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56-608: The team played its home games in Panama City Beach, Florida at Mike Gavlak Stadium on the campus of Arnold High School , where it had played since 2008. The team's colors were black, white and red. The Panama City Pirates were founded in 2007 to begin play in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team received a great deal of local fanfare and publicity, but found

112-679: A council–manager government . The Mayor sits as a Council member-at-large and presides over City council meetings. If the Mayor cannot preside over a City Council meeting, then the Vice Mayor is the presiding officer of the meeting until the Mayor returns to his seat. The City Manager is responsible for the administration and the day-to-day operation of all of the municipal services and city departments. The City Manager also maintains intergovernmental relationships with federal, state, county and other local governments. The primary law enforcement agency in

168-520: A 14-foot (4.3 m) storm surge that devastated Perdido Key and Santa Rosa Island, wrecked the Interstate 10 bridge across Escambia Bay , and destroyed thousands of homes in the region, some as far away as 20 miles (32 km) inland. On June 23, 2010, oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill landed on Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, damaging the fishing and tourism industries, and prompting

224-461: A large part of the county, including many structures in Mexico Beach and Panama City. An EF-0 tornado did minor damage to the northwest part of Panama City Beach, Florida on February 15. Panama City Beach is located at 30°12′27″N 85°51′5″W  /  30.20750°N 85.85139°W  / 30.20750; -85.85139 (30.207362, −85.851485). The city is located in the panhandle on

280-589: A massive clean-up effort. On October 10, 2018, the panhandle suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Michael , with winds as high as 160 mph. Michael was one of only four category 5 hurricanes to ever hit the US mainland. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and apartment rents in Panama City increased, with a $ 500 apartment renting for $ 1000 in 2019. Recovery from Hurricane Michael was not complete in June 2019, and disaster relief for

336-657: A producer of citrus crops because the area is subject to regular frosts and freezes during winter, which destroy citrus fruits. Interstate 10 is the only interstate highway in the panhandle, connecting the extreme west with North Florida and Jacksonville . Other older east–west routes include U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 98 . Important north–south routes west of the Apalachicola River include U.S. Highway 29 , U.S. Highway 331 , and U.S. Highway 231 , all linking to Alabama and Interstate 65 . State Road 20 stretches from Niceville to Tallahassee. Freight service

392-478: A rip current. By attempting to directly return to the beach, against the rip current, swimmers get tired-out in the process and drown. Instead, swimmers caught in a rip current should relax, and swim parallel to the beach, until they are naturally carried out of the rip current. A construction boom in the early to mid-2000s changed the image of the area due to the older homes and motels being replaced with high-rise condominiums and more expansive homes. However, this

448-479: A thousand residents. Many panhandle residents had, in fact, migrated to the area from Alabama and had relatives there; it was also easier to trade with and travel to southern Alabama than to reach East Florida by slow, arduous journey across the thick cypress swamps and dense pine forests of the panhandle. It was natural for West Floridians to feel that they had more in common with their nearby neighbors in Alabama than with

504-527: Is also a popular spring break destination, due to its beach and proximity to most of the Southern United States. Panama City Beach has dangerous rip currents . Multiple people have drowned at Panama City Beach while struggling against rip currents. Sea conditions are particularly dangerous during periods when lifeguards have put up double red flags , indicating active rip currents. Drowning often occurs when people attempt to swim directly against

560-603: Is located in Panama City , just across the Hathaway Bridge from Panama City Beach. The Florida State University Panama City branch campus is also located in Panama City , just across the Hathaway Bridge from Panama City Beach. The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) provides commercial flights into the area. The airport serves private aircraft, domestic passenger flights, and freight/cargo flights. It

616-579: Is provided by the Class III Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad , which acquired most of the CSX main line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019. (For the history of this line, see Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad .) Passenger service ended with the creation of Amtrak in 1971, but was revived with the extension of the Sunset Limited to Orlando beginning in 1993; however, passenger service

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672-561: Is the case with the other eight U.S. states that have panhandles , the geographic meaning of the term is inexact and elastic. References to the Florida panhandle always include the ten counties west of the Apalachicola River , a natural geographic boundary, which was the historic dividing line between the British colonies of West Florida and East Florida . These western counties also lie in

728-489: Is the first international airport to be constructed after the September 11 terrorist attacks . Other modes of transportation include scooters, which can be rented by the day, as well as taxi and shuttle companies, which are permitted by the local police. Panama City Beach also has public bus transportation known as Bayway available hourly Monday through Saturday. The Bayway runs throughout the county giving its tourists and locals

784-610: Is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida . It is a salient roughly 200 miles (320 km) long, bordered by Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is arbitrarily defined. It is defined by its southern culture and rural geography relative to the rest of Florida, as well as closer cultural links to French-influenced Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Its major communities include Pensacola , Navarre , Destin , Panama City Beach , and Tallahassee . As

840-506: Is turning unobstructed, low-rise beach views and affordable waterfront property into rarities. At the peak of the real estate boom, many beachfront properties had quadrupled or more in value since 2000. In November 2006 CNN/Money named Panama City Beach the No. 1 real estate market in America for the next five years in. Beachfront property has sold for upwards of $ 60,000 per "front foot" (linear foot) at

896-496: The 2008 presidential election , John McCain received 421,287 votes (60.1%) in the panhandle, while Barack Obama received 279,206 votes (39.9%). Under the 2023-2033 decennial reapportionment, the Florida panhandle is split between the Florida's 1st congressional district , represented by Matt Gaetz (R– Niceville ) and Florida's 2nd congressional district represented by Neal Dunn (R–Panama City). The following counties west of

952-710: The Central Time Zone (with the exception of Gulf County , which is divided between the Eastern and Central Time zones), while the rest of the state is in the Eastern Time Zone. References to the panhandle may also include some or all of eleven counties immediately east of the Apalachicola known as the Big Bend region, along the curve of Apalachee Bay . Like the rest of North Florida , including North Central Florida ,

1008-790: The Gulf Islands National Seashore , which also covers some islands off the Mississippi coast. Other beach areas protected by the state of Florida include Both state and federal parks offer facilities for camping, picnicking, and other recreational pursuits. In addition, some parts of the coastline are federal property belonging to Pensacola Naval Air Station , Eglin Air Force Base , and Tyndall Air Force Base , and so are likewise protected from commercial development. In addition, seven state aquatic preserves, covering thousands of acres of submerged lands in coastal areas, are located in

1064-583: The Gulf of Mexico . The main roads through the city are U.S. Route 98 and Florida State Road 30 . US 98 runs from northwest to southeast just inland from the coast, leading east 10 mi (16 km) to Panama City and northwest 47 mi (76 km) to Destin . FL-30 runs along the coast from northwest to southeast as Front Beach Rd, leading east to Panama City and northwest 15 mi (24 km) to Rosemary Beach . There are approximately 9 miles (14 km) of shoreline in Panama City Beach fronting

1120-771: The Panama City Beach Pirates under the new ownership of Eehab Kenawy, Jill Holt, and Amy Dalton to once again play in the USL PDL in 2012. The Pirates played in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference of the PDL, along with the Ocala Stampede , Orlando City U-23 , IMG Bradenton Academics , VSI Tampa Bay , Mississippi Brilla , Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy , and FC Jax Destroyers . The Pirates finished

1176-547: The Panama City Metropolitan Area . It is a popular vacation destination, especially among people in the Southern United States, and is located in the "Emerald Coast" area. Panama City Beach had a population of 18,094 at the 2020 census , up from 12,018 in 2010. Panama City Beach's slogan is "The World's Most Beautiful Beaches" due to the unique, sugar-white sandy beaches of the Florida Panhandle. The town

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1232-461: The Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad , completed in 1883, finally linked Pensacola and the panhandle solidly with the rest of the state and ended the region's isolation, although from time to time during the twentieth century there were still occasional calls for annexation that generated some public discussion but no legislative action. In the last quarter of the century, hurricanes that directly struck

1288-590: The Perdido River , which forms the western boundary of Florida; Escambia Bay and East Bay , fed by the Escambia River and Blackwater River , respectively; Choctawhatchee Bay , fed by the Choctawhatchee River ; and St. Andrews Bay , fed by Econfina Creek . Pensacola Bay , a deepwater port, is formed by the joining of Escambia and East bays. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway , completed in 1949, traverses

1344-607: The United States ), Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field near Ft. Walton Beach , Naval Support Activity Panama City in Panama City Beach , and Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City . Smaller military bases in the Florida panhandle include the Center for Information Warfare Training in Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field near Milton and Duke Field near Crestview . The 1983-84 television show Emerald Point N.A.S.

1400-511: The hospitality industry . In addition to military bases, state and local governments, hospitals, schools, and colleges, major private employers in the second half of the twentieth century included Monsanto and Westinghouse plants at Pensacola, the St. Joe Paper Company in Port St. Joe , and Gulf Power , a major electric utility company. Unlike central and southern Florida, the panhandle has never been

1456-422: The 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $ 41,198, and the median income for a family was $ 49,127. Males had a median income of $ 32,459 versus $ 22,358 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 26,734. About 2.2% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over. The City of Panama City Beach has

1512-420: The Apalachicola River are always included in references to the panhandle: Some or all of the following counties east of the Apalachicola, in the Big Bend subregion, are sometimes considered part of the panhandle: Places marked with an asterisk (*) lie east of the Apalachicola River, and may not be considered part of the panhandle by some residents or writers. Population of the major metropolitan areas in

1568-491: The Appalachicola river is Pensacola , which has a population of 54,312 (2020) and also has the largest Metropolitan area in the entire panhandle with a population of 511,502 (2020). This metro area includes the second- and third-largest communities in the region, Pensacola and Navarre . The total population of the panhandle, as of the 2010 Census , was 1,407,925, just under 7.5% of Florida's total population as recorded in

1624-527: The Florida panhandle vary considerably depending on location. The western panhandle, particularly the Emerald Coast , was one of the earliest areas to shake off its Yellow Dog Democrat roots, and since the 1990s has become the most Republican part of Florida. Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Panama City regularly give Republicans close to or over 70% margins in state and national elections. However, Tallahassee and Gadsden County tend to be strongly Democratic. In

1680-473: The Gulf of Mexico. The city has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.2 km )— 18.4 square miles (47.6 km ) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km ) (1.17%) is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 18,094 people, 5,538 households, and 3,440 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 12,018 people, 5,149 households, and 3,166 families residing in

1736-572: The Gulfcoast" and the "Miracle Strip", especially for the area between Fort Walton Beach and Panama City . Coastal regions of the following counties (if not the entirety of the counties themselves) are usually included when referring to the Emerald Coast: Coastal portions of Bay County are also regularly included when referring to the Emerald Coast, but with somewhat less regularity than

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1792-588: The Pirates' 18 goals against the Pumas between them, and helped the team enjoy a seven-game unbeaten streak which included a 1–0 win over Bradenton Academics , and an unexpected 3–0 victory over the Central Florida Kraze . In the latter game they playing with 10 men for over half an hour. Their late-season charge wasn't enough for them to make the playoffs, and their last-day defeat to Bradenton left them in 5th place in

1848-499: The Southeast in their first year. C.D. Harris and Bruno Conceição were the season's top scorers, with 10 and 7 goals respectively. The team folded in April 2010, just weeks before the start of the 2010 PDL season, when owners Laird and Nanette Hitchcock informed the league there were no financial resources with which to continue running the club. In November 2011, the club was resurrected as

1904-552: The area and caused significant damage included Hurricane Eloise in 1975, Hurricane Kate in 1985, and Hurricane Erin and Hurricane Opal , both in 1995. The area was a prime target of the March 1993 Storm of the Century . The panhandle suffered direct hits from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005. Ivan was the most disastrous, making landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama , with 120 mile-per-hour (193 km/h) winds and

1960-633: The city is the Panama City Beach Police Department. Part of the city is in unincorporated Bay County and is under the jurisdiction of the Bay County Sheriff's Office. Surfside Middle School serves as the main middle school and Arnold High School serves as the main high school for Panama City Beach. Primary and secondary public education is provided by the Bay District Schools (BDS). The Gulf Coast State College

2016-553: The city. In 2010, the population density was 653.2 persons per square mile (252.2 persons/km ). There were 17,141 housing units at an average density of 931.6 houses per square mile (359.7 houses/km ). In 2010, there were 5,149 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were headed by married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals. 9.5% were someone living alone who

2072-650: The coast, concentrated in Pensacola Beach, Fort Walton Beach, and Panama City Beach. Examples include the Gulfarium marine park and aquarium in Fort Walton Beach, and the former Miracle Strip Amusement Park (1963–2004) in Panama City Beach. In 1971, the federal government acquired many acres of the coastal islands in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties, preserving them from commercial development by establishing

2128-426: The early going tough in competitive terms, losing their opening two games, both to Central Florida Kraze on consecutive dates. Despite a couple of battling ties, the Pirates didn't pick up their first victory until the first weekend of June, with a 3–2 win at home over Nashville Metros . The Palm Beach Pumas were defeated 6–0, 7–0 and 5–0 in their three games in June. C.D. Harris and Bruno Conceição scored 12 of

2184-633: The first time the Pirates made it to the post-season. The season came to an end in Austin, Texas, in a loss to the home-town Aztex 0–4 in the Southern Conference semi-finals to end the season with a 10–4–1 record. The Pirates use black Adidas Tiro 11 jerseys at home and red as visitors, with official USL numbers. The Front sponsor for the 2012 & 2013 jersey is the Panama City Beach Visitor Bureau. Attendance statistics are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from

2240-668: The following counties (if not the entirety of the counties themselves) are usually included when referring to the Forgotten Coast: The Apalachicola River is the largest river of the panhandle. It is formed by the junction of several rivers, including the Chattahoochee and the Flint , where the boundaries of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida meet. From there, it flows southward to the town of Apalachicola . Major estuaries include, from west to east: Perdido Bay , fed by

2296-419: The four aforementioned counties listed above. The Forgotten Coast is a trademarked term coined in the early 1990s used to refer to the coastal portion of the Florida panhandle extending from Mexico Beach or southeastern Bay County on the Gulf of Mexico to St. Marks on Apalachee Bay . It is usually not considered a part of the Emerald Coast, which lies directly adjacent to the west. Coastal regions of

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2352-514: The historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html . Captain Jack the pirate has been the official mascot of the Panama City Beach Pirates since the team was reestablished during the 2012 season. Panama City Beach, Florida Panama City Beach is a resort town in the Florida Panhandle , and principal city of

2408-533: The lower panhandle by means of bays, lagoons, sounds, and human-made canals. The barrier islands of Perdido Key and Santa Rosa Island extend from the Pandhandle's western extremity through Fort Walton Beach to Destin . Britton Hill is the highest natural point in the state at 345 feet (105 meters) above mean sea level. Throughout the 19th century the panhandle was sparsely populated, dotted in places with small farming communities, none of which had as many as

2464-471: The panhandle is more similar in culture and climate to the Deep South than the rest of the state, particularly than Central Florida and South Florida in the lower peninsula. The Florida panhandle is known for its conservative politics, religious adherence, and "piney woods". The largest city in the panhandle is Tallahassee , the state capital, population 196,169 ( 2020 ). However, the largest city west of

2520-473: The panhandle remained stalled in Congress. Historically, the economy of the panhandle depended mainly on farming , forestry and lumbering , paper mills , import/export shipping at Pensacola and to a lesser extent at Panama City, shipbuilding , and commercial fishing . After World War II, the economy was boosted by the numerous military bases established in the region, as well as the growth of tourism and

2576-401: The panhandle since the building of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad in the 1880s. Pensacola Beach has been a major tourist attraction since the building of bridges between the mainland and Santa Rosa Island in 1931. After World War II, an increase in both tourism and population of the area led to a proliferation of motels, restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, and amusement parks along

2632-522: The panhandle. A number of other state parks, preserves, and forests are located inland. The 1970s also saw the beginnings of a number of upscale beach resorts , condominium towers, vacation homes , and planned communities , such as Seaside and Sandestin , so that most of the privately owned areas of the coastline are now heavily developed. Major military bases include the Pensacola Naval Air Station (the home of Naval Aviation in

2688-543: The panhandle: The panhandle is renowned for the white sand beaches and blue-green waters of its barrier islands fronting the Gulf of Mexico. According to the National Park Service : The stunning sugar-white beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore are composed of fine quartz eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mountains. The sand is carried seaward by rivers and creeks and deposited by currents along

2744-516: The residents of the peninsula, hundreds of miles away. In 1821, Pensacola was the only city (in 19th-century terms) in West Florida, with a population estimated to be about 3,000. In the 1850 census, the enumerated population of Pensacola was 2,164 (including 741 slaves and 350 "free Negroes"). During the course of the century, proposals for ceding the Florida counties west of the Apalachicola River to Alabama were often raised: The building of

2800-442: The resource they need to get around Bay County. The city was home to the Panama City Beach Pirates , a fourth-division soccer team from 2007 to 2015. It is also notable that World Championship Wrestling held their last WCW Nitro event in Panama City Beach. WCW was bought out by their rival competition WWF (now WWE). Florida panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida )

2856-408: The same census. At roughly 70 persons per square mile, its population density is less than 20% of Florida's as a whole. Emerald Coast , a term coined in 1983, refers in general to the beaches and coastal resorts from Pensacola to Port St. Joe , but is sometimes used to refer, by extension, to the panhandle as a whole, especially west of the Apalachicola. Earlier designations include "Playground of

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2912-444: The season in 6th place, with 16 points in the regular season and a 4–3–1 home record, and 6–7–3 overall. The Pirates held open tryouts for the 2013 PDL season on January 12–13 and February 9–10 at Pete Edwards Field in Panama City Beach, with the season set to begin on May 2, 2013. The Pirates clinched a playoff spot after defeating Ft. Lauderdale Schulz Academy 2–0 at home on July 13, 2013; Tyler Fabian scoring both goals. This marked

2968-460: The shore. The beach towns in the panhandle, many of which play host to college students during spring break , are sometimes derisively called the Redneck Riviera . The term was used as the title of a song by country music artist Tom T. Hall on his 1996 album Songs from Sopchoppy . The album takes its name from a town in rural Wakulla County , near Tallahassee. Tourists have been drawn to

3024-525: The top of the market. The downturn in the U.S. real estate market in 2007, combined with a surge of new condo construction, brought spiraling prices somewhat under control. With the real estate boom, Panama City Beach became a well known destination for spring break. Category 5 Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach in Bay County on October 10, 2018, becoming one of the strongest and most-destructive hurricanes in American history as it destroyed

3080-416: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22. The average family size was 2.76. In 2010, 18.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. In

3136-690: Was discontinued after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. Other regional short-line railroads serving the panhandle are the Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway (formerly BNSF Railway , ex- Frisco Railway ), the Bay Line Railroad , and the AN Railway . Major airports include: The following institutions of higher learning are located in the Florida panhandle. State University System: Florida College System: Religiously affiliated: The politics of

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