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PENSACOLA AREA INFORMATION |
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| Pensacola
and Escambia County
Pensacola may be one of the few
resort towns left where it's still possible to buy a fixer-upper in a nice
neighborhood for less than $40,000. Or for those with money to
spare, build a palace on the beach for millions. Now there's
economic diversity for you, meaning that most of us fall somewhere in
between. Some Pensacola neighborhoods are undergoing a
regentrification process; empty nesters are selling homes they've lived in
for decades, replaced by younger families looking for safety and stability
in an established neighborhood. |
To obtain a larger or smaller scale map of Pensacola, see
Mapquest
Interactive Atlas web site or click on the red star at the center of
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| the map. For additional information
about the Pensacola area and what it has to offer, visit the Pensacola Online Home Page
or the |
| Pensacola
Chamber of Commerce Home Page |
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The
Beaches
Pensacola Beach This
is the commercial and residential part of Santa Rosa Island (named after a Spanish saint
or a spaghetti sauce, no one can quite remember which). Change is everywhere on this
barrier island, located about eight miles from downtown Pensacola over the Pensacola Bay
Bridge. If you're one of those whose family vacationed on the beach years ago, and
you always dreamed of living there, the metamorphosis from funky neighborhood to upscale
beach resort may suprise you. Many of the older cinder block cottages were destroyed
during 1995's hurricanes, so beach homes had to be rebuilt on 15-foot stilts, increasing
the home's cost and value. To its credit, Pensacola Beach looks better than ever,
with new public areas, landscaping, hotels and colorful multi-story homes. |
Perdido Key
Condos are king on Perdido Key, about
15 miles west of Pensacola. This barrier island tends to be quieter than Pensacola
Beach due to its more remote location (until you near the Flora-Bama Lounge, but that's
another story). Public areas are confined to the natural areas of the Gulf Islands
National Seashore on the island's eastern tip, or the Perdido Key State Recreation Area in
the heart of the key. With only a handful of restaurants and two hotels, most people
tend to be lured by the solitude of the areas rather than its commercial side. |
Gulf Breeze and Santa Rosa County
Gulf Breeze only
became a city in the 1960's, and just as recently has been hit by a tourism and
residential boom the likes of which it could never have imagined. Although tourists
may clog the Highway 98 artery through the city during summer months, Gulf Breeze is much
more than a way station to the beach. Numerous coves, densely wooded areas and mossy
oaks define the peninsula, while farther east along Highway 98, subdivisions feature
man-made canals, small inlets and plenty of shade trees. A good portion of Santa
Rosa County is small towns and rural communities with Milton as the County seat, dotted
with bays, bayous, and a network of pristine freshwater rivers. One of the trendy
new areas of the county is Pace, linked by bridge to Pensacola's northern end across
Escambia Bay. |
Weather
Northwest Florida is blessed with four
distinct seasons. Summer comes early and stays late, bringing the characteristic
heat and humidity that some residents can't get enough of, and others find
oppressive. We've got it good during the relatively abbreviated spring and fall
seasons, with mild temperatures in the 70's and 80's. The cool nights and sunfilled
days bring with them a flurry of outdoor festivals. For up-to-date weather information go
to Weather.com. |
Ground Transportation
It hasn't always
been easy to get there from here, but with both Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties
experiencing phenomenal growth, changes are taking place to make traveling easier.
Would it suprise you to know that New Orleans is closer to Pensacola than
Tallahassee? That from Pensacola, Key West and Chicago are equidistant?
Atlanta is just six hours away; Birmingham only four. Pensacola sits on the very
eastern edge of the central time zone; set your watch one hour ahead at the Apalachicola
River, about a two-hour drive from the Florida-Alabama border. |
Air Travel
Pensacola opened a
new, spacious terminal in 1990 with six jetways. In only a few years, air travel has
increased to such a degree that future plans call for two additional gates and a parking
garage. Perhaps in the near future we will also see an increase in direct flights;
as it is, you'll need to make connections in Charlotte, Atlanta, Memphis or
Nashville. Current carriers include Continental, Delta, Northwest Airlink and USAir. |
Amtrak Service
Amtrak offers
perhaps the most leisurely trip of all. Kick back in your own room in a sleeper car,
have a quiet dinner, or watch the world go by from your seat or the observation car.
Most Northwest Floridians never get to see the train, however; the trains arrive and
depart the station at 5 and 6 am. For train information, call Amtrak at (800)
872-7245. |
Pensacola Links
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ABR, CRS 
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Cherylyn Stopler,
RE/MAX Horizons Realty, 1335 Creighton Road, Pensacola Florida 32504