Town of the Week, April 4, 1998

Take a visit to Pensacola, Florida; just listen in.

Pensacola, Florida

While St. Augustine holds the title of "America's Oldest City," another historic Florida town actually is first. Don Tristan de Luna led another 1,400 Spanish explorers across the sugar-white sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast back in 1559. Their settlement ended abruptly with a hurricane two years later.

Then, on the night of November 21st, 1698, more Spanish explorers landed; building a fort at what today is the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The 300th anniversary of this event will be celebrated in Pensacola this June with the Fiesta of Five Flags, it marks rule by Spain, England, France, the Confederacy historic districts.

Overhead, the Blue Angels could be practicing snap rolls, looking down on the National Museum of Naval Aviation and its collection of 150 aircraft. There are no bars to art here, with the Pensacola Museum of Arts located in the old city jail, and the Pensacola Cultural Center in lockup at the old county jail. Quayside Art Gallery is near the Civil War Soldiers Museum.

Teenagers are partial to the T. T. Wentworth Museum's shrunken heads, and go ape over the 700 animals of the Zoo near Gulf Breeze. They rave about the surf at the Gulf Islands National Lakeshore and of Big Lagoon State Park. Perdido Key, on Pensacola's west side, is a favorite spot for the 65,000 residents. It's home to the University of West Florida and it's Edward Ball Nature Walk, which leads to the Bluffs, a city park with a stunning view of the tall ships of Escabmia Bay. It could be Florida at its best, our Town of the Week, Pensacola, Florida.

. . . the flags of Spain, France, and England, as well as those of the Confederacy and the United States, have flown over Pensacola. The first to claim the area was Spain's Don Tristan De Luna in 1559, four years before the founding of St. Augustine, the supposed oldest American city. . . . most likely, the name "Pensacola" is a derivation of Pansfalaya, an Indian tribe. The Choctaw called them the "long-haired people." . . . the panther is Florida's most endangered species. This descendant of the Western cougar needs vast tracts of wild lands to hunt and survive, which is constantly threatened by Florida's rapidly expanding population and subsequent development. There are an estimated 30 - 50 panthers left in Florida. . . . during the age of dinosaurs, the Florida peninsula was under water and did not exist as a land mass. . . . during British occupation (1763-83), Florida was divided into two colonies. St. Augustine was the capital of East Florida, and Pensacola was the capital of West Florida. When Florida was given territorial status, East and West merged, and Tallahassee was chosen as the capital because it was halfway between the two previous seats of government. . . . one of the most significant trends of the postwar era has been steady population growth, resulting from large migrations to the state from within the US and countries in the western hemisphere, notably Cuba and Haiti. Florida is now the fourth most populous state in the nation.

Pensacola Visitors Info Center All-Florida Travel USA Citylink: Pensacola Florida Communities Network

Nickname: The Sunshine State Statehood: March 3, 1845 Animal: Panther Play: Cross & Sword Reptile: American Alligator Shell: Horse conch Saltwater Mammal: Porpoise Marine Mammal: West Indian Manatee Freshwater Fish: Largemouth bass Bird: Mockingbird Beverage: Orange juice Flower: Orange blossom Wildflower: Coreopsis Song: "Swanee River" Tree: Sabal palm Gem: Moonstone Insect: Zebra longwing butterfly Stone: Agatized coral

Info for "D'ja Know?" and "Fun Facts" compiled from Florida Facts and History, Funtastik Travel'sPensacola pages and the Florida State Animals pages.