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Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle. It is the county seat and only city of Escambia County and one of two municipalities that is incorporated, the other being Century. At the 2020 census, the population was 54,312, up from 51,923 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had 509,905 residents in 2020.

Pensacola was first settled by the Spanish in 1559, predating the establishment of St. Augustine by six years, but was abandoned due to a hurricane and not re-established until 1698. Pensacola is a seaport on Pensacola Bay, which is protected by the barrier island of Santa Rosa and connects to the Gulf of Mexico. A large United States Naval Air Station, the first in the United States, is located in Pensacola. It is the base of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team and the National Naval Aviation Museum. The University of West Florida is situated north of the city center.

The area was originally inhabited by Muskogean-speaking peoples. The Pensacola people lived there at the time of European contact, and Creek people frequently visited and traded from present-day southern Alabama and Mississippi and southeast of Louisiana. Spanish explorer Tristán de Luna founded a short-lived settlement in 1559. In 1698 the Spanish established a presidio in the area, from which the modern city gradually developed. The area changed hands several times as European powers competed in North America. During Florida's British rule (1763–1781), fortifications were strengthened.

It is nicknamed "The City of Five Flags", due to the five governments that have ruled it during its history: the flags of Spain (Castile), France, Great Britain, the United States of America, and the Confederate States of America. Other nicknames include "World's Whitest Beaches" (due to the white sand of Florida panhandle beaches), "Cradle of Naval Aviation", "Western Gate to the Sunshine State", "America's First Settlement", "Emerald Coast", "Redneck Riviera", and "P-Cola".

Pre-European
The original inhabitants of the Pensacola Bay area were Native American peoples. At the time of European contact, a Muskogean-speaking tribe known to the Spanish as the Pensacola, lived in the region. This name was not recorded until 1677, but the tribe appears to be the source of the name "Pensacola" for the bay and thence the city. Creek people, also Muskogean-speaking, came regularly from present-day southern Alabama to trade, so the peoples were part of a broader regional and even continental network of relations.

The best-known Pensacola culture site in terms of archeology is the Bottle Creek site, a large site located 59 mi west of Pensacola north of Mobile, Alabama. This site has at least 18 large earthwork mounds, five of which are arranged around a central plaza. Its main occupation was from 1250 CE to 1550. It was a ceremonial center for the Pensacola people and a gateway to their society. This site would have had easy access by a dugout canoe, the main mode of transportation used by the Pensacola.

Spanish
The area's written recorded history begins in the 16th century, with documentation by Spanish explorers who were the first Europeans to reach the area. The expeditions of Pánfilo de Narváez in 1528 and Hernando de Soto in 1539 both visited Pensacola Bay, the latter of which documented the name "Bay of Ochuse".

In the age of sailing ships Pensacola was the busiest port on the Gulf of Mexico, having the deepest harbor on the Gulf.

In 1559, Tristán de Luna y Arellano landed with some 1,500 people on 11 ships from Veracruz, Mexico. The expedition was to establish an outpost, ultimately called Santa María de Ochuse by Luna, as a base for Spanish efforts to colonize Santa Elena (present-day Parris Island, South Carolina.) But the colony was decimated by a hurricane on September 19, 1559, which killed an unknown number of sailors and colonists, sank six ships, grounded a seventh, and ruined supplies.

The survivors struggled to survive, most moving inland to what is now central Alabama for several months in 1560 before returning to the coast; but in 1561, the effort was abandoned. Some of the survivors eventually sailed to Santa Elena, but another storm struck there. Survivors made their way to Cuba and finally returned to Pensacola, where the remaining fifty at Pensacola were taken back to Veracruz. The Viceroy's advisers later concluded that northwest Florida was too dangerous to settle. They ignored it for 137 years.

In the late 17th century, the French began exploring the lower Mississippi River with the intention of colonizing the region as part of La Louisiane or New France in North America. Fearful that Spanish territory would be threatened, the Spanish founded a new settlement in western Florida. In 1698 they established a fortified town near what is now Fort Barrancas, laying the foundation for permanent European-dominated settlement of the modern city of Pensacola. The Spanish built three presidios in Pensacola:
 * Presidio Santa Maria de Galve (1698–1719): the presidio included fort San Carlos de Austria (east of present Fort Barrancas) and a village with church;
 * Presidio Isla de Santa Rosa (1722–1752): this next presidio was on western Santa Rosa Island near the site of present Fort Pickens, but hurricanes battered the island in 1741 and 1752. The garrison was moved to the mainland;
 * Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola (1754–1763): the final presidio was built about 5 mi east of the first presidio; the present-day historic district of downtown Pensacola, named from "Panzacola", developed around the fort.

During the early years of settlement, a triracial creole society developed. As a fortified trading post, the Spanish had mostly men stationed here. Some married or had unions with Pensacola, Creek or African women, both slave and free, and their descendants created a mixed-race population of mestizos and mulattos. The Spanish encouraged fugitive slaves from the Southern colonies to come to Florida as a refuge, promising freedom in exchange for conversion to Catholicism. Most went to the area around St. Augustine, but escaped slaves also reached Pensacola.

British

After years of settlement, the Spanish ceded Florida to the British in 1763 as a result of an exchange following British victory over both France and Spain in the French and Indian War (the North American theater of the Seven Years' War), and French cession of its territories in North America. The British designated Pensacola as the capital of their new colony of West Florida. From 1763, the British strengthened defenses around the mainland area of fort San Carlos de Barrancas, building the Royal Navy Redoubt. George Johnstone was appointed as the first British Governor, and in 1764 a colonial assembly was established. The structure of the colony was modeled after the existing British colonies in America, as opposed to French Canada, which was based on a different structure. West Florida was invited to send delegates to the First Continental Congress which was convened to present colonial grievances against the British Parliament to George III, but along with several other colonies, including East Florida, they declined the invitation. Once the American War of Independence had broken out, the colonists remained overwhelmingly loyal to the Crown. In 1778 the Willing Expedition proceeded with a small force down the Mississippi, ransacking estates and plantations, until they were eventually defeated by a local militia. In the wake of this, the area received a small number of British reinforcements.

British military resources were limited and Pensacola ranked fairly low on their list of priorities. For this reason only small token amounts of British military forces were ever sent to defend Pensacola. This was in contrast to colonies such as South Carolina, where large numbers of British soldiers were sent. After Spain joined the American Revolution in 1779 on the side of the rebels, Spanish forces captured the city in the 1781 Siege of Pensacola, gaining control of West Florida. After the war, the British officially ceded both West Florida and East Florida to Spain as part of the post-war peace settlement.

In 1785 many Creek from southern Alabama and Georgia came to trade and Pensacola developed as a major trade center. It was a garrison town, predominantly males in the military or trade. Americans made raids into the area, and settlers pressured the federal government to gain control of this territory.

United States
In the final stages of the War of 1812, American troops launched an offensive on Pensacola against the Spanish and British garrisons protecting the city, which surrendered after two days of fighting. Pensacola was conquered again by the US in 1818. In 1819, Spain and the United States negotiated the Adams–Onís Treaty, by which Spain recognized the American control over Florida in exchange of the American recognition of Spanish control over Texas. A Spanish census of 1820 indicated 181 households in the town, with a third of mixed-blood. The people were predominantly French and Spanish Creole. Indians in the area were noted through records, travelers' accounts, and paintings of the era, including some by George Washington Sully and George Catlin. Creek women were also recorded in marriages to Spanish men, in court records or deeds.

In 1821, with Andrew Jackson as provisional governor, Pensacola became part of the United States. The city was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1822. The Creek continued to interact with European Americans and African Americans, but the dominant whites increasingly imposed their binary racial classifications: white and black ("colored", within which were included free people of color, including Indians). However, American Indians and mestizos were identified separately in court and Catholic church records, and as Indians in censuses up until 1840, attesting to their presence in the society. After that, the Creek were not separately identified as Indian, but the people did not disappear. Even after removal of many Seminole to Indian Territory, Indians, often of mixed-race but culturally identifying as Muskogean, lived throughout Florida.

St. Michael's Cemetery was established in the 18th century at a location in a south central part of the city, which developed as the Downtown area. Initially owned by the Church of St. Michael, it is now owned and managed by St. Michael's Cemetery Foundation of Pensacola, Inc. Preliminary studies indicate that there are over 3,200 marked burials as well as a large number unmarked.

Tensions between the white community and Indians tended to increase during the Removal era. In addition, an increasing proportion of Anglo-Americans, who constituted the majority of whites by 1840, led to a hardening of racial discrimination in the area. There was disapproval of white men living with women of color, which had previously been accepted. In 1853 the legislature passed a bill prohibiting Indians from living in the state, and provided for capture and removal to Indian Territory.

While the bill excluded mixed-Indians and those already living in white communities, they went "underground" to escape persecution. No Indians were listed in late 19th and early 20th century censuses for Escambia County. People of Indian descent were forced into the white or black communities by appearance, and officially, in terms of records, "disappeared". It was a pattern repeated in many Southern settlements. Children of white fathers and Indian mothers were not designated as Indian in the late 19th century, whereas children of blacks or mulattos were classified within the black community, related to laws during the slavery years.

Pensacola experienced the Civil War when in 1861 Confederate forces lost the nearby Battle of Santa Rosa Island and federal forces of the United States subsequently failed to win the Battle of Pensacola. After the fall of New Orleans in 1862 the Confederacy abandoned the city and it was occupied by the North. In June, 1861, the Pensacola Guards were mustered in as a company in the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment.

In 1907–1908 there were 116 Creek in Pensacola who applied for the Eastern Cherokee enrollment, thinking that all Indians were eligible to enroll. Based on Alabama census records, most of these individuals have been found to be descendants of Creek who had migrated to the Pensacola area from southern Alabama after Indian removal of the 1830s.

In 1908, a citywide streetcar strike occurred in the city, this led to state militia being stationed in the city and marital law being declared.

Geography
Pensacola is located on the north side of Pensacola Bay. It is 59 mi east of Mobile, Alabama, and 196 mi west of Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. Although the incorporated city limits of Pensacola are relatively small, there are numerous census designated places (CDPs) located immediately outside of the incorporated city limits that are widely considered to be Pensacola. Due to their proximity to the city limits, their mailing addresses being listed as Pensacola, and lack of independent government services apart from the City of Pensacola and Escambia County. While residents of these CDPs have rejected incorporation into the City of Pensacola in previous referendums, they largely identify as residents of Pensacola. Examples of these CDPs include Goulding, Ferry Pass, Ensley, Bellview, Myrtle Grove, Warrington, and West Pensacola.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Pensacola has a total area of 105.4 km2, consisting of 58.4 km2 of land and 47.0 km2, 44.62%, water.

The land is sloped up northward from Pensacola Bay, with most of the city at an elevation above that which a potential hurricane storm surge could affect.

Climate
Weather statistics since the late 20th century have been recorded at the airport. The city has seen single digit temperatures (below −12 °C) on three occasions: 5 °F on January 21, 1985; 7 °F on February 13, 1899; and 8 °F on January 11, 1982. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pensacola has a humid subtropical climate, (Köppen Cfa), with short, mild winters and hot, humid summers. Typical summer conditions have highs in the lower 90s °F (32–34 °C) and lows in the mid 70s °F (23–24 °C). Afternoon or evening thunderstorms are common during the summer months. Due partly to the coastal location, temperatures above 100 °F are relatively rare, and last occurred in June 2011, when two of the first four days of the month recorded highs reaching the century mark. The highest temperature ever recorded in the city was 106 °F on July 14, 1980.

In the 1991–2020 climate normals, the daily average temperature in January is 53.2 °F. Freezing temperatures occur an average of 11 days per winter, with the average first and last dates for a freeze being December 12 and February 14, giving Pensacola an average growing season of 301 days. However, the relatively recent winter season of 2018-19 did not record a freeze, the median first and last freeze dates are earlier and later than the averages of December 12 and February 14, and the median number of freezes per season is 11 or fewer. The mean coldest temperature reached in a given winter season is about 24 °F; although the median is slightly higher, at no colder than 25 °F most years, placing Pensacola in USDA zone 9b. Temperatures below 20 °F are very rare, and last occurred on January 8, 2015, when a low of 19 °F was seen. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the city was 5 °F on January 21, 1985.

Snow is rare in Pensacola, but does occasionally fall. The most recent snowfall event occurred December 9, 2017, and the snow event previous to it occurred on February 12, 2010. The city receives 68.31 in of precipitation per year, with a slightly more rainy season in the summer. The rainiest month is July, with 7.89 in, with May being the driest month at 3.90 in. In June 2012 over one foot (300 mm) of rain fell on Pensacola and adjacent areas, leading to widespread flooding. On April 29, 2014, Pensacola was drenched by at least 20 inches of rain within a 24-hour period, causing the worst flooding in 30 years.

The city suffered a major blow on February 23, 2016, when a large EF3 wedge tornado hit the northwest part of Pensacola, causing major damage and several injuries.

Hurricanes

Pensacola's location on the Florida Panhandle makes it vulnerable to hurricanes. Hurricanes which have made landfall at or near Pensacola since the late 20th century include Eloise (1975), Frederic (1979), Juan (1985), Erin (1995), Opal (1995), Georges (1998), Ivan (2004), Dennis (2005), and Sally (2020). In July 2005, Hurricane Dennis made landfall just east of the city, sparing it the damage received from Ivan the year before. However, hurricane and near-hurricane-force winds were recorded in downtown, causing moderate damage.

Pensacola received only a glancing blow from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, resulting in light to moderate damage reported in the area. The aftermath of the extensive damage from Katrina was a dramatic reduction in tourism coming from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Hurricane Ivan
On September 16, 2004, Pensacola and several surrounding areas were devastated by Hurricane Ivan. Pensacola was on the eastern side of the eyewall, which sent a large storm surge into Escambia Bay; this destroyed most of the I-10 Escambia Bay Bridge. The storm knocked 58 spans off the eastbound and westbound bridges and misaligned another 66 spans, forcing the bridge to close to traffic in both directions. The surge also destroyed the fishing bridge that spanned Pensacola Bay alongside the Phillip Beale Memorial Bridge, locally known as the Three Mile Bridge.

Over $6 billion in damage occurred in the metro area and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed, with another 27,000 heavily damaged. 105,000 households in Northwest Florida were impacted in some way by the storm, and 4,300 businesses in the area permanently closed as a result of Hurricane Ivan. NASA created a comparison image to illustrate the massive damage. This widespread destruction of property caused a temporary lack of affordable housing in the Pensacola real estate market, and Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Katrina contributed to a general scarcity of construction labor and resources along the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Sally
In September 2020, Pensacola suffered heavy damage by Hurricane Sally. Damages in Escambia County were estimated by local officials at $29 million. Downtown Pensacola was flooded.

Demographics
Pensacola's first appearance in the U.S. Census dataset was in 1850, with a total recorded population of 2,164. Pensacola was Florida's largest city in 1860 with the population of 2,876.

As of the census of 2020, there were 509,905 people in the Pensacola metropolitan area (MSA).

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,312 people, 22,926 households, and 12,247 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 51,923 people, 23,768 households, and 13,646 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2010, there were 448,991 people in the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population density was 2,303.5 PD/sqmi. There were 26,848 housing units at an average density of 1,189.4 /sqmi.

In 2010, there were 24,524 households, out of which 24.6% had children 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.

In 2010, 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 $30,556. About 12.7% of families and 16.3% 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.

Military
The city has been referred to as "The Cradle of Naval Aviation". Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) was the first Naval Air Station commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1914. Tens of thousands naval aviators have received their training there, including John H. Glenn, USMC, who became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, and Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to set foot on the Moon in 1969. The Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, is stationed there.

The National Museum of Naval Aviation is located on the Naval Air Station and is free to the public. The museum cares for and exhibits hundreds of vintage Naval Aviation aircraft and preserves the history of Naval Aviation through displays, symposiums, IMAX movies and tours.

Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center serves as an annex for the main base and the center for Information Dominance. CWO3 Gary R. Schuetz Memorial Health Clinic is at Corry Station, Naval Hospital Pensacola, as is the main Navy Exchange and Defense Commissary Agency commissary complex for both Corry Station and NAS Pensacola. The Army National Guard B Troop 1-153 Cavalry, Bravo Company 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion is stationed in Pensacola.

Tourism
Pensacola is home to a number of annual festivals, events, historic tours, and landmarks. The Pensacola Seafood Festival and the Pensacola Crawfish Festival have been held for nearly 30 years in the city's historic downtown. The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is held annually in November in Seville Square, and often draws more than 200 regional and international artists. The Children's Art Festival, also held in Seville Square, displays art by local schoolchildren. Pensacon is a comic convention held each February, with nearly 25,000 attendees from around the world. The Pensacola Interstate Fair is held each fall.

Scuba diving and deep sea fishing are a large part of Pensacola's tourism industry. The USS Oriskany was purposefully sunk in 2004 to create an artificial reef off the shores of Pensacola.

There are several walking tours of restored 18th-century-era neighborhoods in Pensacola.

Pensacola is the site of the Vietnam Veterans' Wall South. There are a number of historical military installations from the Civil War, including Fort Barrancas. Fort Pickens served as a temporary prison for Geronimo. Other military landmarks include the National Naval Aviation Museum and Pensacola Lighthouse at NAS Pensacola.

The city's convention and visitors' bureau, Visit Pensacola, is overseen by the Greater Pensacola Chamber.

The arts and theatre
There are a number of performance venues in the Pensacola area, including the Pensacola Bay Center (formerly the Pensacola Civic Center), often used for big-ticket events, and the Saenger Theater, used for performances and mid-level events. Other theatres used for live performances, plays, and musicals include the Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola State College, University of West Florida, Vinyl Music Hall, and Loblolly Theatre. Pensacola is also home to the Pensacola Opera, Pensacola Children's Chorus, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Civic Band, Pensacola Bay Concert Band, and the Choral Society of Pensacola, as well as Ballet Pensacola. There is also the Palafox Place entertainment district.

Architecture

Pensacola does not have a prominent skyline, but has several low-rise buildings. The tallest is the 15-floor Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel, at 146 ft. Other tall buildings include the Scenic Apartments (98 ft), SunTrust Tower (96 ft), Seville Tower (88 ft), and the AT&T Building (76 ft).

Historic buildings in Pensacola include the First National Bank Building.

Museums

 * Historic Pensacola's Museum of Commerce
 * Museum of Industry
 * National Naval Aviation Museum
 * Pensacola MESS Hall
 * Pensacola Museum of Art

Pelican Drop
The Pelican Drop was a New Year's Eve celebration that took place each year in downtown Pensacola. At the ceremony, an aluminum pelican, the city's mascot, was dropped instead of the typical New Year's ball. The event included live music and fireworks. From 2008 to 2018, The Pelican Drop was a significant attraction in the area, drawing in crowds of up to 50,000 local residents and visitors, making it one of the largest events of its kind in the Central Time Zone. In 2014, the event was named as one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

History
The First Pelican Drop New Year's Celebration took place in 2008. The Pensacola News Journal released an article stating that the Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency was planning a new kind of New Year's Eve celebration, to be held at the Plaza Ferdinand VII and broadcast live on WEAR-TV; beginning with the 2017 celebration, events were carried in simulcast on WEAR's website. Almost 45,000 people showed up for the event, including residents of Mobile, Alabama (which hosts its own competing drop, a Moon Pie), Milton, Florida, Navarre, Florida, and Destin, Florida.

In December 2019, organizers announced that the Pelican Drop had been canceled due to financial issues and the burden the event had caused on local police and public services. A smaller fireworks display, which does not require the same amount of traffic disruption, would be held instead.

The pelican was made and designed by Emmett Andrews LLC. Made of polished aluminum and decorated with over 2,000 lights, the bird had a 17 ft wingspan and is 12 ft high.

Sports
Notable sports teams in Penascola include:

Previously, the Pensacola Pelicans was an independent league baseball team that played at Jim Spooner Field from 2002 to 2010.

The city hosted professional golf tournaments such as the Pensacola Open (PGA Tour, 1958–1988), the Pensacola Ladies Invitational (LPGA Tour, 1965–1968) and Pensacola Classic (Nike Tour, 1990–1995).

America's Cup team American Magic call Pensacola their home port until the 2024 America's Cup commences.

The Five Flags Speedway is a half-mile paved racetrack that opened in 1953. It hosts the Snowball Derby stock car race every December since 1968. It has also hosted rounds of the NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series), Superstar Racing Experience, NASCAR Southeast Series, ARCA Racing Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ASA National Tour, CARS Pro Cup Series and Southern Super Series.

Parks and recreation

 * Gulf Islands National Seashore
 * Big Lagoon State Park - approximately 10 mile southwest of Pensacola on Gulf Beach Highway
 * Perdido Key State Park - located on a barrier island 15 mile southwest of Pensacola, off S.R. 292
 * Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park - 10 mile southwest of Pensacola,
 * Pensacola Bayfront Stadium - a multi-use park in Pensacola
 * Plaza Ferdinand VII
 * Bayview Park
 * Miraflores Park

Government
The city of Pensacola utilizes a strong mayor-council form of government, which was adopted in 2011 after citizens voted in 2009 to approve a new city charter. An elected mayor serves as the chief executive of the city government, while a seven-member city council serves as the city's governing body. A council president is selected by the council from its members, along with a vice president.

City voters approved a charter amendment on June 11, 2013, which eliminated the then-nine member council's two at-large seats; one seat was phased out in November 2014, and the other expired in November 2016. Two additional charter amendments were approved on November 4, 2014, which made the position of mayor subject to recall and provided the city council with the authority to hire staff. The current city hall was opened in 1986.

Politics
After the Civil War, Pensacola, like the rest of the South, was controlled by Republicans during the Reconstruction era (1865-1877). The Republican government had numerous African American politicians, including several county commissioners, city aldermen, constables, state representatives, and even one African American mayor—Salvador Pons. However, with the 1884 election of native Pensacolian and former Confederate general Edward Perry, a dramatic shift occurred. Perry, a Democrat who actually lost the Escambia County vote during the statewide election, acted to dissolve the Republican city government of Pensacola and in 1885 replaced this government with hand-picked successors, including railroad magnate William D. Chipley. The only African American to remain in city government was George Washington Witherspoon, a pastor with the African Methodist Episcopal Church who was previously a Republican and switched parties to the Democrats. Following Governor Perry's dissolution of the Republican government, the city remained Democratic for more than a century after the Civil War with no African Americans serving in an elected capacity for nearly a century. This changed in 1994, when Republican attorney Joe Scarborough defeated Vince Whibbs, Jr., the son of popular former Democratic mayor Vince Whibbs, in a landslide to represent Florida's 1st congressional district, which is based in Pensacola. Republicans also swept all of the area's seats in the state legislature, the majority of which were held by Democrats. Since then, Republicans have dominated every level of government, although municipal elections are officially nonpartisan.

Regional representatives
Pensacola is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Matt Gaetz (R), in the state senate by Doug Broxson (R), and in the state house by District 2 representative Alex Andrade (R).

Education
The main campus of Pensacola State College is in the City of Pensacola. The University of West Florida (UWF) operates a campus in downtown Pensacola. Its main campus, located north of the city, has the largest library in the region, the John C. Pace Library. UWF is the largest post-secondary institution in the area.

Public primary and secondary schools in Pensacola are administered by the Escambia County School District. The district operates two high schools (Booker T. Washington and Pensacola) within the City of Pensacola. District-run high schools near the city include Escambia, J. M. Tate, and Pine Forest. Other public schools in the city include A.K. Suter Elementary, Cordova Park Elementary, J.H. Workman Middle, N.B. Cook Elementary, O.J. Semmes Elementary, and Scenic Heights Elementary. The district also operates one magnet high school (West Florida High School of Advanced Technology) near the city.

Several private schools operate within or near the city: East Hill Academy, East Hill Christian School, Episcopal Day School of Christ Church, Pensacola Catholic High School, Pensacola Christian Academy, Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School, Saint Paul Catholic School, Little Flower Catholic School, and Seville Bayside Montessori. The campus of Pensacola Christian College is near the city.

Media
The largest daily newspaper in the area is the Pensacola News Journal, with offices on Romana Street in downtown; the News Journal is owned by the Gannett Company. There is an alternative weekly newspaper, Inweekly.

Pensacola is home to WEAR-TV, the ABC affiliate for Pensacola, Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Mobile, Alabama, and WSRE-TV, the local PBS member station, which is operated by Pensacola State College. Other television stations in the market include WALA-TV, the Fox affiliate; WKRG, the CBS affiliate; and WPMI, the NBC affiliate, which are all located in Mobile. Cable service in the city is provided by Cox Communications and AT&T U-Verse. WUWF is the area's NPR affiliate and is based at the University of West Florida. WPCS (FM) is broadcast from the Pensacola Christian College campus, where the nationwide Rejoice Radio Network maintains its studio.

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. The News Journal also publishes Home & Garden Weekly magazine as well as the monthly Bella, devoted to women.

Aviation
Major air traffic in the Pensacola and greater northwest Florida area is handled by Pensacola International Airport. , airlines serving Pensacola International Airport are American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.

Railroads
Pensacola was first connected by rail with Montgomery, Alabama, via the Alabama and Florida Railroad, completed in 1861 just before the start of the Civil War. During the war, most of the rails between Pensacola and the Alabama state line were removed to construct other railroad lines urgently needed elsewhere in the Confederacy. The line to Pensacola was not rebuilt until 1868, and was acquired by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1880. In 1882, the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad was completed from Pensacola to Chattahoochee, Florida, linking Pensacola with the rest of the state. This line was also acquired by the L&N.

By 1928, a number of short lines built northward from Pensacola to Kimbrough, Alabama, were acquired by the Frisco Railroad, giving it access to the port of Pensacola. Some thirty years later, retired Frisco steam engine 1355 was donated to the city and stands in the median of Garden Street, near the site of the now-demolished Frisco passenger station.

Frisco passenger service to Pensacola ended in 1955, and L&N passenger service, including the streamlined Gulf Wind, ended in 1971 with the advent of Amtrak. However, from early 1993 through August 2005 Pensacola was served by the tri-weekly Amtrak Sunset Limited, but service east of New Orleans to Jacksonville and Orlando was suspended due to damage to the rail line of CSX during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In the 21st century, freight service to and from Pensacola is provided by L&N successor CSX as well as Frisco successor Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway, a short line. On June 1, 2019, the newly formed Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, a Class III railroad headquartered in Tallahassee, acquired the CSX main line from Pensacola to Baldwin, Florida, near Jacksonville, becoming the Panhandle's only east–west freight hauler. A news report on the new railroad in mid-2019 noted that Amtrak indicated that the Panhandle had a "near-zero chance" of seeing passenger service restored. Pensacola and Tallahassee are the two largest metropolitan areas in Florida without any passenger rail service.

Major highways

 * I-10.svg Interstate 10
 * I-110.svg Interstate 110
 * US 29.svg U.S. Route 29
 * US 90.svg U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 90 Alternate
 * US 98.svg U.S. Route 98 & U.S. Route 98 Business
 * Florida 289.svg State Road 289 Ninth Avenue
 * Florida 291.svg State Road 291 Davis Highway
 * Florida 292.svg State Road 292 Pace Boulevard
 * Florida 295.svg State Road 295 New Warrington Road, Farfield Drive
 * Florida 296.svg State Road 296 Michigan Avenue, Beverly Parkway, Brent Lane, Bayou Boulevard, Perry Street
 * Florida 742.svg State Road 742 Creighton Road, Burgess Road
 * Florida 750.svg State Road 750 Airport Boulevard

Mass transit
The local bus service is the Escambia County Area Transit. ECAT operates fixed route bus service and paratransit service. The ECAT system currently provides fixed-route bus service, as well as the seasonal Pensacola Beach trolley and University of West Florida on-campus trolley. There is a website and an app for bus times called moovit. The app can be downloaded from this site, which also shows the service area and lists the routes.

Pensacola also has a ferry service owned by the National Park Service. It has stops in Downtown Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Fort Pickens.

Bus
The city is served by Greyhound Bus and Greyhound Lines.

Hospitals
Hospitals in Pensacola include Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, HCA Florida West Hospital, Select Specialty Hospital, and West Florida Hospital.

Bands from Pensacola

 * Finite Automata, an industrial band
 * This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, a folk-punk band
 * Twothirtyeight, indie rock band
 * Body Head Bangerz, hip hop group
 * McAlyster, country music group

Sister cities
Pensacola's sister cities are:

 * 🇵🇪 Chimbote, Peru
 * 🇨🇷 Escazú, Costa Rica
 * 🇯🇵 Gero, Japan
 * 🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres, Mexico
 * 🇺🇦 Horlivka, Ukraine
 * 🇵🇪 Miraflores, Peru
 * 🇹🇼 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
 * 🇪🇸 Macharaviaya, Spain

title: Pensacola, Florida


text:
Warrington, Florida

Warrington is a census-designated place (CDP) in Escambia County, Florida, United States. Warrington is located between downtown Pensacola and the state line with Alabama; it is 6 mi away from both.

The population was 15,218 at the 2020 census, up from 14,531 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

A failed referendum was held in 1975 to incorporate Warrington as a town. Despite falling outside of city limits and having a post office explicitly named "Warrington", mail going to the addresses in the Warrington ZIP code (32507) falls under the jurisdiction of Pensacola.

Naval Air Station Pensacola is located in Warrington, albeit with their own ZIP code, 32508, corresponding to the mailing city "Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL", as well as their own census-designated place "Pensacola Station".

History
Warrington is named for Lewis Warrington, who served as Secretary of the Navy, and who helped choose the area that became Naval Air Station Pensacola. He served as the first commandant of the newly created Navy Yard, 1826–1827.

Warrington was created shortly after the Pensacola Navy Yard's 1826 foundation. Commodore Melancthon Taylor Woolsey, the second commandant of the Navy Yard (1827–1831), "created two villages, Warrington, and Woolsey outside the navy yard for homebuilding." Warrington was between the yard and Fort Barrancas. The town was relocated north of Bayou Grande in the 1930s to make additional space available for the expanding Naval Air Station.

Geography
Warrington is located at 30.38583°N, -87.28972°W (30.385698, −87.289594).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 23.0 km2, of which 17.9 km2 is land and 5.1 km2, or 21.97%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,207 people, 6,547 households, and 4,046 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,314.1 PD/sqmi. There were 7,582 housing units at an average density of 1,153.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.57% White, 21.69% African American, 1.05% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population.

There were 6,547 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,459, and the median income for a family was $35,892. Males had a median income of $29,083 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,876. About 17.5% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Warrington is part of the Escambia County School District, which serves the entire county.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Warrington, Florida


text:
West Pensacola, Florida

West Pensacola is a census-designated place (CDP) in Escambia County, Florida. The population was 21,019 at the 2020 census, down from 21,339 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The CDP area includes the community of Brownsville.

Geography
West Pensacola is located at 30.4275°N, -87.26083°W (30.427547, -87.260720), or about 4 mi west of downtown Pensacola. The elevation of the CDP is 76 feet above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 19.0 km2, of which 18.6 km2 is land and 0.4 km2, or 2.07%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,939 people, 8,818 households, and 5,502 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,978.1 PD/sqmi. There were 9,886 housing units at an average density of 1,342.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 58.06% White, 33.69% African American, 1.24% Native American, 3.40% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population.

There were 8,818 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $23,962, and the median income for a family was $29,045. Males had a median income of $24,036 versus $17,945 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $12,826. About 20.9% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.7% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

title: West Pensacola, Florida


text:
Beverly Beach, Florida

Beverly Beach is a town in Flagler County, Florida, United States. The Town of Beverly Beach is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area. The population was 474 at the 2020 census, up from 338 in the 2010 census.

Geography
The exact coordinates for the Town of Beverly Beach is located in eastern Flagler County at 29.51778°N, -81.14833°W (29.517881, −81.148411).

It is bordered to the north by the unincorporated community of Painters Hill and to the south by the city of Flagler Beach. The western border follows the Intracoastal Waterway, and the eastern border is the Atlantic Ocean. Florida State Road A1A passes through the town, leading south 23 mi to Daytona Beach and north 30 mi to St. Augustine.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town of Beverly Beach has a total area of 1.00 km2, of which 0.88 km2 is land and 0.12 km2, or 12.14%, is water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Beverly Beach has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 474 people, 316 households, and 183 families residing in the town.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 338 people, 249 households, and 147 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 547 people, 312 households, and 174 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,527.4 PD/sqmi. There were 441 housing units at an average density of 1,231.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.71% White, 0.18% African American, 0.73% Native American, 0.18% Asian, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.18% of the population.

In 2000, there were 312 households, out of which 7.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.75 and the average family size was 2.26.

In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 6.6% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 11.7% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 45.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 63 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $26,667, and the median income for a family was $34,167. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $24,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,488. About 11.5% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

title: Beverly Beach, Florida


text:
Bunnell, Florida

Bunnell is the county seat of Flagler County Florida, United States, with a population of 3,276 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area and is named after an early resident, Alvah A. Bunnell, a shingle maker and supplier of wood to the area's fledgling rail industry.

Geography
Bunnell is located in central Flagler County at 29.46758°N, -81.25686°W. The city limits now extend south and northwest to the county boundary. Bunnell is bordered to the north and east by the city of Palm Coast.

U.S. Route 1 passes through the center of Bunnell as State Street, leading north 31 mi to St. Augustine and southeast 18 mi to Ormond Beach. Florida State Road 100 leads 8 mi east to Flagler Beach and northwest 30 mi to Palatka. Interstate 95 is 4 mi east of the center of Bunnell via SR 100.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 358.9 sqkm, of which 356.0 sqkm is land and 2.9 sqkm, or 0.81%, is water.

Since 2000, Bunnell is the second-largest city in the state of Florida (by area) with the annexation of over 87,000 acres, which equals 352.238 sqkm.

Climate
The City of Bunnell is part of the humid subtropical climate zone with a Köppen Climate Classification of "Cfa" (C = mild temperate, f = fully humid, and a = hot summer).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,276 people, 1,072 households, and 592 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,676 people, 985 households, and 542 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,122 people, 845 households, and 490 families residing in the city. The population density was 455.0 PD/sqmi. There were 959 housing units at an average density of 205.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 63.71% White, 32.56% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 1.27% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.63% of the population.

In 2000, there were 845 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.00.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $21,210, and the median income for a family was $25,231. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $17,891 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,274. About 20.1% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Architectural landmarks

 * Bunnell Water Tower
 * Lambert House. Oldest existing building in Bunnell. Built by James Frank “Major” Lambert in 1909.
 * Old Bunnell State Bank Building. Masonry vernacular, 1910. In 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
 * George Moody House. Craftsman style, 1917.
 * William Henry “Doc” Deen House. Frame vernacular, 1918.
 * Holden House Museum. Craftsman bungalow, 1918. Now owned by the Flagler County Historical Society.
 * Old Flagler County Courthouse. Neoclassical style designed by Wilbur Talley, 1926. Officially dedicated on July 28, 1927.
 * Little Red School House Museum. Constructed by Bunnell High School Future Farmers of America students in 1938.

Notable people

 * W. H. Atkinson, NASCAR racing driver
 * Mardy Gilyard, professional NFL football player
 * Eddie Johnson, player on United States men's national soccer team
 * Bill T. Jones, Tony Award winner for choreography
 * Terence Steward, former NFL football player
 * Charlie Turner, musician

title: Bunnell, Florida


text:
Flagler Beach, Florida

Flagler Beach is a city in Flagler County in the U.S. state of Florida. The population was 5,160 at the 2020 census.

Flagler Beach is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area. It is named for oil tycoon and Florida railroad developer Henry Flagler, who was a key figure in the development of East Florida as resort and vacation destinations.

Geography
Flagler Beach is located at 29.47408°N, -81.12699°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 km2. 9.5 km2 of it is land and 1.0 km2 of it (9.80%) is water.

The Ocean Palm Villas South subdivision east of the Intracoastal Waterway is the only portion of Flagler Beach in Volusia County.

Florida State Road A1A travels through Flagler Beach along an approximate north–south axis. The road suffered significant damage during Hurricane Matthew, due to coastal erosion facilitated by a storm surge.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,160 people, 2,461 households, and 1,490 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 4,484 people, 2,363 households, and 1,410 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,954 people, 2,535 households, and 1,493 families residing in the city. The population density was 519.8 /km2. There were 3,224 housing units at an average density of 338.3 /km2. The racial makeup of the city was 97.86% White, 0.52% Black, 0.22% American Indian, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.84% of the population.

In 2000, there were 2,535 households, out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.43.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 11.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 31.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $37,917, and the median income for a family was $47,073. Males had a median income of $31,848 versus $30,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,600. About 9.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

America's Coolest Small Town finalist
Flagler Beach was a finalist in the 2013 Budget Travel Magazine contest for "Coolest Small Town". The magazine described it by the following:

"Twenty miles north of Daytona Beach on A1A, Flagler Beach couldn't be more different from its party-hardy neighbor to the south. In fact, the area seems to attract more sea turtles and right whales than spring breakers. And it's not hard to see why: This thin strip of a beach town, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, has remained significantly less developed than its neighbors. The six miles of pristine sand—which boast an orange hue thanks to crushed coquina shells—are only interrupted by one fishing pier. In town, the vibe is laid back and retro, thanks to spots like Grampa's Uke Joint, which sells ukuleles, and High Tides at Snack Jack, a 1950s fish shack that attracts surfers with funky dishes like tuna reubens, ahi club sandwiches, and sake Bloody Marys."

Retirement location
Flagler Beach was ranked by Where to Retire magazine as one of the top retirement destinations in Florida. It was featured in the November–December 2012 issue.

Flagler Beach Historical Museum
The Flagler Beach Historical Museum's permanent collection is entirely dedicated to Florida history, featuring Flagler Beach and Flagler County. The collection ranges from prehistoric bones and other remains of the Stone Age to a "Space Age" side. The latter has an exhibit with items provided by NASA astronauts, including space food and the Flagler Beach city flag, which was sent to orbit the Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Orange Period pottery pieces from indigenous peoples of the region date from 2000 BCE to 500 CE Historic Native American Indian life is represented by an exhibit of arrowheads and other artifacts, all discovered in Flagler County.

The Florida territory had changing European rulers in the war years between the 1500s and the early 1800s: Spanish, English and American. Mill and plantation artifacts make up the display about the Plantation Period. Personal use items, such as buttons and bottles obtained from area missions, represent the history of individuals in the area. From the Mala Compra Plantation, burned down during the Second Seminole War, the Museum has items from the early 19th-century home of Joseph Hernandez, who was elected as the first Hispanic congressman in the U.S.

The period of the late 1800s and early 1900s are represented by books and exhibits about the area's economy: county farming of cabbage and potatoes, timber industry, railroad artifacts, and turpentine camp items. Exhibits also include documents and memorabilia associated with the 20th-century development boom that began in the western portion of Flagler County and was continued oceanside. Displays feature four Flagler Beach "first families" who purchased land and built what was once considered a seaside resort.

Other display items from the early 1900s include memorabilia from early city government, the county's Old Brick Road, the Flagler Beach Hotel, World War II items, the A1A highway, Marineland, and early advertising brochures. Representations of local organizations from 1925 forward are represented in displays featuring the Flagler Beach Fire Department, Boy Scouts of Flagler, and Flagler Beach schools.

Fire department
The Flagler Beach Fire Department was established in 1926 by the Town of Flagler Beach's Commission. Currently, Flagler Beach has a population of roughly 5,500 year-round residents, and its fire department responds to approximately 1,500 calls a year. The City of Flagler Beach is served by a full-time professional staff of 16 fire department employees on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide an immediate response 365 days a year.

title: Flagler Beach, Florida


text:
Marineland, Florida

The town of Marineland was established in 1940, and is in both Flagler and St. Johns counties, Florida, United States. Marineland is located 18 mi south of St. Augustine along Route A1A. The population was 15 in the 2020 census.

The Marineland marine park and the town have become synonymous, however many do not realize that Marineland is a town in its own right. Like all proper municipalities, Marineland has its own local governing body complete with a mayor and city council board that meets monthly to discuss the town's affairs. The town shares a ZIP Code with St. Augustine Beach.

The Flagler County portion of Marineland is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, while the St. Johns County portion is part of the Jacksonville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The town of Marineland got its start when the Marineland Dolphin Adventure opened on June 23, 1938, as Marine Studios, a facility designed for Hollywood filmmakers to create underwater footage for motion pictures and newsreels. Popularly known as the "World's First Oceanarium," Marine Studios was the premier destination to allow the general public to experience marine life up-close. The town was officially incorporated as a municipality.

Because of their proximity, the local businesses share close partnerships and vision. The town of Marineland is a hub of research and conservation and is set in the middle of the GTM-NERR (Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve), local businesses and foundations have close working relationships including Mobius Marine, Inc., Ripple Effect Eco Tours, Marineland Marina, Marineland Dolphin Adventure, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience (for the University of Florida), the Florida Master Naturalist Program, the southern facility for the GTM NERR, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, and Faver-Dykes State Park.

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Marineland is located at 29.66744°N, -81.21349°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.69 km2, all land.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Marineland has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15 people, 0 households, and 0 families residing in the town.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16 people, 0 households, and 0 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 6 people, 3 households, and 0 families residing in the town. The population density was 17.7 PD/sqmi. There were 8 housing units at an average density of 23.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.

In 2000, there were 3 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, and 66.7% were non-families. 66.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 33.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 4.00.

In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 500.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 300.0 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $30,625, and the median income for a family was $21,250. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,000. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.

Education
The St. Johns County portion is within the St. Johns County School District. Zoned schools include W. D. Hartley Elementary School, - See index of maps Gamble Rogers Middle School,  - See index of maps and Pedro Menendez High School. - See index of maps

title: Marineland, Florida


text:
Palm Coast, Florida

Palm Coast is a city in Flagler County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 89,258, an increase of almost 200% since the 2000 count of 32,832. The population was estimated to be 98,411 as of July 1, 2022. It is the most populous city in Flagler County. Palm Coast is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area.

History
In the late 1950s, most of the land that would become Palm Coast consisted of swamp and pine forest, with only a few farms and beach houses as well as a turpentine distillery. Business activity was concentrated along Florida State Road 100. Tourists paid fees to hunt and fish in the area.

Developed by ITT Community Development Corporation (Levitt) in 1969, the original development plan encompassed 48,000 home sites on approximately 42000 acre of the 68000 acre owned by ITT. Paved streets and central water and sewer served all lots developed within the plan. An extensive water management system was designed to replenish the area's water table, which includes 46 mi of freshwater canals and 23 mi of saltwater canals. On October 29, 1970, ITT built Palm Coast's welcome center. This date is now celebrated as Founder's Day.

In 1975, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners established Palm Coast Service District, which included almost 40000 acre. Funds for the district were derived primarily from ad valorem taxes and were used to provide fire services, fire hydrants, street lighting, animal control and emergency services.

Florida had its first serious "wildland urban interface" fire in 1985 with the Palm Coast Fire, which burned 131 homes. Research on this fire indicated that the most important factor was the proximity of heavy ground vegetation to the structures. Thirteen years later, fires struck the same Palm Coast subdivision. The 1998 fires were national news because the whole county was ordered to evacuate, and 45,000 people were displaced. Fire suppression organizations responded from 44 states, and Florida hosted the largest aerial suppression operation ever conducted in the United States. Because of the massive effort, only 71 homes were destroyed.

In September 1999, the citizenry of Palm Coast voted by a margin of two to one to incorporate as a council/manager form of government. On December 31, 1999, the City of Palm Coast was officially incorporated. On October 1, 2000, all services were officially transferred from the former Service District to the city of Palm Coast. The five-member City Council is elected at large and serves staggered four-year terms. One member is elected as mayor. The promulgation and adoption of policy are the responsibility of the council and the execution of such policy is the responsibility of the council-appointed city manager. The city hired its first city manager on April 17, 2000.

The city provides a wide range of services including development services, fire services, street construction and maintenance, parks and recreational activities. Palm Coast contracts with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services. , the city has plans under way for a new city hall, a town center, new fire stations, and additional lands for parks. Preservation and protection of environmentally sensitive lands is a key goal of this city as it prepares for the future.

Geography
Palm Coast is located in northeastern Flagler County at 29.53813°N, -81.22338°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 235.3 km2, of which 232.8 km2 is land and 2.5 km2, or 1.06%, is water. The city extends north to the Flagler County line, southwest to the Bunnell city limits, and southeast to touch the city of Flagler Beach.

Interstate 95 crosses Palm Coast from north to south, with access from Exit 293 (Matanzas Woods Parkway), Exit 289 (Palm Coast Parkway), and Exit 284 (Florida State Road 100). U.S. Route 1 runs parallel to I-95 through the western side of Palm Coast, leading into Bunnell.

The area around Palm Coast last saw a direct hit from a tropical cyclone in 2004 when Hurricane Charley passed directly over the area. Since 1851 when hurricane tracking data began, 33 hurricanes and tropical storms have directly affected the area.

Palm Coast has become a bedroom community for St. Augustine, 25 mi to the north, and Daytona Beach, 30 mi to the south, while some residents also work in Orlando and Jacksonville.

Economy
, industrial parks within the town house more than 30 mid-size businesses, with the largest one, the "Palm Coast Data" company, employing close to 1,000 people. Flagler County has had one of the highest rates of population growth in the United States since 1990, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. However, the area was hit extremely hard by the housing bust's recession. In December 2009, it had the worst unemployment rate of the state of Florida's largest metropolitan areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate at that time was 16.9 percent.

Local Government
Palm Coast is under a Council-Manager form of government, meaning its ordinances are considered by a City Council with the Mayor as the Chair. The Palm Coast City Council has five seats, four of which are for Council members elected to represent geographic districts, and one at-large seat for the Mayor. Registered voters from anywhere in the city can vote for each of the five Council seats. As of July 2023, the Palm Coast City Council is occupied by the following Council members:

 * Mayor David Alfin
 * Vice Mayor Ed Danko (District 1)
 * Councilwoman Theresa Carli Pontieri (District 2)
 * Councilman Nicholas Klufas (District 3)
 * Councilwoman Cathy Heighter (District 4)

Klufas is the longest serving on the Council, having been elected in 2016. Danko was elected in 2020, Alfin was elected in 2021, and Pontieri and Heighter were elected in 2022. The Palm Coast City Council has a two-term limit instituted by the City Charter, with the exception of those members serving a partial term from a special election (as Alfin is). Those members may serve two four-year terms along with the duration of the partial term, as decided by the voters. Each current member of the Palm Coast City Council is a member of the Republican Party.

At the county level, Palm Coast is served by the Flagler Board of County Commissioners, Flagler School Board, and East Flagler Mosquito Control District.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 89,258 people, 33,264 households, and 24,478 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 75,180 people, 27,184 households, and 19,862 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of 2000, 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.68.

In 2000, the city's population was spread out, with 18.5% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 30.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $41,570, and the median income for a family was $45,818. Males had a median income of $31,976 versus $24,637 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,490. About 5.6% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Languages
As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 87.66% of all residents, while 12.33% spoke other languages as their mother tongue. The most significant was Spanish speakers who made up 6.48% of the population, while German came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 1.18%, Italian was spoken by 1.02%, and Portuguese at 1.00% of the population.

Pedestrian fatalities
On March 2, 2017, Michelle Taylor, a 16-year-old student of Matanzas High School was struck and killed by a car while walking home from school in an area with no sidewalks and few street lights. In the following months, the people of the city petitioned to have more street lights and sidewalks installed throughout the entire city to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries and deaths. Students of Matanzas High School took charge of these efforts by creating committees and petitions to generate attention and pressure the local city council. Towards the end of 2016, Kevin Smith Jr, also a student of Matanzas, was injured in a hit and run under the same conditions.

Healthcare
The only hospitals are AdventHealth Palm Coast and AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway.

Notable people

 * Ray Black Jr., driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series
 * Blackbear, singer of Hot Girl Bummer
 * Caesar DePaço, Portuguese businessman and diplomat who served as the Portuguese Consul to Florida
 * Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Congressman and current Governor of Florida
 * Louis Miceli Jr., vocalist of band Palisades
 * Eddie Money, singer of Two Tickets to Paradise
 * Reilly Opelka, tennis player
 * Leslie West, former lead singer of Mountain
 * Home Is Where, emo band
 * Louis Bernard Gaskin, "The Ninja Killer" who was executed by the state in 2023 for two 1989 murders

title: Palm Coast, Florida


text:
Apalachicola, Florida

Apalachicola is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,341 at the 2020 census.

History

The Apalachicola Province, after whom the river and, ultimately the city, are named, was located along the lower part of the Chattahoochee River in Alabama and Georgia in the 17th century, when the Spanish included the Chattahoochee as part of the Apalachicola River. The name is a combination of the Hitchiti words apalahchi, meaning "on the other side", and okli, meaning "people". In original reference to the settlement, it probably meant "people on the other side of the river".

Between the years 1513 and 1763, the area that now includes the city of Apalachicola was under Spanish jurisdiction as part of Spanish Florida. While the Spanish established missions with the Apalachee people to the northeast of the city of Apalachicola (centered around Tallahassee), and with the Chatot people to the north in the upper Apalachicola River valley and the Chipola River valley, the Spanish did not establish any missions in the area of the lower Apalachicola River during the duration of Spain's first occupation of Florida. In the 1750s, during the French and Indian War, the British captured the Spanish colony of Cuba; however, because Cuba was a prized possession for the Spanish, and Florida was mostly unused backwater, the Spanish traded Florida to the British in return for regaining Cuba. Between the years 1763 and 1783, the area that is now Apalachicola fell under the jurisdiction of British West Florida. A British trading post called "Cottonton" was founded at this site on the mouth of the Apalachicola River. In 1783, British West Florida was transferred to Spain; however, the trading post (and its British inhabitants) remained and continued facilitating trade along the Apalachicola River (which was connected to the trading network along the Chattahoochee River). Gradually, after acquisition by the United States and related development in Alabama and Georgia, it attracted more permanent European-American residents. In 1827, the town was incorporated as "West Point". Apalachicola received its current name in 1831, by an act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida.

Trinity Episcopal Church was incorporated by an act of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida on February 11, 1837. The building was one of the earliest prefabricated buildings in the United States. The framework was shipped by schooner from New York City and assembled in Apalachicola with wooden pegs.

In 1837, a newspaper at Apalachicola boasted that the town's business street along the waterfront "had 2,000 ft of continuous brick stores, three stories high, 80 ft deep, and all equipped with granite pillars."

Botanist Alvan Wentworth Chapman settled in Apalachicola in 1847. In 1860, he published his major work, Flora of the Southern United States. An elementary school was later named in his honor.

On April 3, 1862, during the American Civil War, the gunboat USS Sagamore (1861) and the steamer USS Mercedita (1861) (relieving the USS Marion (1839)) captured Apalachicola. Union forces that occupied west Florida during much of the war moved here.

In 1849, Apalachicola physician John Gorrie discovered the cold-air process of refrigeration and patented an ice machine in 1850. He had experimented to find ways to lower the body temperature of fever patients. His patent laid the groundwork for development of modern refrigeration and air conditioning, making Florida and the South more livable year-round. The city has a monument to him, and a replica of his ice machine is on display in the John Gorrie Museum. The John Gorrie Memorial Bridge, carrying the main road out of Apalachicola, U.S. 98, is named for him.

Before railroads reached the region in the later 19th century, Apalachicola was the third-busiest port on the Gulf of Mexico (behind New Orleans and Mobile). Scheduled boats transported passengers and goods up and down the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint rivers to Albany and Columbus, Georgia. A paddle steamer, the Crescent City, made a daily round trip to Carrabelle, carrying the mail as well as passengers and freight.

The AN Railway, formerly the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, serves the city.

Originally built in 1935 and rebuilt in 1988, the John Gorrie Memorial Bridge carries U.S. 98 across Apalachicola Bay to Eastpoint.

Geography

The exact coordinates for the City of Apalachicola is located at 29.72528°N, -84.9925°W.

Apalachicola is located in the northwestern part of the state on Apalachicola Bay and at the mouth of the Apalachicola River. U.S. 98 is the main highway through town, leading east across the bay to Eastpoint and northwest 59 mi to Panama City. Tallahassee, the state capital, is 75 mi to the northeast via U.S. 98 and U.S. 319.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 km2, of which 5.0 km2 is land and 1.8 km2, or 26.67%, is water.

Climate
The climate of Apalachicola is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with short, mild winters and hot, humid summers. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was 103 °F on August 15, 1995, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was 9 °F on January 21, 1985.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,341 people, 1,272 households, and 669 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,231 people, 1,123 households, and 644 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,334 people, 1,006 households, and 608 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,242.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,207 housing units at an average density of 642.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 63.41% White, 34.92% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

In 2000, there were 1,006 households, out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. Of all households, 34.7% were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $23,073, and the median income for a family was $28,464. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,227. About 19.9% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Apalachicola is still the home port for a variety of seafood workers, including recreational fishing and shrimpers. More than 90% of Florida's oyster production was harvested from Apalachicola Bay in past years. Today the oyster industry has completely collapsed due to pollution and lack of water flow in the Apalachicola River. Every year the town hosts the Florida Seafood Festival. The bay is well protected by St. Vincent Island, Flag Island, Sand Island, St. George Island, and Cape St. George Island.

In 1979, Exxon relocated their experimental subsea production system from offshore Louisiana to a permitted artificial reef site off Apalachicola. This was the first effort to turn an oil platform into an artificial reef.

Arts and culture
Apalachicola is home to the Dixie Theatre, a professional Equity theater which is also a live performance venue. Built in 1912, the theatre was fully renovated beginning in 1996.

Education
Apalachicola is a part of the Franklin County Schools system. As of the 2008–2009 school year, all students, except those attending charter schools, attended the K–12 Franklin County School. Apalachicola Bay Charter School is also located in Apalachicola.

 * Wallace M. Quinn High School

Notable people

 * Jimmy Bloodworth, MLB baseball player
 * Alvin Wentworth Chapman, botanist
 * John Gorrie, inventor of mechanical cooling
 * Mary Rogers Gregory, artist
 * Richard Heyser, U-2 pilot

title: Apalachicola, Florida


text:
Carrabelle, Florida

Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County along Florida's Panhandle, United States. It is located east of Apalachicola at the mouth of the Carrabelle River on the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,606 as of the 2020 census.

History
In 1528, the first Spanish expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez passed through the area on its way from Tampa Bay to the Rio Grande. From the late 17th century through early 18th century, a few passages referring to the area are mentioned. Carrabelle, Dog Island, and St. George Island served as points to stage raids on local ports, as well as San Marcos de Apalache in 1677 and 1682.

In 1876, explorer Nathaniel Holmes Bishop of Medford, Massachusetts, navigated the Crooked River through the lowlands east to the Ochlockonee River. In 1877, Oliver Hudson Kelley from Massachusetts founded the town and named it "Rio Carrabella", after his niece, Caroline Hall. The following year, the first U.S. post office was established with its address as Rio Carrabella. Hall served as the town's first postmaster. The Town of Carrabelle was incorporated on December 24, 1881.

In 1891, the Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad was established to connect Carrabelle northward through Tallahassee to the Florida-Georgia line, eventually terminating in Augusta, Georgia.

The city was chartered and incorporated by the Florida Legislature in May 1893.

On August 1, 1899, the 2nd hurricane of the season struck the area, almost destroying the town and leaving just nine homes.

In 1942, Camp Gordon Johnston was opened for the purpose of training amphibious soldiers on nearby beaches. The camp trained a quarter of a million men and closed in 1946.

On August 23, 2008, Tropical Storm Fay made its record fourth landfall in the state of Florida at Carrabelle.

Geography
The exact coordinates fir the City of Carabelle is located at 29.85389°N, -84.66583°W.

Carrabelle is located east of the center of Franklin County along the Carrabelle River and on St. James Island, between St. George Sound to the south and the Crooked and New rivers to the north. To the south is Dog Island, separating St. George Sound from the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Route 98 passes through Carrabelle, leading west 22 mi to Apalachicola and northeast 30 mi to Medart. Tallahassee, the state capital, is 54 mi to the northeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Carrabelle has a total area of 14.6 km2, of which 11.7 km2 is land and 2.9 km2, or 20.12%, is water.

Carrabelle is the eastern terminus of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Climate
The climate for the City of Carrabelle is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carrabelle has a humid subtropical climate zone, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
The population of Carrabelle rose from 1,303 in 2000 to 2,778 in 2010 with the expansion of the city limits to the northeast to include the Franklin Correctional Institution.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,606 people, 503 households, and 300 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,778 people, 878 households, and 489 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,303 people, 562 households, and 370 families residing in the city. The population density was 349.2 PD/sqmi. There were 790 housing units at an average density of 211.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.48% White, 5.68% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

In 2000, there were 562 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. Of all households 30.6% were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83.

In 2000, in the city the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $23,749, and the median income for a family was $27,955. Males had a median income of $26,719 versus $19,018 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,677. About 14.8% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Richard W. Ervin, Jr. (1905–2004), born in Carrabelle, was the Florida Attorney General from 1949 to 1964, and he served as chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1969 to 1971
 * Caroline Hall, after whom the town was named and who served as the town's first postmistress, was one of the eight founders of The Grange.
 * John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil (1911–2006), born in Carrabelle, was a distinguished Negro league baseball player and coach for the champion Kansas City Monarchs who, later, worked as a scout for the Chicago Cubs. With his gentle demeanor, he highlighted the work of African-Americans before their integration into the previously "whites only" world of Major League Baseball. He gained a national spotlight during his interviews with Ken Burns' PBS documentary named Baseball
 * John Robinson, aviator
 * Jack Rudloe, a writer and naturalist and cofounder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory at nearby Panacea, Florida – moved to Carabelle at age 14 and lived there for two years. As a young man from the city, he was profoundly and positively affected by his experiences after moving and living there and has maintained his ties to the community

Attractions and geological features

 * Boat Parade of Lights
 * Camp Gordon Johnston Museum
 * Carrabelle Beach
 * Carrabelle History Museum
 * Carrabelle–Thompson Airport
 * Carrabelle Riverfront Festival
 * Crooked River Lighthouse
 * Historic deepwater fishing village
 * McKissack Ponds, five small ponds owned by Franklin County, near the Carrabelle–Thompson Airport
 * St. James Bay Golf Club
 * Tate's Hell State Forest
 * Waterway to Dog Island, St George Sound, and eastern start point to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
 * World's Smallest Police Station

World's Smallest Police Station
Carrabelle is the home of the "World's Smallest Police Station", which came into being on March 10, 1963. The city had been having problems with tourists making unauthorized long-distance phone calls on its police phone. The phone was located in a call box that was bolted to a building at the corner of U.S. 98 and Tallahassee Street. Johnnie Mirabella, St. Joe Telephone's lone Carrabelle employee at the time, first tried moving the call box to another building, but the illegal calls continued.

Mirabella noticed that the policeman would get drenched while answering phone calls when it was raining. So when the telephone company decided to replace its worn-out phone booth in front of Burda's Pharmacy, he decided to solve both problems at once by putting the police phone in the old booth.

With the help of Curly Messer, who was a deputy sheriff at the time, Mirabella moved the phone booth to its current site on U.S. 98. The booth did protect the officers from the elements, but some people still sneaked into it to make long-distance calls. Eventually the dial was removed from the phone, making it impossible for tourists to make calls.

It has been featured on television shows Real People, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, The Today Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It was featured in the movie Tate's Hell, which was produced at Florida State University. Along with police station T-shirts—the design is copyrighted—there are police station hats, visors, postcards, and calendars.

But life has not always been easy for the retired St. Joseph Telephone and Telegraph Company phone booth. Vandals have ripped phones out of the booth and shot holes through the glass. It has been knocked over by a pickup truck, a tourist once asked a gas station attendant to help him load it into his vehicle to take it back to Tennessee, and it was knocked over and damaged by Hurricane Kate. Today a replica still stands on the original spot along US Highway 98 in downtown Carrabelle. The original World's Smallest Police Station is safely housed and on display at the Carrabelle History Museum at 106 SE Avenue B, Carrabelle, FL.

Museums
Carrabelle has a local history museum, the Carrabelle History Museum, which is located at 106 SE Avenue B, in the historic Marvin Justiss building, also known as "Old City Hall". The museum is free and open on Wednesday and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and by appointment other days, for visitors interested in learning about the history and culture of Carrabelle and the surrounding area. The Camp Gordon Johnston World War II Museum is located at 1873 Highway 98 West, across the street from Carrabelle Public Beach, and admission is free. The museum was named after Colonel Gordon Johnston, an American soldier who served in the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and World War I.

Crooked River Lighthouse, constructed in 1895, is located 2 mi west of town, just past the Carrabelle Beach RV Park. It is the tallest lighthouse on the Forgotten Coast, standing 103 feet tall. The Carrabelle Lighthouse Association manages the Keeper's House Museum and a gift shop.

Education
Carrabelle is a part of the Franklin County Schools system. Students attend the Franklin County K–12 School in Eastpoint, Florida, that was built in 2008.

Government and infrastructure
Franklin Correctional Institution, a prison of the Florida Department of Corrections, is within the city of Carrabelle.

title: Carrabelle, Florida


text:
Eastpoint, Florida

Eastpoint is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,337 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Eastpoint is located at 29.74167°N, -84.87694°W (29.741560, -84.876951).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.3 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,158 people, 804 households, and 612 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 294.4 PD/sqmi. There were 911 housing units at an average density of 124.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.57% White, 0.79% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

There were 804 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,324, and the median income for a family was $29,940. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $25,179 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,382. About 6.3% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Eastpoint is within the Franklin County Schools system. The Franklin County School, a K-12 school, houses the district's elementary, middle and high school programs. It is located in Eastpoint.

Planned Fire
On June 24, 2018, a controlled fire struck the town of Eastpoint and burned about 1,000 acres in 24 hours. 36 families lost their homes and cleanup has since begun. Families were displaced to the Eastpoint Church of God where the Red Cross took in more than 175 people.

title: Eastpoint, Florida


text:
Chattahoochee, Florida

Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Its history dates to the Spanish era. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,955 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,652 at the 2010 census.

Chattahoochee sits on the banks of the Apalachicola River, and is separated by the Apalachicola and Victory bridges from neighboring Sneads, Florida, which is in Jackson County. Chattahoochee has its own police force with over ten sworn officers and a police chief. Chattahoochee is a name derived from the Creek language meaning "marked rocks".

History
The area was inhabited by indigenous peoples who built mounds in the area (Chattahoochee Landing Mounds). Chattahoochee was established as Mount Vernon in the 1820s. A British Fort, Nicolls' Outpost was built in the area. The Scott Massacre of 1817 took place. A ferry was established.

Geography
Chattahoochee is located in the northwest corner of Gadsden County at 30.7°N, -84.83333°W (30.703, –84.847). It is bordered to the west by the Apalachicola River, formed by the juncture of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers within Lake Seminole just north of the city. The northern border of Chattahoochee follows the Florida–Georgia state line, and the Apalachicola River forms the Gadsden–Jackson county line.

U.S. Route 90 passes through the middle of Chattahoochee as Washington Street; it leads southeast 19 mi to Quincy, the Gadsden County seat, and west 5 mi to Sneads and 24 mi to Marianna. Tallahassee, the state capital, is 43 mi to the southeast. Main Street (Little Sycamore Road outside the city limits) leads south 6 mi via Flat Creek Road to Interstate 10 at Exit 166.

The southern part of the city includes the community of River Junction at 30°41′N 84°50′W (30.686, –84.841). In the mid-1880s, River Junction was established as a railroad connection point between the Florida Central & Western, later the Seaboard Air Line, and the Pensacola & Atlantic. The connecting track survives.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Chattahoochee has a total area of 14.7 km2, of which 14.2 km2 is land and 0.5 km2, or 3.30%, is water.

Climate
The climate for the City of Chattahoochee is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chattahoochee has a humid subtropical climate zone, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,955 people, 998 households, and 646 families residing in the city.

In 2020, the median household income was $40,000. 9.4% of the population over 25 years old had a Bachelor's degree or higher. There was an employment rate of 28.1%. 29.5% of the population lived without healthcare coverage.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 3,652 people, 1,072 households, and 577 families residing in the city.

Historic places
On January 6, 1861, 4 days before Florida delegates formally seceded from the Union as part of the American Civil War, state troops seized the federal Arsenal located in the town. The former arsenal and current Administration Building of Florida State Hospital is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Building - #73000578). Florida State Hospital, the hospital involved in the famous United States Supreme Court decision O'Connor v. Donaldson, is located within the City. The hospital was featured in a 1989 movie, Chattahoochee, starring Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper, in which a war hero, Chris Calhoun, is involuntarily committed to Florida State Hospital where he sees doctors at the hospital humiliating patients and experiences filth and abuse.

Government and infrastructure
The U.S. Postal Service operates the Chattahoochee Post Office.

The Chattahoochee Volunteer Fire Department operates one fire station.

The Gadsden Connector, a bus route operated by Big Bend Transit, has a stop in Chattahoochee.

Education
Gadsden County School District operates public schools.

The community is served by Chattahoochee Elementary School. In Fall 2018 it will become a Pre-K to Kindergarten early learning center. Students in grades 1–3 will move to Greensboro Primary School and students in grades 4–5 will move to West Gadsden Middle School. The sole public high school of the county is Gadsden County High School (formerly East Gadsden High School).

Until 2004 Chattahoochee High School served as the community middle and high school. That year it consolidated into West Gadsden High School. As of 2017 East Gadsden became the only remaining zoned high school in the county due to the consolidation of West Gadsden High's high school section into East Gadsden High School.

Notable people

 * Roger Bailey, former MLB baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies
 * Sandy D'Alemberte, former president of the American Bar Association and former president of Florida State University (FSU)
 * Shantley Jackson, horse jockey

In film
The 1989 film "Chattahoochee" is based on the Florida State Hospital and allegations of abuse on residents. The movie, which starred Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper, was not shot in Chattahoochee, however.

title: Chattahoochee, Florida