The Florida Panhandle, an official and unofficial term for the northwestern US state of Florida, is a strip of land about 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide (320 km x 80 to 160 km) , stretches between Alabama in the north and west, Georgia also in the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. The eastern limit is arbitrarily defined. The terms West Florida and Northwest Florida are currently generally synonymous with Panhandle, although historically West Florida is the name of the English colony (1763-1783), then the Spanish colony (1783-1821) , both of which include modern western Florida from the Apalachicola River as well as parts of what is now Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
As with the eight other US states that have a somersault, the geographic meaning of the term is imprecise and elastic. References to the Florida Panhandle always include ten districts west of the Apalachicola River, a natural geographic boundary, which is the historic dividing line between the British colonies in West Florida and East Florida. These western districts are also located in the Middle Zone (with the exception of the Gulf Area, divided between Eastern and Central Time zones), while other states are in the Eastern Time Zone.
References to Panhandle may include some or all eight districts east of Apalachicola known as the Big Bend area, along the Apalachee Bay curve.
The largest city in Panhandle is Tallahassee, the state capital, population 188,107 (2014). However, the largest population grouping is the Pensacola Metropolitan Area with a population of 474,081. The total population of the Panhandle, at the 2010 Census, is 1,407,925, just under 7.5% of Florida's total population as recorded in the same census.
Video Florida Panhandle
Coastal region
Emerald Beach
Emerald Coast , a term coined in 1983, refers generally to 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 Apalachicola. Previous titles include "Playground of the Gulfcoast" and "Miracle Strip", especially for the area between Fort Walton Beach and Panama City. Coastal areas in the following countries (if not the whole district itself) are usually included when referring to the Emerald Coast:
- Okaloosa County
- Santa Rosa County
- Walton County
The coastal sections of Escambia County (ie Pensacola Beach) located on the west bank, and the eastern Bay County coastal section, are also regularly included when referring to the Emerald Coast, but with a little more regularity than the three mentioned above. the districts listed above. However, the agency that provides water, sewer and garbage collection to Escambia County, headquartered in Pensacola, is called the Forgotten Coast
The Forgotten Coast is a trademark term originally created in the early 1990s that is used to refer to the Florida Panhandle coastline stretching from Mexico Beach or the southeastern Gulf District in the Gulf of Mexico to St Marks on Apalachee Bay. It is not usually considered part of the Emerald Coast, which lies directly to the west. Coastal areas in the following countries (if not the whole district itself) are usually included when referring to Forgotten Coastalities:
- Gulf County
- Franklin County
- Wakulla County
- Small portion of Bay County
Maps Florida Panhandle
Physical features
The Apalachicola River is the largest river in the Panhandle. It is formed by the crossing of several rivers, including Chattahoochee and Flint, where the boundaries of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida meet. From there, flows south to the town of Apalachicola.
Interstate 10 is the only major interstate highway in Panhandle, connecting the extreme west with North Florida and Jacksonville. Other west-east routes include US Highway 90 and US Highway 98. An important north-south route west of the Apalachicola River includes US Highway 29, US Highway 331 and US Highway 231, all linking to Alabama and Interstate 65.
State Road 20 stretches from Niceville to Tallahassee.
The main railway line through Panhandle, running from Pensacola to Jacksonville, is owned by the CSX railway. (See Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad.) The passenger service ended with the creation of Amtrak in 1971, but was revived with the expansion of Sunset Limited to Orlando beginning in 1993; However, passenger service was stopped after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. The regional railway serving Panhandle is Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway, Bay Line Railroad and AN Railway.
Like North Central Florida, the region is more similar in culture and climate to the Deep South than to South Florida on the lower peninsula.
History
19th century
Throughout the 19th century, the inhabitants of Panhandle had little population, scattered in places with small farming communities, none with a thousand inhabitants. Many Panhandle residents, in fact, migrate to the area from Alabama and have relatives there; it's also easier to trade with and travel to southern Alabama than reaching East Florida with a slow and difficult journey across the thick cypress swamps and dense pine forest of Panhandle. It's natural for the people of West Florida to feel that they have more in common with their nearest neighbors in Alabama than the inhabitants of the peninsula, hundreds of miles away.
In 1821, Pensacola was the only city (in 19th-century terms) in West Florida, with an estimated population of about 3,000. In the 1850 census, the Pensacola population mentioned was 2,164 (including 741 slaves and 350 "free Negroes").
Alabama annexation proposal
During this century, proposals to surrender the western Florida district of the Apalachicola River to Alabama are often raised:
- In 1811 , while Florida still belongs to Spain, Americans are petitioning Congress asking to be admitted into the Mississippi Territory, which at that time includes Alabama at the moment. (See West Florida article.)
- In 1819 , Alabama's constitutional convention called on Congress to enter West Florida into their new country.
- In 1822 , just a year after the United States acquired all Florida territory from Spain, West Florida residents sent a petition to the US House of Representatives requesting that their parts be annexed to Alabama, and Alabama Senator John Williams Walker also promoted the idea the.
- In 1826 , Pensacola Gazette published a number of letters supporting annexation to Alabama, though the editor said that some Pensacolians opposed the idea.
- In 1840 , a rally in Pensacola resulted in a demand for West Florida to unite with Alabama. That same year, the territorial Legislature told Congress that opposing allowed Alabama to annex West Florida, but in 1844, the year before the state, the Legislature reversed its position and called for West Florida to be separated.
- In 1856 , proponents of annexation may obtain a bill passed by the Legislature that endorsed a referendum on the matter but Governor James E. Broome vetoed the action. The Pensacola Sheet reports that the "most wanted annexation" of the area.
- In 1858 , Alabama Legislature failed to try to open negotiations with Florida on this issue.
- The problem of annexation was blocked by the Civil War and the impact of war in the region, but at 1868 , with Pensacola now linked by the Panhandle single railway to the cities of Alabama Mobile and Montgomery, the problem reappeared and finally given the voice of the people. That year, Alabama Legislature approved a joint resolution authorizing their Governor to negotiate with the Florida Governor about the annexation of West Florida. A one million dollar bid in Alabama state bonds, paying 8 percent interest for thirty years, is included. Both countries appointed the commissioners to make detailed recommendations on this issue.
- On November 2, 1869 , a referendum was held in the West Florida area (except Jackson, who was in a bloody bloody upheaval), with results from 1162 to 661 to support annexation. However, political objections were developed in Alabama at a high price, and the Legislature took no action against the outcome of the referendum.
- In 1873 , a similar proposal was made in the Alabama Legislature, approved by the state senate, although it did not submit a separate proposal to finance the action by selling all Alabama areas west of the Tombigbee River, including Mobile, to Mississippi. However, nothing happens from this action.
- In 1901 , Alabama made another bid when the Legislature appointed a commission to negotiate with Florida about annexation, but this effort also did not work.
The Pensacola and Atlantic Railway development, completed in 1883, eventually connected Pensacola and Panhandle firmly with other states and ended the isolation of the territory, although from time to time during the twentieth century there was still an occasional call for the resulting annexation. some public discussion but no legislative action.
20th century
In the last quarter of this century, hurricanes that directly hit the area and caused significant damage including Hurricane Eloise in 1975, Hurricane Kate in 1985, and Hurricane Erin and Hurricane Opal, both in 1995. Many tropical depressions and storms also hit the area from time to time: see the various lists grouped by decade in the wikiarticle of Florida hurricanes list.
The area was the main target of the Storm of the Century March 1993.
21st century
The Panhandle suffered a direct attack from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005. Ivan was the most catastrophic, making landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama, with winds of 120 miles per hour (193 kilometers per hour) and 14 feet (4, 3 m) The storm surge that destroyed Perdido Key and Santa Rosa Island, destroyed the Interstate 10 bridge across Escambia Bay, and destroyed thousands of homes in the area, some of which were 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 industry and tourism, and prompting a massive cleanup effort.
Economy
Historically, the Panhandle economy relied primarily on agriculture, forestry and logging, paper mills, import/export in Pensacola and to a lesser extent in Panama City, shipbuilding, and commercial fishing. After World War II, the economy was driven by many military bases established in the region, as well as the growth of tourism and hospitality industries.
Great entrepreneurs in the second half of the twentieth century included Monsanto and the Westinghouse plant in Pensacola, Paper Company St. Joe's on Port St. Joe, and Gulf Power, a major utility power company.
Unlike central and southern Florida, Panhandle has never been a producer of citrus because it is exposed to ordinary snow and freezes in winter, which destroys citrus fruits.
Education
The following higher education institutions are located in Panhandle.
State University System:
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Tallahassee)
- Florida State University (Tallahassee)
- University of West Florida (Pensacola)
Florida College System:
- Chipola College (Marianna)
- Gulf Coast State College
- Northwest Florida State College (Niceville)
- Pensacola State College (Pensacola)
- Tallahassee Community College (Tallahassee)
Affiliated with religion:
- Baptist College of Florida (Graceville)
- Pensacola Christian College (Pensacola)
Private Institution:
- Virginia College (Pensacola)
Politics
Florida Panhandle politics vary depending on location. The western Panhandle is the most republican territory in Florida, with Pensacola and Emerald Coast regularly giving the Republic nearly 70% in state and national elections. However, Tallahassee and Gadsden County tend to be very democratic. In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain received 421,287 votes (60.1%) in Panhandle, while Barack Obama received 279,206 votes (39.9%).
Culture
- Great Gulfcoast Art Festival
- Florida A & amp; M Rattlers
- Florida State Seminoles
- Pensacola Blue Wahoos
- Pensacola Ice Flyer
- Red Hills Horse Trials
- Springtime Tallahassee
- Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival
Counties
The following districts west of the Apalachicola River are always included in the reference to the Panhandle:
Some or all of the following regions east of Apalachicola, in the Big Bend subregion, are sometimes considered part of the Panhandle:
City and city
Places marked with an asterisk (*) are located east of the Apalachicola River, and may not be considered part of Panhandle by some residents or authors.
Population of major metropolitan areas in Panhandle:
- Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area - 455,102 (2009)
- Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area - 180,822 (2010)
- Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area - 168,852 (2010)
- Tallahassee Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area - 367,413 (2010)
Beach
The Panhandle is famous for its white sand beaches and the blue-green waters of the barrier islands overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. According to the National Park Service:
The stunning white sandy beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore consist of fine quartz eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mountains. The sand is carried into the sea by rivers and creeks and deposited by currents along the coast.
The coastal towns of Panhandle, many of which host students during the spring break, are sometimes thoughtfully called the Redneck Riviera. The term was used as the title 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.
Travelers have been drawn to Panhandle since the construction of Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad in the 1880s. Pensacola Beach has been a major tourist attraction since the construction of a bridge 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 the 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 Gulf and Aquarium gardens at Fort Walton Beach, and the former Miracle Strip Amusement Park (1963-2004) in Panama City Beach.
In 1971, the federal government acquired many hectares of coastal islands in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa districts, preserving it from commercial development by establishing the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which also includes several islands off the coast of Mississippi. Other coastal areas protected by the state of Florida include
- Perdido Key State Park
- Big Lagoon State Park
- Henderson Beach State Park
- Grayton Beach State Park
- St. Andrews State Park
- St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
- St. George Island State Park
Both state and federal parks offer facilities for camping, picknicking, and other recreational activities. In addition, some parts of the shoreline are federal properties of Pensacola Naval Air Station, Eglin Air Force Base, and Tyndall Air Force Base, and are also protected from commercial development.
In addition, seven state aquatic maintenance, which includes thousands of acres of submerged land in coastal areas, is located in Panhandle. A number of other state parks, protected, and forests are located in the interior.
The 1970s also saw the beginnings of a number of upscale beach resorts, condominium towers, holiday homes, and planned communities, such as Seaside and Sandestin, so most of the private-owned beach areas are now highly developed.
Military base
Major military bases include Pensacola Naval Air Station (home of Naval Aviation in the United States), Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field near Ft. Walton Beach, Panama City Beach Naval Support Activity in Panama City Beach, and Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City.
TV show 1983-84 Emerald Point N.A.S. is installed at a naval air station somewhere in South America, similar to Pensacola NAS. The action/adventure series 1997-2000 Pensacola: Wings of Gold is explicitly set there.
See also
- Emerald Beach
- Forgotten Beach
- Gulf Wind
- Sunset Limited
- West Florida
References
External links
- Gulf Coast Outdoors - Recreation online for Northwest Florida
- Panama City Beach Convention & amp; Visitor Bureau - The official online travel planning resource for Panama City Beach
- Historic Pensacola Village and T. T. Wentworth, Jr., State Museum
Bibliography
- DeBolt, Dean. "The Florida Panhandle," pp.Ã, 404-445 in The Beloved Guide to Florida , ed. Kevin M. McCarthy. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, 1992. ISBNÃ, 978-1-56164-012-6 (Contains an extensive bibliography of fiction and nonfiction works on people and places in Panhandle.)
- Hollis, Tim. Florida Wonders: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast . University Press of Mississippi, 2004. ISBNÃ, 978-1-57806-627-8
- Jahoda, Gloria. The Other Florida . Scribner, 1967.
- King, Heidi Tyline. The Pelican Guide to Florida Panhandle . Pelican Publishing, 1999. ISBNÃ, 1-56554-308-4
- O'Donovan, Michael, and Robin Rowan. Florida's Northwest: First Place, Wild Place, Favorite Place . Terra Nova Publishing, 2005. ISBNÃ, 0-9651034-3-9
- Ziewitz, Kathryn, and June Wiaz. Green Empire: The St. Joe Company and Remaking of Florida's Panhandle . University Press of Florida, 2006. ISBNÃ, 0-8130-2951-1
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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