Pensacola

Pensacola
/pen'seuh koh"leuh/, n.
a seaport in NW Florida, on Pensacola Bay. 57,619.

* * *

      city, seat (1822) of Escambia county, extreme northwestern Florida, U.S. It lies on Pensacola Bay (an arm of the Gulf of Mexico (Mexico, Gulf of)), about 35 miles (55 km) west of Fort Walton Beach and 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Mobile, Alabama. A Spanish settlement was made on the bay coast in 1559 but was abandoned two years later. The Spaniards formally took possession in 1698 and built Fort San Carlos de Austria, but this was ravaged during the colonial fighting between France and Spain in 1719–20. After the British gained control in 1763, Pensacola (a name derived from Pansfalaya, a local Native American tribe) became the capital of West Florida. It became a haven for loyalists (loyalist) during the American Revolution but in 1781 was taken by a Spanish force from Louisiana. In 1818 General Andrew Jackson (Jackson, Andrew) captured the city during the First Seminole War (Seminole Wars).

      After Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821, Pensacola acquired a federal navy yard. The city was occupied by Confederates at the outbreak of the American Civil War, but Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island offshore remained in Union hands; in 1862 the Confederates evacuated the city. Lumbering and commercial fishing increased after the war, and industry developed. The navy yard became a naval air station in 1914, and the development of a large aviation training school there spurred the city's economic growth.

      Tourism and the military are major components of the economy; health care, high-technology industries, and manufacturing (fibres, chemicals, paper products, and building materials) are also important. Pensacola's landlocked deepwater port has access to the Intracoastal Waterway and to the gulf via a channel west of Santa Rosa Island, but its regional significance is somewhat overshadowed by the large port at Mobile. Pensacola Junior College opened there in 1948, and the University of West Florida opened in 1967.

      Notable attractions in the city include the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Historic Pensacola Village (a complex of 19th-century buildings and museums), and Fort Barrancas. Mardi Gras events are held annually prior to Lent, and the Fiesta of Five Flags, reflecting the city's colourful history, is an annual event in June. The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels precision flying squadron is stationed in Pensacola. Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Pickens State Park Aquatic Preserve, and Big Lagoon State Recreation Area are all along the gulf south of the city. Inc. 1822. Pop. (1990) city, 58,165; Pensacola MSA, 344,406; (2000) city, 56,255; Pensacola MSA, 412,153.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pensacola — Devise : Enhancing the Quality of Life for all Citizens Surnom : The City of Five Flags Administration Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pensacola — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda City of Pensacola El estado de Florida y la situación de Pensacola Ubicación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pensacola — bezeichnet Pensacola (Florida), eine Stadt im US Bundesstaat Florida Pensacola Berge eine Gruppe von Bergketten in der Antarktis Pensacola (Volk), ein nordamerikanisches Indianervolk Pensacola – Flügel aus Stahl, eine Fernsehserie Pensacola… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pensacola — Pensacola, FL U.S. city in Florida Population (2000): 56255 Housing Units (2000): 26995 Land area (2000): 22.695612 sq. miles (58.781362 sq. km) Water area (2000): 16.957896 sq. miles (43.920748 sq. km) Total area (2000): 39.653508 sq. miles (102 …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Pensacola —   [pensə kəʊlə], Stadt in Nordwest Florida, USA, an der Pensacola Bay, 58 200 Einwohner; katholischer Bischofssitz; Seebad (Pensacola Beach), Seehafen, Stützpunkt der Marineluftwaffe; chemische Industrie, Holzverarbeitung.   Geschichte:  … …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Pensacola, FL — U.S. city in Florida Population (2000): 56255 Housing Units (2000): 26995 Land area (2000): 22.695612 sq. miles (58.781362 sq. km) Water area (2000): 16.957896 sq. miles (43.920748 sq. km) Total area (2000): 39.653508 sq. miles (102.702110 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Pensacola, OK — U.S. town in Oklahoma Population (2000): 71 Housing Units (2000): 31 Land area (2000): 0.142693 sq. miles (0.369573 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.142693 sq. miles (0.369573 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Pensacola — [pen΄sə kō′lə] [Fr < a tribal name; ? equiv. to Choctaw pąši, hair + okla, people] seaport in NW Fla., on an inlet (Pensacola Bay) of the Gulf of Mexico: pop. 56,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Pensacōla — Pensacōla, Hauptort u. Einfuhrhafen der Grafschaft Escambia im Staate Florida (Nordamerika), an der Pensacolabai des Mexicanischen Meerbusens, Marinestation der Vereinigten Staaten, lebhafter Küstenhandel; 3000 Ew …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Pensacōla — Pensacōla, Hauptstadt der Grafschaft Escambia im nordamerikan. Staat Florida, an der Nordwestseite der Pensacolabai, 16 km vom Golf von Mexiko, mit einem der besten Naturhäfen Nordamerikas, der Schiffen von 7,6 m Tiefgang zugänglich ist,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Pensacola — Pensacōla, Haupthafen des nordamerik. Staates Florida, an der Bai von P., (1900) 17.747 E., Holzausfuhr …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”