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Florida panhandle

(Redirected fromFlorida Panhandle)
For a list of other political entities with similar geographic extensions, seeSalient (geography).For the British colony (1763–1783) and later the Spanish colony (1783–1821) that included modern-day Florida west of theApalachicola Riveras well as portions of what are nowAlabama,Mississippi,andLouisiana,seeWest Florida.

TheFlorida panhandle(also known asWest FloridaandNorthwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state ofFlorida.It is asalientroughly 200 miles (320 km) long, bordered byAlabamaon the north and the west,Georgiaon the north, and theGulf of Mexicoto the south. Its eastern boundary is arbitrarily defined. It is defined by itssouthern cultureandruralgeography relative to the rest of Florida, as well as closer cultural links to French-influenced Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Its major communities includePensacola,Navarre,Destin,Panama City Beach,andTallahassee.

Florida counties that may be included in the panhandle; the eastern extent of the panhandle is arbitrarily defined and may vary
U.S. Coast Survey map or nautical chart of St. George Sound, Florida, the coast part ofTate's Hell State Forest,just southwest ofTallahassee,along the Florida panhandle (1859)

As is the case with the other eight U.S. states that havepanhandles,the geographic meaning of the term is inexact and elastic. References to the Florida panhandle always include the tencountieswest of theApalachicola River,a natural geographic boundary, which was the historic dividing line between the British colonies ofWest FloridaandEast Florida.These western counties also lie in theCentral Time Zone(with the exception ofGulf County,which is divided between theEasternand Central Time zones), while the rest of the state is in the Eastern Time Zone. References to the panhandlemayalso include some or all of eleven counties immediately east of the Apalachicola known as theBig Bendregion, along the curve ofApalachee Bay.

Like the rest ofNorth Florida,[1]includingNorth Central Florida,the panhandle is more similar in culture and climate to theDeep Souththan the rest of the state, particularly thanCentral FloridaandSouth Floridain the lower peninsula. The Florida panhandle is known for its conservative politics, religious adherence, and "piney woods".[2]

The largest city in the panhandle isTallahassee,the state capital, population 196,169 (2020). However, the largest city west of the Appalachicola river isPensacola,which has a population of 54,312 (2020) and also has the largestMetropolitan areain the entire panhandle with a population of 511,502 (2020). This metro area includes the second- and third-largest communities in the region,PensacolaandNavarre.The total population of the panhandle, as of the2010 census,was 1,407,925, just under 7.5% of Florida's total population as recorded in the same census. At roughly 70 persons per square mile, its population density is less than 20% of Florida's as a whole.[3]

Coastal regions

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Emerald Coast

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Main article:Emerald Coast
Location of Florida's Emerald Coast
Beach in Destin

Emerald Coast,a term coined in 1983,[4]refers in general to the beaches and coastal resorts from Pensacola toPort St. Joe,[Emerald_Coast 1]but is sometimes used to refer, by extension, to the panhandle as a whole, especially west of the Apalachicola. Earlier designations include "Playground of the Gulfcoast" and the "Miracle Strip", especially for the area betweenFort Walton BeachandPanama City.[5]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 ofBay Countyare also regularly included when referring to the Emerald Coast, but with somewhat less regularity than the four aforementioned counties listed above.

Forgotten Coast

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Main article:Forgotten Coast
Florida's Forgotten Coast

TheForgotten Coastis a trademarked term coined in the early 1990s[6]used to refer to the coastal portion of the Florida panhandle extending fromMexico Beachor southeasternBay Countyon theGulf of MexicotoSt. MarksonApalachee Bay.It is usually not considered a part of the Emerald Coast, which lies directly adjacent to the west.[7]Coastal regions of the following counties (if not the entirety of the counties themselves) are usually included when referring to the Forgotten Coast:

Physical features

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TheApalachicola Riveris the largest river of the panhandle. It is formed by the junction of several rivers, including theChattahoocheeand theFlint,where the boundaries of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida meet. From there, it flows southward to the town ofApalachicola.

Majorestuariesinclude, from west to east:Perdido Bay,fed by thePerdido River,which forms the western boundary of Florida;Escambia BayandEast Bay,fed by theEscambia RiverandBlackwater River,respectively;Choctawhatchee Bay,fed by theChoctawhatchee River;andSt. Andrews Bay,fed byEconfina Creek.Pensacola Bay,a deepwater port, is formed by the joining of Escambia and East bays. TheGulf Intracoastal Waterway,completed in 1949, traverses the lower panhandle by means of bays, lagoons, sounds, and human-made canals. Thebarrier islandsofPerdido KeyandSanta Rosa Islandextend from the Panhandle's western extremity throughFort Walton BeachtoDestin.

Britton Hillis the highest natural point in the state at 345 feet (105 meters) above mean sea level.

History

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For the colonial history of the area before 1821, seeWest Florida.

19th century

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Throughout the 19th century the panhandle was sparsely populated, dotted in places with small farming communities, none of which had as many as 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 the residents of the peninsula, hundreds of miles away.[8]

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" ).[9]

Alabama annexation proposals

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During the course of the century, proposals for ceding the Florida counties west of theApalachicola RivertoAlabamawere often raised:

  • In1811,whileFlorida was still a Spanish possession,American settlers in the territory sent a petition toCongressasking to be incorporated into theMississippi Territory,which at that time included present-day Alabama.[citation needed](SeeWest Floridaarticle.)
  • In1819,the constitutional convention of Alabama asked Congress to include West Florida in their new state.[citation needed]
  • In1822,only a year after the U.S. acquired the entireFlorida territoryfromSpain,residents of West Florida sent a petition to theU.S. House of Representativesasking that their section be annexed to Alabama, and Alabama SenatorJohn Williams Walkeralso promoted the idea.[9]
  • In1826,thePensacola Gazettepublished a number of letters advocating annexation to Alabama, though the editor remarked that some Pensacolians opposed the idea.[9]
  • In1840,a public meeting in Pensacola produced a demand that West Florida be united with Alabama. In the same year, the territorial Legislature notified Congress that it opposed allowing Alabama to annex West Florida, but in 1844, the year before statehood, the Legislature reversed its stance and asked that West Florida be separated.[9]
  • In1856,advocates of annexation were able to get a bill passed by the Legislature authorizing a referendum on the issue, but GovernorJames E. Broomevetoed the measure. ThePensacola Gazettereported that "annexation is desired by a large majority of the people" of the area.[9]
  • In1858,the Alabama Legislature unsuccessfully tried to open negotiations with Florida on the subject.[citation needed]
  • The annexation issue was eclipsed by theCivil Warand thewar's effectson the region, but in1868,with Pensacola now connected by the panhandle's sole railroad line to the Alabama cities ofMobileandMontgomery,the issue came to a head again and was finally put to a vote of the people. In that year, theAlabama Legislatureapproved a joint resolution authorizing their Governor to negotiate with the Governor of Florida about the annexation of West Florida. An offer of one million dollars in Alabama state bonds, paying 8 percent interest for thirty years, was included. Both states appointed commissioners to make detailed recommendations on the matter.[10]
  • On November 2,1869,a referendum was held in the West Florida counties (exceptJackson,which was in the throes of bloody racial violence[11]), with a result of 1162 to 661 in favor of annexation.[8]However, political objection developed in Alabama to the high price, and the Legislature took no action on the results of the referendum.[12]
  • In1873,a similar proposal was made in the Alabama Legislature, which the state senate approved, though it did not pass a separate proposal to finance the measure by selling all of Alabama's territory west of theTombigbee River,including the city of Mobile, toMississippi.[13]However, nothing came of this action.
  • In1901,Alabama made yet another offer when the Legislature appointed a commission to negotiate with Florida about annexation, but this attempt, too, was unsuccessful.[citation needed]

The building of thePensacola 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.

See also:Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad

20th century

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In the last quarter of the century,hurricanes that directly struck the areaand caused significant damage includedHurricane Eloisein 1975,Hurricane Katein 1985, andHurricane ErinandHurricane Opal,both in 1995.

The area was a prime target of the March1993 Storm of the Century.

21st century

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The panhandle suffered direct hits fromHurricane Ivanin 2004 andHurricane Dennisin 2005. Ivan was the most disastrous, making landfall nearGulf Shores, Alabama,with 120 mile-per-hour (193 km/h) winds and a 14-foot (4.3 m) storm surge that devastated Perdido Key and Santa Rosa Island, wrecked theInterstate 10bridge acrossEscambia 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 theDeepwater Horizonoil spilllanded on Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, damaging the fishing and tourism industries, and prompting a massive clean-up effort.[14]

On October 10, 2018, the panhandle suffered a direct hit fromHurricane Michael,with winds as high as 160 mph. Michael was one of only fourcategory 5 hurricanesto ever hit the US mainland.[15]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 the panhandle remained stalled in Congress.[16]

Economy

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Historically, the economy of the panhandle depended mainly onfarming,forestryandlumbering,paper mills,import/exportshippingat Pensacola and to a lesser extent at Panama City,shipbuilding,andcommercial fishing.After World War II, the economy was boosted by the numerous military bases established in the region, as well as the growth oftourismand thehospitality 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 includedMonsantoandWestinghouseplants at Pensacola, theSt. Joe Paper CompanyinPort St. Joe,andGulf Power,a major electric utility company.

Unlike central and southern Florida, the panhandle has never been a producer ofcitruscrops because the area is subject to regular frosts and freezes during winter, which destroy citrus fruits.

Transportation

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Road

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Interstate 10is the only interstate highway in the panhandle, connecting the extreme west withNorth FloridaandJacksonville.Other older east–west routes includeU.S. Highway 90andU.S. Highway 98.Important north–south routes west of the Apalachicola River includeU.S. Highway 29,U.S. Highway 331,andU.S. Highway 231,all linking to Alabama andInterstate 65.State Road 20stretches fromNicevilleto Tallahassee.

Rail

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Freight service is provided by theClass IIIFlorida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad,which acquired most of theCSXmain line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019. (For the history of this line, seePensacola and Atlantic Railroad.)

Passenger service ended with the creation ofAmtrakin 1971, but was revived with the extension of theSunset Limitedto Orlando beginning in 1993; however, passenger service was discontinued afterHurricane Katrinastruck theGulf Coastin 2005. Other regional short-line railroads serving the panhandle are theAlabama and Gulf Coast Railway(formerlyBNSF Railway,ex-Frisco Railway), theBay Line Railroad,and theAN Railway.

Air

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Major airports include:

Education

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See also:List of colleges and universities in Florida

The following institutions of higher learning are located in the Florida panhandle.

State University System:

Florida College System:

Religiously affiliated:

Politics

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The politics of the Florida panhandle vary considerably depending on location. The western panhandle, particularly theEmerald Coast,was one of the earliest areas to shake off itsYellow Dog Democratroots,[disputed–discuss]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 andGadsden Countytend to be strongly Democratic. In the2008 presidential election,John McCainreceived 421,287 votes (60.1%) in the panhandle, whileBarack Obamareceived 279,206 votes (39.9%).

Under the 2023-2033 decennial reapportionment, the Florida panhandle is split betweenFlorida's 1st congressional district,which is currently vacant, andFlorida's 2nd congressional district,represented byNeal Dunn(R–Panama City).

Culture and sports

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Counties

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The followingcountieswest of the Apalachicola River arealwaysincluded in references to the panhandle:

Some or all of the following counties east of the Apalachicola, in theBig Bendsubregion, aresometimesconsidered part of the panhandle:

Cities and towns

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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 the panhandle:

Beaches

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The panhandle is renowned for the white sand beaches and blue-green waters of itsbarrier islandsfronting the Gulf of Mexico. According to theNational Park Service:[17]

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 the shore.

The beach towns in the panhandle, many of which play host to college students duringspring break,are sometimes derisively calledtheRedneck Riviera.[18]The term was used as the title of a song by country music artistTom T. Hallon his 1996 albumSongs from Sopchoppy.The album takes its name from a town in ruralWakulla County,near Tallahassee.

Tourists have been drawn to the panhandle since the building of thePensacola and Atlantic Railroadin the 1880s.Pensacola Beachhas been a major tourist attraction since the building of bridges between the mainland andSanta Rosa Islandin 1931.[citation needed]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 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,[19]and the formerMiracle 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 theGulf Islands National Seashore,which also covers some islands off theMississippicoast. 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 toPensacola Naval Air Station,Eglin Air Force Base,andTyndall 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 the panhandle.[20]A number of other state parks, preserves, and forests are located inland.

The 1970s also saw the beginnings of a number ofupscalebeachresorts,condominiumtowers,vacation homes,andplanned communities,such asSeasideandSandestin,so that most of the privately owned areas of the coastline are now heavily developed.

Military bases

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Major military bases include thePensacola Naval Air Station(the home ofNaval Aviationin theUnited States),Eglin Air Force BaseandHurlburt FieldnearFt. Walton Beach,Naval Support Activity Panama CityinPanama City Beach,andTyndall Air Force BasenearPanama City.Smaller military bases in the Florida panhandle include theCenter for Information Warfare Trainingin Pensacola,Naval Air Station Whiting FieldnearMiltonandDuke FieldnearCrestview.

The 1983-84 television showEmerald Point N.A.S.was set in a naval air station somewhere in the American South, similar to Pensacola NAS. The 1997-2000 action/adventure seriesPensacola: Wings of Goldwas explicitly set there.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ChananEstates."Chanan Estates in the Emerald Coast".ChananEstates.Chanan Estates Property Owners' Association. p.http:// chananestates /index.html.Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2013.RetrievedApril 16,2013.
  2. ^Miles Media Group, Inc."Emerald Coast - SEE-Florida".SEE-Florida.p.http:// see-florida /emerald-coast.RetrievedApril 16,2013.
  3. ^The Emerald Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc."Official Site".Northwest Florida's Emerald Coast.p.http:// emeraldcoastfl /index.html.RetrievedApril 16,2013.
  4. ^TripAdvisor, LLC."Emerald Coast - Florida - Reviews of Emerald Coast".TripAdvisor.p.http:// tripadvisor /Attraction_Review-g28930-d524800-Reviews-Emerald_Coast-Florida.html.RetrievedApril 16,2013.
  5. ^South Walton Tourist Development Council."South Walton State Parks - South Walton, Florida".VisitSouthWalton | The Official South Walton Tourism Site.VisitSouthWalton. p.http:// visitsouthwalton /grayton-beach-state-park.RetrievedApril 16,2013.Grayton Beach State Park is among the priceless natural treasures of Florida's Emerald Coast.

References

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  1. ^"Deep South".The Free Dictionary.RetrievedMay 25,2018.
  2. ^ANewsweekarticle in 1972,referring to then United States SenatorLawton Chiles,said "In 1958, he was elected to the state legislature from the ultraconservative piney-woods panhandle of Florida."
  3. ^"Population estimates, July 1, 2019, (V2019)".Census.gov.RetrievedNovember 30,2020.
  4. ^"Who owns 'Emerald Coast'?"ArchivedJuly 2, 2011, at theWayback Machine,Northwest Florida Daily News,June 29, 2011, accessed July 10, 2011.
  5. ^"The Florida Handbook".Peninsular Publishing Company. May 7, 1985 – via Google Books.
  6. ^United States Patent and Trademark OfficeSearching on this site reveals that the name was "first used in commerce" in 1992; the ABCofC registered the trademark in 2009.
  7. ^Reiley, Laura. "The Forgotten Coast",Moon Florida Gulf Coast,Avalon Travel Publishing, 2008, pp. 262–289.ISBN1-59880-082-5.
  8. ^ab"The American Annual Cyclopaedia".May 7, 1870 – via Google Books.
  9. ^abcdeHerbert J. Doherty, "Ante-bellum Pensacola: 1821–1860,Florida Historical Quarterly,January 1959[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^"Alabama Laws and Joint Resolutions of the Legislature of Alabama".J. Boardman. May 7, 1868 – via Google Books.
  11. ^"Tự đánh giá lưu はたらきかた cải cách - フリー の nói は険しいけれど.".The Jackson County War.
  12. ^Appletons' Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events: Embracing Political, Military, and Ecclesiastical Affairs; Public Documents; Biography, Statistics, Commerce, Finance, Literature, Science, Agriculture, and Mechanical Industry.Appleton. May 7, 1871. p.9– via Internet Archive.west florida alabama 1868.
  13. ^Journal of the Senate of the State of Alabama.Montgomery. May 7, 1873. p.721– via Internet Archive.west florida.
  14. ^"Oil spill report card: Where are we now?".Pensacola News-Journal.No. Online edition. April 18, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 28,2017.
  15. ^Wamsley, Laurel (April 19, 2019)."Hurricane Michael Was A Category 5, NOAA Finds — The First Since Andrew In 1992".NPR.RetrievedJune 1,2019.
  16. ^Sullivan, Becky; Caldwell, Noah; Shapiro, Ari (May 31, 2019)."Nearly 8 Months After Hurricane Michael, Florida Panhandle Feels Left Behind".NPR.RetrievedJune 1,2019.
  17. ^""Directions to the Florida District", Gulf Islands National Seashore, National Park Service, accessed July 10, 2011 ".
  18. ^"Alabama Town Says No to 'Redneck Riviera'".ABC News. October 5, 2010.
  19. ^"Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park".Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.
  20. ^"Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection | Florida Department of Environmental Protection".floridadep.gov.Archived fromthe originalon April 17, 2012.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forFlorida Panhandle.

Bibliography

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  • DeBolt, Dean. "The Florida Panhandle", pp. 404–445 inThe Book Lover's Guide to Florida,ed. Kevin M. McCarthy. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, 1992.ISBN978-1-56164-012-6(Contains an extensive bibliography of fiction and nonfiction works about people and places in the Panhandle.)
  • Hollis, Tim.Florida’s Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast.University Press of Mississippi, 2004.ISBN978-1-57806-627-8
  • Jahoda, Gloria.The Other Florida.Scribner, 1967.
  • King, Heidi Tyline.The Pelican Guide to the Florida Panhandle.Pelican Publishing, 1999.ISBN1-56554-308-4
  • O'Donovan, Michael, and Robin Rowan.Florida's Northwest: First Places, Wild Places, Favorite Places.Terra Nova Publishing, 2005.ISBN0-9651034-3-9
  • Ziewitz, Kathryn, and June Wiaz.Green Empire: The St. Joe Company and the Remaking of Florida's Panhandle.University Press of Florida, 2006.ISBN0-8130-2951-1

30°26′N85°11′W/ 30.43°N 85.19°W/30.43; -85.19

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