Pensacola

Pensacola is located in Escambia County, just east of the Alabama state line. It lies along Interstate 10 on the banks of the Blackwater River, near Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Pensacola fronts on 40 miles of Gulf beaches.

The city is America's first European settlement. Maldonado, one of Hernando de Soto's captains, discovered Pensacola Bay around 1540. Tristan de Luna founded a settlement in 1559 that existed for two years. In 1698, Spain reoccupied Pensacola, when Don Andres D'Arriola erected a fort where the city now stands.

The area population is more than 300,000. Residents enjoy approximately 343 days of sunshine. The average high temperature is 77 degrees and the average low is 60 degrees.

Attractions include Historic Pensacola Village and the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum. The city also is home to the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels.

Pensacola is part of the Pensacola, Florida metro area.