[SiddharthaGautama]

Went to film school in Pensacola. It would be quite the change from DC. Very laid back, small boating/fishing community. As far as housing prices go compared to DC you will find them to be cheap. The area has really nice beaches but there isn't much going on in Pcola especially in the job market area. You will find lots of military people as well as a lot of real country folk. That can be a positive or a negative, take it as you will.

[kahunajim]

Pensacola Jobs and Living Situations
I moved to Pensacola with my wife and daughter almost three years ago. My wife had an opportunity to get a promotion if she took the job. I on the other hand gave up my tenure as a music teacher for 20 years.
We have found Pensacola to have the best beaches in the world and perhaps the fishing is terrific too.The golf courses here suck and the fees are way over the top.You have to be rich to become a member to a well groomed club but even that is very few. I was surprised to say the least. I on the other hand cannot find work over 10.00 an hour anywhere. There are cutbacks in the teaching field and can't find a music job.The economy has been aweful and needless to say for me it has been a nightmare. My wife is fortunate but she now expects me to work at a food establishment for minimum wage.
The schools are not that good unless you live in Gulf breeze or santa rosa. The "Good Ol' Boys" take care of their own here and there is very lettle opportunity for people who move here other than the military.Very political right wing area but have to say two thirds of pensacola is low income with little hope right now.
If you are in banking, healthcare, construction, this is your town. Other than that, you are in big trouble if you want to come here to find work. If you were fortunate like my wife is, you will be OK! Unfortunately, I'm not OK and wish we never left Connecticut. Kahuna Jim

[recycled]

I had an interesting visit to NW FL last week. I was in Atlanta in early December on a business trip, but had a lot of extra vacation time to use up. Decided to postpone the trip home for a week, and take a rental car on an out and back road trip to Tallahassee and Pensacola area and all points in between. The weather was unusually warm for December, upper 70s in the day and upper 50s at nite.
From a out of state visitor's perspective, Pensacola had it's pros and cons like many others have mentioned here. I walked all around the small downtown area, looks like there has been quite a bit of restoration work, looked pretty good. Very quiet though, I think I was the only tourist within miles. Like one other poster mentioned here, even I noticed the large sewage treatment plant just a few blocks west of downtown while driving towards the port area and some of the seafood restaurants. I like the trees and gardens in some areas of Pensacola. Went out to Gulf Breeze and P. Beach. My hotel at the beach was almost empty, but it was a very nice place. Looked like many of the hotels on the beach were completely re-built after Ivan roared through in 2004. I noticed a whole bunch of new condo construction on the west side of P Beach. Lots of For Sale signs, but I was thinking what insurance company would cover a house in a place like that, and for what price?
I also drove over to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL. Talk about new high rise condo construction gone crazy, wow, it floored me how much that place changed. I was there in late 2004, post Ivan, and remember seeing dozens of four or five story condo buildings tilted over awaiting the wrecking crane, they replaced all those with 20 story condos. Same thing happened down on the east side of P Beach, I saw six new 20 story condo towers down there near where the beach road is blocked off until the road to Navarre is opened back up.
Pensacola would be a nice place for a serious beach and boat person. I am neither, my skin would get too burned up lying out there on the white sand beach or on the water baking under the hot gulf sun.

[kahunajim]

Pensacola is the place to go if you are Military,Retired,have a career in Health Care,Informational Technology, anything else you might have a problem. It's beaches are second to none but economically it's a disaster. Housing is affordable but the pay here is aweful and doesn't match the cost of living for you to match and buy the necessities.If you are religious, there is a church on every block. Other than that I am waiting to move to Tampa in a couple of years.

[soundbreeze]

The industries/markets served I see alot of here in the Pensacola Bay Area/Gulf Coast are.

1. Defense (Navy/NAS Pensacola & Air Force/Eglin/Hurlburt Field) as well as TON'S of government contractors.. All are represented here.. from the large presense of BAE Systems, to General Dynamics, L3 Communications, Northrup Grumman, SAIC and so on.
2. Healthcare (three LARGE employers w. excellent pay, Sacred Heart, Baptist, West Florida)
3. Utilities.. American Water (Public Utility), Southern Company/Gulf Power
4. Telcommunications: former Network Telephone (CLEC), Bellsouth/new AT&T
5. Technology: Appriver, Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, etc.
6. Retailing. TONS, from autos to clothes to consumer electronics.
7. Light manufacturing/aerospace. Daws, Crestview Aerospace, etc.
8. Banking/Finance.. Suntrust, Bank of America, all the regionals and credit unions (HUGE), as well as all the usual suspects, Edward Jones, Merrill Lynch, and so on.
9. Real Estate. All players are represented.
10. Law. Major players w. huge settlements and class actions. Florida's oldest continuously operating law firm is in downtown Pensacola.
11. Construction. DoD & Commercial.
12. And of course, leisure and tourism.

Personally speaking, all my folks friends worked in healthcare, banking/finance, real estate, law and private business ownership. Pensacola, though I loathed it at first moving down here as a kid from Long Island, has turned out to be a wonderful place to live 30 yrs later. The natural beauty of the Emerald Coast, and heck, even here in Daphne, Alabama where I'm hanging @ the moment, is WONDERFUL. The weather? Miami humidity is MUCH worse than Pensacola. When it gets cold, you can actually see the leaves turn, like being back up north.. Especially closeby here just over Florida/Alabama line in Daphne.

As for those who complain about the wages.. Well, the "underground" job market is alive and well. There are many factors. Education, skill set, companies previously worked for, etc., etc., There is also the issue of patterning your career choices w. the megatrends of society. I myself work in defense, and my siblings work in healthcare, communications, and food. All growing markets by any measure. Personal choices and decisions in one's career have to also be taken into account w. respect to future income potential!

Peace and Happy New Year everyone!

[chett]

You guys mentioned job opportunities for a lot of professions. What is the deal with being an Educator in the P'Cola area? Pros & Cons? I know that escambia and santa rosa counites both pay around $32k starting out which is less than AL. I am looking to move in that area from AL. I am certified to teach Biology, Health, & Driver's Ed. and I currently coach Track & Cross Country. What are my chances?

[lmuzughi]

I moved here from Missouri some years ago...would not trade it for anything in the world. We still have 4 seasons although milder and do have high humidity, but they claim that is what keeps you young!

I used to sit around a dream about going to beach destinations, now I live here so it satisfies my little travel bug...I really have to think about where I want to go now.

The other thing about Pensacola that I think you will find interesting, not everything is FLAT...and we have MAJESTIC OAK trees...so it is not like the south..flat and all you get is palm trees..lol.

Take care

[Florida2Georgia]

Originally Posted by JEANNE61

gee . .don't be shy now . . don't hold anything back .
can you tell me the 'best ' neighborhoods to live in . . afraid i'd be Renting . .not buying . .
any help i can get now , ,before i have to make a final decision next yr wehn i retire, will help a lot .. thanks in advance. .
btw . do you still live there ??? and if so . .why >???? ha jeanne

It depends on what you are looking to spend. But try the 9mile rd area/ West florida hospital area.

[lmuzughi]

I think it is just fine here...in fact leaving St. Louis 3 years ago, and then returning for a visit left me shaking my head..it was turning into a ghost town..big companies leaving left and right. Pensacola on the other hand is attracting some larger companies to come as well as "in my opinion" I see this town Booming, just like what happened in Sarasota..overnight, property values skyrocketed...because the media started to pay attention to that beautiful, quaint town..the same thing will head our way...again, this is my opinion...and those of many of my friends and colleagues. As far as jobs, I do hear some complain...I think part of that to be completely honest is their lack of wanting to commute. Between Escambia and Santa Rosa County there are plenty of jobs...just some get stuck in the mindset of just driving 2 minutes to work. Hey, in my field I drive back and forth between the 2 counties about 3 times a day...lol.
Paradise I tell you...come visit, see for yourself...someday you will read about it and wished you had been here!

[Florida2Georgia]

Originally Posted by lmuzughi

I think it is just fine here!

Yes, if you are not African American. I feel Pensacola is not the place for an African American trying to progress. Racism is truly unreal here. Also it is very disheartning to see very few African Americans in top high positions (unlike Atlanta, Ga).

There are very few (if any) decent neighborhoods with a majority of African Americans. Contrast, in Atlanta you have neighborhoods that are African American dominated living in homes $400,000 or more. And I mean AA that live better than individuals living on the beach here. That is rare here.

If you are African American, I would say stray away from this town and move to Atlanta,Ga or a surrounding county in Atlanta. The mere fact the Mayor and Chief of Police in Atlanta are African American should give you insight.