FOX affiliate
WALA.
Public
primary and
secondary education schools in Pensacola are administered by the
Escambia County School District.
Universities and colleges
*
University of West Florida (appx. 9,800 students)
*
Troy University Florida Region (appx. 7,000 students)
*
Pensacola Junior College (appx. 6,000 students)
*
Pensacola Christian College (appx. 5,000 students)
*
Triangle of Technology (appx. 300 students)
High schools in the City of Pensacola
*
East Hill Christian School*
Pensacola School Of Liberal Arts A school founded by William Holston to be an alternative to public high schools in the area. A wide range of subjects are taught including philosophy.
*
Pensacola High School [
5] (appx. 1,680 students)
**which, with its
International Baccalaureate Program is ranked as the 8th best high school in America. It was given this rank by
Newsweek magazine in
2004.
*
Escambia High School [
6] (appx. 1,900 students)
*
Booker T. Washington High School [
7] (appx. 1,770 students)
*
Dixon Educational Center*
West Florida High School of Advanced Technology (appx. 1,200 students)
*
Trinitas Christian School*
Pensacola Catholic High School[
8](appx. 650 students)
*
Pensacola Christian Academy[
9]
Other Escambia County high schools
*
J.M. Tate High School [
10]
*
Woodham High School [
11]
*
Pine Forest High School [
12] (appx. 1,700 students)
*
Northview High SchoolNearby high schools in Santa Rosa County
*
Gulf Breeze High School*
Navarre High School*
Pace High School*
Milton High School*
Locklin Technical CenterLibraries
*
West Florida Regional Library System — approximately 360,000 books, 36,000 audio documents, and 14,000 video documents
*The
University of West Florida has a separate library, the
John C. Pace library.
Branches
*
Pensacola Public Library — downtown Pensacola
*
Lucia M. Tryon Branch Library — in east Pensacola, near the
Pensacola Junior College campus
*
Southwest Branch Library — in southwest Pensacola, near
Perdido Key*The West Florida Regional Library System also has four branches in
Santa Rosa County, Florida.
*
Baptist Hospital - the largest in the
Baptist Health Care network
*
Gulf Breeze Hospital*Sacred Heart Hospital
*Nemours Children's Clinic
*Naval Hospital Pensacola
*West Florida Hospital
Pensacola is home to several semiprofessional sports teams:
* The
Pensacola Ice Pilots of the
East Coast Hockey League* The
Pensacola Pelicans of the
Central Baseball League* The
Pensacola Aviators of the
American Basketball Association (expansion team; set to begin play in
2005 or
2006)
* The
Pensacola Power of the
National Women's Football AssociationAccording to Sister City International, Pensacola has the following sister cities http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/FL
*
Chimbote, Peru*
Escazu, Costa Rica*
Gorlovka, Ukraine*
Gero, Japan*
Miraflores, Peru*
Kaohsiung, Taiwan*
Paula Ackerman*
Jay Bell*
Derrick Brooks*
Joe Durant*
Justin Gatlin*
Gigi Gryce, jazz musician (1925-1983)
*
Andrew Jackson* General
Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr.*
Roy Jones, Jr.*
Fred Levin*
Dr. Kent Hovind *
Stephen Mallory*
Dot Moore*
Joe Scarborough*
Katharine Jefferts Schori *
Emmitt Smith*
Reubin O'Donovan Askew*
Travis Fryman*
City of Pensacola*
Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau*
Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce*
Pensacola Historical Society website*
Pensacola after Hurricane Ivan from a
NASA website
*
National Museum of Naval Aviation*
City Parks
