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Pensacola Beach, Florida | |
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.jpg) Alifeguard stand on Pensacola Beach | |
  Pensacola Beach | |
| Coordinates:30°19′56″N87°8′30″W / 30.33222°N 87.14167°W /30.33222; -87.14167 | |
| Country |  United States |
| States |  Florida |
| County | Escambia |
| Founded by | Tristan de Luna |
| Area | |
• Total | 29.943 km2 (11.561 sq mi) |
| • Land | 29.660 km2 (11.452 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.283 km2 (0.109 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 32561 |
| Area code | 850 |
| Website | [1] |
Pensacola Beach is anunincorporated community located onSanta Rosa Island, abarrier island, inEscambia County,Florida,United States. It is situated south ofPensacola (andGulf Breeze connected via bridges spanning to theFairpoint Peninsula and then to the island) in theGulf of Mexico. As of the2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738. It has been described as "famous" for its ultra-whitesandbeaches.[1][2]
Pensacola Beach occupies land bound by a 1947 deed from theUnited States Department of Interior that it be administered in the public interest by the county or leased, but never "disposed"; its businesses and residents are thus long-term leaseholders and not property owners.[3]
Pensacola Beach is part of thePensacola–Ferry Pass–BrentMetropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all ofEscambia andSanta Rosa counties.
Francisco Maldonado, a lieutenant[4] underConquistadorHernando de Soto, visited the area during the earlySpanish exploration of North America. He anchored inPensacola Bay for the winter of 1539–1540.[5][6]
In 1559, DonTristan de Luna y Arellano led the first settlement of the region.[4] His 11 ships, with 1500 settlers,[4] anchored in the bay and established a colony on the site of today'sNaval Air Station Pensacola. Shortly after their arrival, on August 15, 1559,Friar Dominic de la Anunciacion conducted what is believed to be the first Christian religious service in the present-day United States.[7] This event is commemorated by a marker near the possible site of the service, indicating the historical significance of the location as a place of early religious and cultural exchange.
Ahurricane decimated thecolony a few weeks later, killing hundreds and sinking five of the 11 ships.[4] Suffering long-term famine and fighting, this first settlement was finally abandoned in 1561.[4] Apresidio was constructed on Santa Rosa Island in 1722 near the location of the more recentFort Pickens. Hurricanes in 1741 and 1752[5] forced its relocation to the mainland.
Pensacola Beach remained largely undeveloped for many years. The Casino Resort was the first tourist destination constructed on the island (at the present day location of Casino Beach) where a variety of special events includingbeauty pageants,fishing tournaments, andboxing matches were held from the 1930s through 1950s. With a bar, tennis courts, bath houses, and a restaurant, it was a popular resort until it eventually closed in the 1960s.
The entire island was initially owned by thefederal government. In order to promote infrastructure and growth on the island, the federal government leased the lands now encompassing Pensacola Beach to the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA), which in turn has leased the property to homeowners. As a result, all structures on the island have 99-year renewable leases with the SRIA rather than ownership of the land itself.
Pensacola Beach is located at30°20′00″N87°08′15″W / 30.33333°N 87.13750°W /30.33333; -87.13750, on the barrier island of Santa Rosa. It is bordered to the south by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north bySanta Rosa Sound and Pensacola Bay, and to the east and west by theGulf Islands National Seashore.
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While generally cooler than most ofpeninsular Florida, Pensacola Beach maintains a more stabletemperature year round than inland areas of Pensacola and Escambia County. As such, winter lows are several degrees warmer than Pensacola proper and summer highs are generally cooler as a result of the surrounding waters.
As with many islands, Pensacola Beach enjoyssea breezes which begin around noon and end around sunset in the summer, and there are often afternoonthunderstorms. The average temperature ranges from 44 °F (7 °C) in January to 89 °F (32 °C) in July.[8]
As a community located on a low-lying barrier island, Pensacola Beach is vulnerable tohurricanes. Landfalling storms have been known to drivestorm surge over the island, damaging or destroying man-made structures and causingbeach erosion.[9] In 1995, two hurricanes made landfall on the island.Hurricane Erin made landfall in August, andHurricane Opal blasted the island just two months later, leveling somedunes and destroying a number of homes.[10]
On September 16, 2004,Hurricane Ivan devastated the Pensacola Beach area, destroying more than 650 homes and damaging many others. Ivan was the last hurricane to make Florida landfall in 2004, one of the most destructive hurricane seasons in decades.[11]
On July 10, 2005,Hurricane Dennis made landfall between Pensacola Beach and easternNavarre Beach. However, as with Erin almost a decade earlier, the damage on Pensacola Beach was not nearly as extensive as predicted.
In 2020, Pensacola Beach took the brunt of the storm fromHurricane Sally, seeing widespread wind damage, storm surge flooding, and over 20 inches (510 mm) of rainfall.[12][13] A section of thePensacola Bay Bridge (known to locals as the Three Mile Bridge) was destroyed during Hurricane Sally.[14]
The island has been subject to mandatoryevacuation orders during some of these hurricanes.[15]
TheDeepwater Horizon, aBP-operated oil-drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off theLouisiana coast, exploded April 20, 2010, eventually releasing almost 5 million barrels ofoil into the Gulf before being capped on August 4, 2010.[16] Oil from the explosion did not reach Pensacola beaches until June 4, 2010.[17] Crews posted along Escambia County's coastline quickly cleaned much of the oil that was evident along the beaches.[18]Tourism in the Pensacola Beach area was adversely affected during the summer of 2010.[19]BBC News reported that swimmers at Pensacola Beach "encountered an oil sheen and children picked up tar blobs as big as tennis balls."[20]
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) provides bus transportation seven days per week.[21]
Escambia County Fire Rescue operates Fire Station #13 in Pensacola Beach.[22]
TheEscambia County Sheriff's Office has Precinct 1 covering Pensacola Beach, operated out of the Pensacola Beach Sheriff's Substation.[23]
The hub of beach activity, Casino Beach, on Pensacola Beach, is named after the original casino that stood in this location and is a popular beach access.[25] The location is dotted with restaurants and family entertainment areas.[citation needed] It is situated next to the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier, which at 1,471 feet is described as the longest pier on the Gulf of Mexico.[26] The beach is equipped with lifeguard stands and station, volleyball courts, snack bar and large parking lot. The Gulfside Pavilion hosts a "Bands on the Beach" concert series during the summer tourist season.[27]
The Gulf Pier has been called an iconic part of Pensacola Beach by residents. It is maintained by Escambia County Public Works and the Santa Rosa Island Authority.[28] In addition to fishing,[29] the pier offers sightseeing marine wildlife such asdolphins andstingrays.[30][31] It has been closed and renovated a number of times due to storm and hurricane damage.[32][33][34]
Pensacola beach is known forflyovers by theBlue Angels demonstration team from the nearbyPensacola Naval Air Station base. An annualair show is held each summer.[35]
The boardwalk is on theSanta Rosa Sound side of the island, directly across from Casino Beach. Retail shops, restaurants, nightclubs, street musicians and sidewalk artists line it. The boardwalk has a large sea shell stage where concerts are held several times a year.[36]
Located at the western end of Santa Rosa Island,Fort Pickens was completed in 1834 and used untilWorld War II, when modern weapons made traditional coastal defenses obsolete. It is open to the public as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, with a fee required for entry; campsites are also available for a fee.
Pensacola Beach is home to some of the tallest buildings betweenTallahassee andMobile, Alabama.[37] The list below ranks the buildings in height.
Another historical landmark is the vintage Pensacola Beach sign just outside Pensacola Beach inGulf Breeze. It was a 60s-eraneon sign that directs drivers towards Pensacola Beach's "scenic" views of the coast of theGulf of Mexico, as well as towards its white sand beaches, motels, and restaurants.[38] The sign was renovated in 2019 to look exactly like the old sign but featureLED lights instead ofneon.[39][40]
Thebeach ball paintedwater tower is an iconic symbol of Pensacola Beach.[41] Today the water tower is no longer in use, but has been preserved by the city as a historical landmark.[42]
Pensacola Beach is home to severalnovelty houses, which are homes built with unusual shapes for purposes such aspublicity or to copy other famous buildings in parody.
One of the novelty houses in Pensacola is the house "Dome of a Home", built in 2002 using amonolithic dome in the form of a large concrete dome, designed to structurally withstand storm surge and hurricane-force winds of 133 metres per second (300 mph). It withstood hurricanesIvan andDennis. It is also known as the "Flintstone Home" due to the fact it resembles a rock home.[43]
Another novelty house is the house with aUFO-shapedFuturo attached as a second story. This Futuro house is sometimes known as the "Spaceship House". It was designed in the 1960s by Finnish architectMatti Suuronen. About a hundred of them were constructed.[44]
There is one school on Pensacola Beach. The Pensacola Beach Elementary School, within theEscambia County School District (ECSD), is for children from kindergarten through fifth grade. This school has an enrollment ranging from 120 to 140 students. All elementary-school age children on Pensacola Beach are eligible to attend the school. The first year the school was open, for the school year 1977–1978, classes were held in an empty A-frame house. The Pensacola Beach Volunteer Fire Department building was also used in aiding the teachers and administrators. In November 1977, four portable buildings were moved to the present site. They school has received the 5 Star School award since 1998.[citation needed] In 2001 the Pensacola Beach Elementary lost its direct district operational control and became acharter school.[45] In September 2004Hurricane Ivan destroyed an office and four classrooms. Jeff Castleberry, the principal, argued that ECSD would have closed the school if it had direct operational control. The costs to fix the damage at Pensacola Beach Elementary was $1.5 million. The campus is adjacent to theGulf of Mexico and is built on stilt. The school has been described as one of several Escambia County charter schools that "exemplify charter schools at their finest".[46]
Pensacola Beach is zoned for (assigned to) a different ECSD elementary school, Suter Elementary School,[47] as well as Workman Middle School,[48] andPensacola High School.[49] However, most middle- and high-school students in Pensacola Beach attend Gulf Breeze Middle School andGulf Breeze High School, operated bySanta Rosa County School District.[45] In addition, some attend Pensacola-areamagnet schools.[50]
There are only two traditional churches on the island of Pensacola Beach. It is under the laws and guidelines of the Santa Rosa Island Authority that these be the only churches on the island. However, since around 2011, at least two other area churches have held satellite church meetings and openly worshipped on the water's edge on Sunday mornings.[citation needed]
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Pensacola Beach travel guide from Wikivoyage| Topics |  | |
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| Government | ||
| Region | ||
| Counties |  | |
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| Major city | ||
| Incorporated cities | ||
| Unincorporated | ||
Municipalities and communities ofEscambia County, Florida,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
