ESCAMBIA COUNTY
County Offices
221 South Palafox Place
Pensacola 850-595-4947
www.myescambia.com
Chamber of Commerce
117 W Garden Street
Pensacola 850-438-4081
http://pensacolachamber.com
Escambia County claims a number of distinctions, including its status as Florida’s westernmost county and one of the state’s leading deepwater ports. The county is also home to highly respected educational, medical, and cultural resources as well as major military installations. The presence of Naval Air Station Pensacola and the world-famous Blue Angels has given the area claim to the title, “Cradle to Naval Aviation.” Pensacola International Airport and a strong network of major highways including Interstates 10 and 110 ensure transportation efficiencies.
Services
Newcomers will find first-rate educational opportunities on every academic level in Escambia County, including well-managed public school districts, private schools, three public university campuses, and two private colleges. The University of West Florida (UWF) enrolls more than 12,000 students in a wide variety of disciplines leading to degrees from bachelor through doctorate. Nestled on a natural preserve bordered by two rivers and Escambia Bay, UWF is recognized for its progressive approach to technology and environmental policy. Recent additions include a state-of-the-art School of Science and Engineering with prototype robot fabrication/testing laboratories and 3-D virtual reality simulators. Pensacola State College focuses on baccalaureate and associate degrees along with career training and continued education. Florida State University College of Medicine maintains a Pensacola campus for clinical training in family and internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, geriatrics, psychiatry and emergency medicine through affiliations with local physicians and hospitals. Private institutions include Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, the largest and oldest aviation-focused university in the world.
Advanced healthcare is another hallmark of Escambia County, where several major medical centers and hospitals serve a regional population with advanced diagnostics and treatment. West Florida Healthcare in Pensacola includes a full-service, emergency care facility specializing in cardiac and cancer care. The health system is proud of its recognized level of clinical excellence including consistent recognition as Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® by the Joint Commission. The Sacred Heart Health System is another regional leader with a 566-bed hospital in Pensacola that houses the area’s only Children’s Hospital. Other vital services at Sacred Heart Health include a Regional Heart and Vascular Institute, a regional Stroke Center, a Level II Trauma Center, and a Cancer Center associated with MD Anderson Physicians Network. The third major healthcare institution is Baptist Hospital of Baptist Health Care. As part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Baptist Health Care physicians have the advantage of collaborating with Mayo specialists on challenging cases.
Lifestyle
Residents of Escambia County have the best of all worlds: White-sand beaches and crystal blue waters, a sun-drenched climate, big-city advantages, and the relaxed pace of a coastal community. Little wonder that vast sections of this pristine environment have been preserved in popular recreational destinations like the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area, Fort Pickens State Park Aquatic Preserve, Gulf Islands National Seashore, and Tarkin Bayou Preserve State Park. Residents enjoy world-class golf and tennis facilities, miles of multi-purpose trails, family attractions, and unsurpassed water sports from scuba diving to deep-sea fishing. The world’s largest artificial reef, the Oriskany, is an 888-foot retired aircraft carrier that offers glimpses of whale sharks, amberjacks and reef fish.
The county is brimming over with outstanding cultural, historic and natural amenities that include the National Museum of Naval Aviation with its full-motion flight simulator, a renovated Spanish baroque-rococo theater, NASCAR racing thrills, and the elegant Pensacola Bay Center for professional sports and star-studded entertainment. The county seat of Pensacola hosts all five major cultural groups: Ballet, opera, symphony, theatre, and an accredited museum of arts. In outlying communities graced by live oak and magnolia trees, life is unhurried and attractions are eclectic. Cozy cafes, lively nightlife, unique shops, and colorful annual celebrations are just a few of the leisure pastimes that coax residents out of their homes and into the streets. Best of all, the high quality of life in Escambia County comes at a surprisingly competitive cost. Whether your dream is a waterfront estate, a rustic farmhouse, a cozy neighborhood bungalow or a handsome new condominium, Escambia County has the quality and variety to please the most discriminating taste.
COMMUNITIES
Century
Town Offices
850-256-3208
Chamber of Commerce
850-438-4081
http://pensacolachamber.com
Taking for its slogan, “traditional values, today’s technology,” the small town of Century is located in a region with regional and international airports, a deepwater port, and major military bases. Interstates 65, 10 and 110 anchor a network of major highways that ensure a convenient lifestyle just a short drive from award-winning beaches, outstanding shopping, cultural enrichment, and a new waterfront stadium for sports thrills and big-name entertainment. This hidden jewel offers a unique hometown setting bordered by the beautiful Escambia River for boating, fishing and camping. Residents also enjoy the angler’s paradise of Lake Stone, a 130-acre freshwater lake filled with bass, bluegill, shellcracker and channel fish. Nearby Santa Rosa County offers famous beaches and woodland majesty for cycling, hiking, and kayaking in unspoiled beauty.
Pensacola, Brent, Ferry Pass, Pensacola Beach, West Pensacola
City Offices
850-435-1606
http://cityofpensacola.com
Chamber of Commerce
850-438-4081
http://pensacolachamber.com
Florida’s westernmost city anchors Northwest Florida with a unique blend of cosmopolitan advantages and relaxed Southern hospitality. Stellar attractions in this area include Saenger Theater, Pensacola Bay Center, the Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Opera, and Pensacola Little Theatre. The city also serves a regional population with highly respected healthcare and educational resources, from nationally ranked public and private universities to major health systems that include the area’s only children’s hospital. Pensacola’s historic downtown has long been a center of live music and famous celebrations like the Pensacola Seafood Festival and the Pensacola Crawfish Festival, while Seville Square welcomes more than 200 renowned artists to the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. History is well-preserved in Pensacola, from restored 18th century neighborhoods to historic military installations and the National Naval Aviation Museum. Fewer than 60,000 residents live within the city boundaries, but nearly 300,000 people reside in the sprawling unincorporated suburbs that surround Pensacola including Brent, Ferry Pass, Pensacola Beach, and West Pensacola.
Perdido Key
County Offices
850-595-4947
www.myescambia.com
Chamber of Commerce
850-492-4660
www.perdidochamber.com
Praised by The Culture Trip as one of the 10 most beautiful cities in the world, the tiny unincorporated community of Perdido Key stretches for 16 miles with a width of only a few hundred yards. Nearly 60 percent of this unspoiled land mass is devoted to federal or state parks, distinguishing Perdido Key as a true wilderness nestled in the heart of the Florida Panhandle. Bridges link Perdido Key to Pensacola and the Florida mainland as well as to neighboring Orange Beach, Alabama. Residents enjoy world-class water sports and an arts scene that includes a local gallery and live musical entertainment in an atmosphere of idyllic weather and 343 days of sunshine. For cosmopolitan cultural, entertainment, sports, and family attractions as well as renowned educational and healthcare resources, the bright lights of Pensacola are just minutes from paradise.
Naval Air Station Pensacola
NAS Base Information
850-452-2255
www.cnic.navy.mil
NAS Base Guide
www.mybaseguide.com
NAS Pensacola has long been a major economic, social, educational, and environmental influence in Escambia County, employing more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel. The installation includes the Naval Aviation Schools Command, Naval Air Technical Training Center, Marine Aviation Training Support Group 21 and 23, the Blue Angels, and the headquarters for Naval Training Command. NAS Whiting Field in neighboring Santa Rosa County is the world’s busiest naval air station, claiming nearly half of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command’s total flight time and more than 10 percent of Navy and Marine Corps total flight time. Whether they choose to live on the base or in nearby Pensacola and its suburban communities, NAS Pensacola military personnel and their families enjoy easy access to a world of first-class recreational amenities. Campgrounds, picnic areas, marinas, Blue Angel Recreation Park, Bayou Grande Recreation Area, Oak Grove Park, and Corry Recreation Center facilities and programs are all available on base.
