140-723: Pensacola ( / ˌ p ɛ n s ə ˈ k oʊ l ə / PEN -sə- KOH -lə ) is a city in the Florida Panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County . It is the principal city of the Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area , which had 511,503 residents in 2020. Pensacola is the first settlement established by Europeans in the United States , in 1559. Pensacola
280-544: A mayor-council form of government, with seven members elected from single-member districts . This was approved by voters. As white conservatives increasingly entered the Republican Party in the late 20th century, African-American residents of the city have elected members of the Democratic Party as their candidates of choice. Since the change to single-member districts, more women and African Americans were elected to
420-520: 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
560-455: A 30-year period. Mobile averages 120 days per year with at least 0.01 inches (0.3 mm) of rain. Precipitation is heavy year-round. On average, July and August are the wettest months, with frequent and often-heavy shower and thunderstorm activity. October stands out as a slightly drier month than all others. Snow is rare in Mobile, with its last snowfall occurring on December 8, 2017; before this,
700-494: A 48-hour truce , the generals enjoyed an al fresco luncheon of food, drink, and lively music. Canby offered Taylor the same terms agreed upon between Lee and Grant at Appomattox . Taylor accepted the terms and surrendered his command on May 4 at Citronelle, Alabama . Considered one of the Gulf Coast 's cultural centers, Mobile has several art museums, a symphony orchestra, professional opera, professional ballet company, and
840-476: 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
980-509: A city of commerce with a primary focus on the cotton and slave trades. Many slaves were transported by ship in the coastwise slave trade from the Upper South. There were many businesses in the city related to the slave trade – people to make clothes, food, and supplies for the slave traders and their wards. The city's booming businesses attracted merchants from the North; by 1850 10% of its population
1120-562: A copious number of T2 tankers for the War Department. Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation , a subsidiary of Waterman Steamship Corporation , focused on building freighters , Fletcher -class destroyers , and minesweepers . The rapid increase of population in the city produced crowded conditions, increasing social tensions in the competition for housing and good jobs. In May 1943, a race riot broke out between whites and blacks. ADDSCO management had long maintained segregated conditions at
1260-481: 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
1400-565: A group is called a krewe .) The city gained its name from the Mobile tribe that the French colonists encountered living in the area of Mobile Bay . Although it is debated by Alabama historians, they may have been descendants of the Native American tribe whose small fortress town, Mabila , was used to conceal several thousand native warriors before an attack in 1540 on the expedition of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto . About seven years after
1540-428: A large concentration of historic architecture. Mobile is known for having the oldest organized Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States. Alabama's French Creole population celebrated this festival from the first decade of the 18th century. Beginning in 1830, Mobile was host to the first formally organized Carnival mystic society to celebrate with a parade in the United States. (In New Orleans, such
SECTION 10
#17328511883481680-461: 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
1820-401: 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. Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida ) 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
1960-458: A low of 19 °F (−7.2 °C) was seen. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the city was 5 °F (−15 °C) 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 (1,740 mm) of precipitation per year, with
2100-552: 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. 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
2240-519: 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. 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
2380-663: A majority for their candidates in the informally segregated city. In 1969, the Brookley Air Force Base was closed by the Department of Defense, dealing a severe blow to Mobile's economy. The closing resulted in a 10% unemployment rate in the city. This and other factors related to industrial restructuring ushered in a period of economic depression that lasted through the 1970s. The loss of jobs created numerous problems and resulted in loss of population as residents moved away for work. Mobile's city commission form of government
2520-589: 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
2660-568: 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. 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
2800-463: A path ending in Prichard. Initial damage estimates for insured and uninsured ranged from $ 140 to $ 150 million. Mobile's French and Spanish colonial history has given it a culture distinguished by French, Spanish, Creole , African and Catholic heritage, in addition to later British and American influences. It is distinguished from all other cities in the state of Alabama. The annual Carnival celebration
2940-657: 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
SECTION 20
#17328511883483080-468: 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:
3220-447: A slightly more rainy season in the summer. The rainiest month is July, with 7.89 in (200 mm), with May being the driest month at 3.90 in (99 mm). 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
3360-510: A stop in Havana . Though most of the " Pélican girls" recovered, numerous colonists and neighboring Native Americans contracted the disease in turn and many died. This early period was also the occasion of the importation of the first African slaves , transported aboard a French supply ship from the French colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean , where they had first been held. The population of
3500-492: 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 . 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. Pensacola's first appearance in
3640-479: 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
3780-449: Is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama , United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 census . After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobile's population increased to 204,689 residents, making it the fourth-most populous city in Alabama, after Montgomery , Birmingham , and Huntsville . Mobile is the principal municipality of
3920-515: 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
4060-637: 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
4200-404: Is perhaps the best example of its differences. Mobile is the birthplace of the celebration of Mardi Gras in the United States and has the oldest celebration, dating to the early 18th century during the French colonial period. Carnival in Mobile evolved over the course of 300 years from a beginning as a sedate French Catholic tradition into the mainstream multi-week celebration that today bridges
4340-579: 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
Pensacola, Florida - Misplaced Pages Continue
4480-470: 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. 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 (−15 °C) on January 21, 1985 ; 7 °F (−14 °C) on February 13, 1899 ; and 8 °F (−13 °C) on January 11, 1982. According to
4620-696: Is stationed in Pensacola. Naval Air Station Pensacola hosted the commissioning ceremony of the United States Navy 's newest amphibious transport dock , the USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) on September 7, 2024. The ceremony featured Shana McCool, the granddaughter of Richard M. McCool Jr. , Shana served as the ship's sponsor. Notable attendees included the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations . LPD 29
4760-611: Is the 13th ship of the San Antonio-class to be commissioned in the United States Navy and is the first vessel to bear the namesake of Richard M. McCool Jr. 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
4900-511: 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
5040-496: 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
5180-710: 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 ,
5320-478: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 , eventually ending legal segregation and regaining effective suffrage for African Americans. But whites in the state had more than one way to reduce African Americans' voting power. Maintaining the city commission form of government with at-large voting resulted in all positions being elected by the white majority, as African Americans could not command
5460-619: 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
5600-790: 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
5740-505: The Gulf of Mexico provides a mild subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild, rainy winters. The record low temperature was −1 °F (−18 °C), set on February 13, 1899, and the record high was 105 °F (41 °C), set on August 29, 2000. A 2007 study by WeatherBill, Inc. determined that Mobile is the wettest city in the contiguous 48 states, with 66.3 inches (1,680 mm) of average annual rainfall over
Pensacola, Florida - Misplaced Pages Continue
5880-547: 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 (38 °C) are relatively rare, and last occurred in June 2011, when two of
6020-513: The Mobile metropolitan area , a region of 430,197 residents composed of Mobile and Washington counties; it is the third-largest metropolitan area in the state after Birmingham and Huntsville. Alabama's only saltwater port, Mobile is located on the Mobile River at the head of Mobile Bay on the north-central Gulf Coast . The Port of Mobile has always played a key role in the economic health of
6160-524: 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
6300-410: 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
6440-590: 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
6580-562: The Progressive Era to Mobile. The economic structure developed with new industries, generating new jobs and attracting a significant increase in population. The population increased from around 40,000 in 1900 to 60,000 by 1920. During this time the city received $ 3 million in federal grants for harbor improvements to deepen the shipping channels. During and after World War I, manufacturing became increasingly vital to Mobile's economic health, with shipbuilding and steel production being two of
6720-556: The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Seven Years' War , which Britain won, defeating France. By this treaty, France ceded its territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain. This area was made a part of the expanded British West Florida colony. The British changed the name of Fort Condé to Fort Charlotte , after Queen Charlotte . The British were eager not to lose any useful inhabitants and promised religious tolerance to
6860-559: 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.
7000-511: 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
7140-559: The 1763 Treaty of Paris. Their actions were condoned by the revolting American colonies, partially evidenced by the presence of Oliver Pollack, representative of the American Continental Congress. Due to strong trade ties, many residents of Mobile and West Florida remained loyal to the British Crown . The Spanish renamed the fort as Fortaleza Carlota, and held Mobile as a part of Spanish West Florida until 1813, when it
SECTION 50
#17328511883487280-420: 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
7420-491: 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
7560-601: The Cater Act in 1949, allowing cities and counties to set up industrial development boards (IDB) to issue municipal bonds as incentives to attract new industry into their local areas. The city of Mobile did not establish a Cater Act board until 1962. George E. McNally , Mobile's first Republican mayor since Reconstruction, was the driving force behind the founding of the IDB. The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, believing its members were better qualified to attract new businesses and industry to
7700-585: 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 40.7 sq mi (105.4 km), consisting of 22.5 sq mi (58.4 km) of land and 18.1 sq mi (47.0 km), 44.62%, water. The land
7840-527: 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
7980-739: The French colonists; ultimately 112 French colonists remained in Mobile. The first permanent Jewish settlers came to Mobile in 1763 as a result of the new British rule and religious tolerance. Jews had not been allowed to officially reside in colonial French Louisiana due to the Code Noir , a decree passed by France's King Louis XIV in 1685 that forbade the exercise of any religion other than Roman Catholicism, and ordered all Jews out of France's colonies. Most of these colonial-era Jews in Mobile were merchants and traders from Sephardic Jewish communities in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina ; they added to
8120-607: The Gulf Coast cities. A storm surge of 11.45 feet (3.49 m), topped by higher waves, damaged eastern sections of the city with extensive flooding in downtown, the Battleship Parkway , and the elevated Jubilee Parkway . In late December 2012, the city suffered two tornado hits. On December 25, 2012, at 4:54 pm, a large wedge tornado touched down in the city. The tornado rapidly intensified as it moved north-northeast at speeds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h). The path took
8260-572: 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
8400-652: The Midtown at the Loop neighborhood, Murphy High School , Trinity Episcopal Church , Springhill Avenue Temple , and Mobile Infirmary Hospital before moving into the neighboring city of Prichard. The tornado was classified as an EF2 tornado by the National Weather Service on December 26. The path taken through the city was just a short distance east of the path taken days earlier, on December 20, by an EF1 tornado which had touched down near Davidson High School and taken
8540-488: The Mobile County School Board for being denied admission to Murphy High School . This was nearly a decade after the United States Supreme Court had ruled in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. The federal district court ordered that the three students be admitted to Murphy for the 1964 school year, leading to the desegregation of Mobile County's school system. The civil rights movement gained congressional passage of
SECTION 60
#17328511883488680-430: 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 martial law being declared. Pensacola is located on the north side of Pensacola Bay . It is 59 mi (95 km) east of Mobile, Alabama , and 196 mi (315 km) west of Tallahassee , the capital of Florida . Although
8820-554: 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: 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
8960-439: 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
9100-503: 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
9240-523: The United States in 1813, with the annexation by President James Madison of West Florida from Spain. During the American Civil War , the city surrendered to Federal forces on April 12, 1865, after Union victories at two forts protecting the city. This, along with the news of Johnston 's surrender negotiations with Sherman , led General Richard Taylor to seek a meeting with his Union counterpart, Maj. Gen. Edward R. S. Canby . The two generals met several miles north of Mobile on May 2. After agreeing to
9380-559: 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
9520-454: 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
9660-482: 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
9800-405: The area, considered the new IDB as a serious rival. After several years of political squabbling, the Chamber of Commerce emerged victorious. While McNally's IDB prompted the Chamber of Commerce to become more proactive in attracting new industry, the chamber effectively shut Mobile city government out of economic development decisions. In 1963, three African-American students brought a case against
9940-511: The area. Mobile is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is 168 miles (270 km) by highway southwest of Montgomery , the state capital; 58 miles (93 km) west of Pensacola, Florida ; and 144 miles (232 km) northeast of New Orleans . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 180.07 square miles (466.4 km ), with 139.48 square miles (361.3 km ) of it being land, and 40.59 square miles (105.1 km ), or 22.5% of
10080-525: The city streetcars. It legislated what had been informal practice, enforced by convention. Mobile's African-American population responded to this with a two-month boycott, but the law was not repealed. After this, Mobile's de facto segregation was increasingly replaced with legislated segregation as whites imposed Jim Crow laws to maintain supremacy . In 1911 the city adopted a commission form of government, which had three members elected by at-large voting. Considered to be progressive, as it would reduce
10220-538: The city suffered great loss when some three hundred people died as a result of an explosion at a federal ammunition depot on Beauregard Street. The explosion left a 30-foot (9 m) deep hole at the depot's location, and sank ships docked on the Mobile River; the resulting fires destroyed the northern portion of the city. Federal Reconstruction in Mobile began after the Civil War and effectively ended in 1874 when
10360-464: 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. 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
10500-408: The city, beginning with the settlement as an important trading center between the French colonists and Native Americans , down to its current role as the 12th-largest port in the United States . Mobile was founded in 1702 by the French as the first capital of Louisiana . During its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony of France, then Great Britain , and lastly Spain . Mobile became a part of
10640-556: 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 . On September 16, 2004, Pensacola and several surrounding areas were devastated by Hurricane Ivan. Pensacola
10780-530: 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 inhabitants per square mile (889.4/km). There were 26,848 housing units at an average density of 1,189.4 per square mile (459.2/km). 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
10920-710: 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
11060-470: The colony fluctuated over the next few years, growing to 279 persons by 1708, yet shrinking to 178 persons two years later due to disease. These additional outbreaks of disease and a series of floods resulted in Bienville ordering in 1711 that the settlement be relocated several miles downriver to its present location at the confluence of the Mobile River and Mobile Bay . A new earth-and-palisade Fort Louis
11200-525: 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
11340-578: The commercial development of Mobile. In 1766 the total population was estimated to be 860, though the town's borders were smaller than during the French colonial period. During the American Revolutionary War , West Florida and Mobile became a refuge for loyalists fleeing the other colonies. While the British were dealing with their rebellious colonists along the Atlantic coast, the Spanish entered
11480-451: The council than under the at-large system. Beginning in the late 1980s, newly elected mayor Mike Dow and the city council began an effort termed the "String of Pearls Initiative" to make Mobile into a competitive city. The city initiated construction of numerous new facilities and projects, and the restoration of hundreds of historic downtown buildings and homes. City and county leaders also made efforts to attract new business ventures to
11620-482: 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
11760-559: 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
11900-674: 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
12040-550: The first four days of the month recorded highs reaching the century mark. The highest temperature ever recorded in the city was 106 °F (41 °C) on July 14, 1980. In the 1991–2020 climate normals, the daily average temperature in January is 53.2 °F (11.8 °C). 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,
12180-872: 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". [REDACTED] Spanish Empire 1559–1719, 1722–1763 and 1781–1821 [REDACTED] French Empire 1719–1722 [REDACTED] British Empire 1763–1781 [REDACTED] United States 1821–1861 [REDACTED] Confederate States of America 1861–1865 [REDACTED] United States 1865 to present The original inhabitants of
12320-668: 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
12460-684: The founding of the French Mobile settlement, the Mobile tribe, along with the Tohomé, gained permission from the colonists to settle near the fort. The European settlement of Mobile began with French colonists, who in 1702 constructed Fort Louis de la Louisiane , at Twenty-seven Mile Bluff on the Mobile River , as the first capital of the French colony of La Louisiane . It was founded by French Canadian brothers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville , to establish control over France's claims to La Louisiane . Bienville
12600-419: 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
12740-600: The history of Naval Aviation through displays, symposiums, IMAX movies and tours. Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station serves as an annex for the main base and the Center for Information Warfare Training Command . 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
12880-475: 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
13020-814: 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
13160-605: The last snowfall had been nearly four years earlier, on January 27, 2014. Mobile is occasionally affected by major tropical storms and hurricanes. The city suffered a major natural disaster on the night of September 12, 1979, when category-3 Hurricane Frederic passed over the heart of the city. The storm caused tremendous damage to Mobile and the surrounding area. Mobile had moderate damage from Hurricane Opal on October 4, 1995, and Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004. Mobile suffered millions of dollars in damage from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, which damaged much of
13300-442: The late 1940s, the transition to the postwar economy was hard for the city, as thousands of jobs were lost at the shipyards with the decline in the defense industry. Eventually the city's social structure began to become more liberal. Replacing shipbuilding as a primary economic force, the paper and chemical industries began to expand. No longer needed for defense, most of the old military bases were converted to civilian uses. Following
13440-548: 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. On August 15, 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
13580-399: The local Democrats gained control of the city government. The last quarter of the 19th century was a time of economic depression and municipal insolvency for Mobile. One example can be provided by the value of Mobile's exports during this period of depression. The value of exports leaving the city fell from $ 9 million in 1878 to $ 3 million in 1882. The turn of the 20th century brought
13720-533: 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
13860-560: The massive influx of workers coming to work in the shipyards and at the Brookley Army Air Field . Between 1940 and 1943, more than 89,000 people moved into Mobile to work for war effort industries. Mobile was one of eighteen United States cities producing Liberty ships . Its Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company (ADDSCO) supported the war effort by producing ships faster than the Axis powers could sink them. ADDSCO also churned out
14000-399: The most important industries. During this time, social justice and race relations in Mobile worsened, however. The state passed a new constitution in 1901 that disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites ; and the white Democratic-dominated legislature passed other discriminatory legislation. In 1902, the city government passed Mobile's first racial segregation ordinance, segregating
14140-426: 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
14280-471: 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
14420-473: 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
14560-401: 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
14700-522: 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
14840-543: 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
14980-647: 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
15120-473: 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 (95 km) 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
15260-532: The power of ward bosses, this change resulted in the elite white majority strengthening its power, as only the majority could gain election of at-large candidates. In addition, poor whites and blacks had already been disenfranchised. Mobile was one of the last cities to retain this form of government, which prevented smaller groups from electing candidates of their choice. But Alabama's white yeomanry had historically favored single-member districts in order to elect candidates of their choice. The red imported fire ant
15400-622: 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 (−4.4 °C); although the median is slightly higher, at no colder than 25 °F (−3.9 °C) most years, placing Pensacola in USDA zone 9b. Temperatures below 20 °F (−6.7 °C) are very rare, and last occurred on January 8, 2015, when
15540-426: 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,
15680-516: 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
15820-408: 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
15960-573: The shipyards, although the Roosevelt administration had ordered defense contractors to integrate facilities. That year ADDSCO promoted 12 blacks to positions as welders, previously reserved for whites; and whites objected to the change by rioting on May 24. The mayor appealed to the governor to call in the National Guard to restore order, but it was weeks before officials allowed African Americans to return to work, keeping them away for their safety. In
16100-460: 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
16240-536: The tornado into Midtown , causing damage or destruction to at least 100 structures. The heaviest damage to houses was along Carlen Street, Rickarby Place, Dauphin Street, Old Shell Road , Margaret Street, Silverwood Street, and Springhill Avenue. The tornado caused significant damage to the Carmelite Monastery, Little Flower Catholic Church, commercial real estate along Airport Boulevard and Government Street in
16380-590: The total, being covered by water. The elevation in Mobile ranges from 10 feet (3 m) on Water Street in downtown to 211 feet (64 m) at the Mobile Regional Airport. Mobile has a number of notable historic neighborhoods. These include Ashland Place , Campground , Church Street East , De Tonti Square , Leinkauf , Lower Dauphin Street , Midtown , Oakleigh Garden , Old Dauphin Way , Spring Hill , and Toulminville . Mobile's geographical location on
16520-532: The upland plantation areas, but many households had domestic slaves, and many other slaves worked on the waterfront and on riverboats. The last slaves to enter the United States from the African trade were brought to Mobile on the slave ship Clotilda . Among them was Cudjoe Lewis , who in the 1920s became the last survivor of the slave trade. By 1853, fifty Jewish families lived in Mobile, including Philip Phillips , an attorney from Charleston, South Carolina , who
16660-468: The vicinity of the Mobile River , and its main tributaries the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers . A plantation economy using slave labor developed in the region and as a consequence Mobile's population quickly grew. It came to be settled by attorneys, cotton factors , doctors, merchants and other professionals seeking to capitalize on trade with the upriver areas. From the 1830s onward, Mobile expanded into
16800-452: The war in 1779 as an ally of France. They took the opportunity to order Bernardo de Galvez , Governor of Louisiana, on an expedition east to retake West Florida. He captured Mobile during the Battle of Fort Charlotte in 1780, as part of this campaign. The Spanish wished to eliminate any British threat to their Louisiana colony west of the Mississippi River, which they had received from France in
16940-533: The war, in which many African Americans had served, veterans and their supporters stepped up activism to gain enforcement of their constitutional rights and social justice, especially in the Jim Crow South. During the 1950s the City of Mobile integrated its police force and Spring Hill College accepted students of all races. Unlike in the rest of the state, by the early 1960s the city buses and lunch counters voluntarily desegregated. The Alabama legislature passed
17080-461: The whole of Mobile County, including the city, consisted of 29,754 citizens, of which 1,195 were free people of color . Additionally, 1,785 slave owners in the county held 11,376 people in bondage, about one-quarter of the total county population of 41,130 people. During the American Civil War , Mobile was a Confederate city. The H. L. Hunley , the first submarine to sink an enemy ship,
17220-456: 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. 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,
17360-471: 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
17500-428: Was appointed as royal governor of French Louisiana in 1701. Mobile's Roman Catholic parish was established on July 20, 1703, by Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier , Bishop of Quebec . The parish was the first French Catholic parish established on the Gulf Coast of the United States . In 1704, the ship Pélican delivered 23 Frenchwomen to the colony; passengers had contracted yellow fever at
17640-474: Was built in Mobile. One of the most famous naval engagements of the war was the Battle of Mobile Bay , resulting in the Union taking control of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. On April 12, 1865, three days after Robert E. Lee 's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse , the city surrendered to the Union army to avoid destruction after Union victories at nearby Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley . On May 25, 1865,
17780-639: Was challenged and finally overturned in 1982 in City of Mobile v. Bolden , which was remanded by the United States Supreme Court to the district court. Finding that the city had adopted a commission form of government in 1911 and at-large positions with discriminatory intent, the court proposed that the three members of the city commission should be elected from single-member districts , likely ending their division of executive functions among them. Mobile's state legislative delegation in 1985 finally enacted
17920-516: 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
18060-472: Was constructed at the new site during this time. By 1712, when Antoine Crozat was appointed to take over administration of the colony, its population had reached 400 persons. The capital of La Louisiane was moved in 1720 to Biloxi , leaving Mobile to serve as a regional military and trading center. In 1723 the construction of a new brick fort with a stone foundation began and it was renamed Fort Condé in honor of Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon . In 1763,
18200-524: Was developed with wharves, terminal facilities, and fireproof brick warehouses. The exports of cotton grew in proportion to the amounts being produced in the Black Belt ; by 1840 Mobile was second only to New Orleans in cotton exports in the nation. With the economy so focused on one crop, Mobile's fortunes were always tied to those of cotton, and the city weathered many financial crises. Mobile slaveholders owned relatively few slaves compared to planters in
18340-638: 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
18480-640: Was elected to the Alabama State Legislature and then to the United States Congress. Many early Jewish families were descendants of Sephardic Jews who had been among the earliest colonial settlers in Charleston and Savannah. By 1860 Mobile's population within the city limits had reached 29,258 people; it was the 27th-largest city in the United States and 4th-largest in what would soon be the Confederate States of America . The free population in
18620-550: Was first introduced into the United States via the Port of Mobile. Sometime in the late 1930s they came ashore off cargo ships arriving from South America. The ants were carried in the soil used as ballast on those ships. They have spread throughout the South and Southwest. During World War II , the defense buildup in Mobile shipyards resulted in a considerable increase in the city's white middle-class and working-class population, largely due to
18760-466: Was first settled by the Spanish Empire in 1559, predating the establishment of St. Augustine by six years, and was abandoned due to a significant 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,
18900-500: Was from New York City , which was deeply involved in the cotton industry. Mobile was the slave-trading center of the state until the 1850s, when it was surpassed by Montgomery . The prosperity stimulated a building boom that was underway by the mid-1830s, with the building of some of the most elaborate structures the city had seen up to that point. This was cut short in part by the Panic of 1837 and yellow fever epidemics. The waterfront
19040-575: 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
19180-581: 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
19320-528: Was seized by United States General James Wilkinson during the War of 1812 . By the time Mobile was included in the Mississippi Territory in 1813, the population had dwindled to roughly 300 people. The city was included in the Alabama Territory in 1817, after Mississippi gained statehood. Alabama was granted statehood in 1819; Mobile's population had increased to 809 by that time. Mobile
19460-460: Was set in a naval air station somewhere in the American South, similar to Pensacola NAS. The 1997-2000 action/adventure series Pensacola: Wings of Gold was explicitly set there. 30°26′N 85°11′W / 30.43°N 85.19°W / 30.43; -85.19 Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( / m oʊ ˈ b iː l / moh- BEEL , French: [mɔbil] )
19600-552: Was well situated for trade, as its location tied it to a river system that served as the principal navigational access for most of Alabama and a large part of Mississippi. River transportation was aided by the introduction of steamboats in the early decades of the 19th century. By 1822, the city's population had risen to 2,800. The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain created shortages of cotton, driving up prices on world markets. Much land well suited to growing cotton lies in
#347652