Thinking about moving to Pensacola (Tampa, Hollywood: 2015, condo, home)

[kyle987]

Could yall give me some pros and cons of living in Pensacola? I'm 30 and have been thinking about moving to Florida for years. I've looked all around and keep thinking about Pensacola or Tampa, preferably Pensacola since it has a slight change in the seasons.

I live on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, I've lived here my whole life. I've read there isn't a whole lot to do in Pensacola, but that's fine with me. Where I live there is very little to do, to me anyway. Everything here is about tourism. During the spring, summer, and part of fall its slam pack full of tourists, and during winter it's dead and nearly everything is closed. A couple things I like about Pensacola is it's slightly similar to here, it's warmer all year and I can fish all year. All I really do is fish and go to the gym.

I'm laid off and nothing good is happening here, the job market is ****ty since so many places are seasonal here. I'm planning to get my CDL B license, save up some money, and then move somewhere and Florida is on the top of my list. How are the jobs around that area? What jobs are prevalent? It also doesn't have to be right in Pensacola, I'm open to other areas too. I used to live in Florida but it was many years ago.

[beachmouse]

Pensacola does have professional baseball and ice hockey, and ticket prices are pretty affordable for the bush league events like that compared to major league ticket costs.

[Lizap]

Originally Posted by DoosAnnaKwaahter

No place is ideal. Pcola is nothing like Tampa Bay socioculturally or from an historic perspective. Pcola/Destin/Ft Walton is like living in south Ala "on the water"
Pcola is far more likely to get hit by a hurricane coming up the gulf - no biggie I guess. Tampa has 50 times more attractions including professional football, professional baseball, professional hockey, professional SOCCER, and a ton of other attractions that come to town - traffic of course is horrific in areas - food choices are tremendous - Tampa is far more diverse (with roots to Italians, Cubans, Caribbean, Spanish and English influences - in my experience Tampa also has far better looking women and men...lol). Tampa's airport is superb - no comparison with Pcola.


At 30, you'll enjoy what TPA has to offer, over anything in Pcola. You might as well live in Ala, if you live in Pcola lol

I agree I would select Tampa over Pensacola. Pensacola has a large military presence (not that there's anything wrong with that), lots of bars, and generally, looks rundown in many areas.

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by DoosAnnaKwaahter

Pcola has Eglin.....Tampa has the massive MacDill, the home of "Southern Command". These two cities are like night and day, not comparable one bit no doubt.

Uh..No it doesn't - it has Pensacola Naval Air Station. And Whiting Field up near Milton.

Eglin is located about 60 miles away near Fort Walton Beach, as is Hurlburt, and Duke Field. Yes the cities are not even comparable but if you are using MacDill as a selling point, the panhandle has a large military population and fighter pilots

[grampaTom]

Originally Posted by kyle987

Could yall give me some pros and cons of living in Pensacola? I'm 30 and have been thinking about moving to Florida for years. I've looked all around and keep thinking about Pensacola or Tampa, preferably Pensacola since it has a slight change in the seasons.

I live on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, I've lived here my whole life. I've read there isn't a whole lot to do in Pensacola, but that's fine with me. Where I live there is very little to do, to me anyway. Everything here is about tourism. During the spring, summer, and part of fall its slam pack full of tourists, and during winter it's dead and nearly everything is closed. A couple things I like about Pensacola is it's slightly similar to here, it's warmer all year and I can fish all year. All I really do is fish and go to the gym.

I'm laid off and nothing good is happening here, the job market is ****ty since so many places are seasonal here. I'm planning to get my CDL B license, save up some money, and then move somewhere and Florida is on the top of my list. How are the jobs around that area? What jobs are prevalent? It also doesn't have to be right in Pensacola, I'm open to other areas too. I used to live in Florida but it was many years ago.

Code for 'I'm easily bored and don't get around much'

[Alexia1997]

I'm very familiar with the Pensacola/Eglin/Niceville area. I've also visited the outer banks and lived in NC in the military.

My advice is don't move. It's a different world, kind of like stepping back in time. Think of the movies Doc Hollywood and My cousin Vinnie non-stop, but for real life, twenty four hours a day.

I know of a few soldiers who have been harassed by the locals and local police for being minorities. There are areas of Pensacola/Niceville/okaloosa and escambia county that unless you have lily white skin and speak the unintelligible southern drawl then you avoid unless you want your corpse found swinging from a tree the next morning. All my military colleagues place the children in the few private schools available due to the abysmal school system here. Every single one of them.

And amazingly the local city and county governments don't seem to want business or military to bring people here as it would upset their apple cart of the good old boy deep south redneck white trash world, ran by their deep south redneck white skinned KKK police and their white skinned judges that protect them. I personally know of other members who have told their command either approve their transfer out of here or they will leave the army.

On the other hand the beaches are beautiful.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris Behind Bars

Walton County replaces Confederate Battle flag with Original

Plane flying Confederate flag buzzes city

2 ex-prison guards in KKK sentenced for plot to kill black inmate

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Alexia1997

I'm very familiar with the Pensacola/Eglin/Niceville area. I've also visited the outer banks and lived in NC in the military.

My advice is don't move. It's a different world, kind of like stepping back in time. Think of the movies Doc Hollywood and My cousin Vinnie non-stop, but for real life, twenty four hours a day.

I know of a few soldiers who have been harassed by the locals and local police for being minorities. There are areas of Pensacola/Niceville/okaloosa and escambia county that unless you have lily white skin and speak the unintelligible southern drawl then you avoid unless you want your corpse found swinging from a tree the next morning. All my military colleagues place the children in the few private schools available due to the abysmal school system here. Every single one of them.

And amazingly the local city and county governments don't seem to want business or military to bring people here as it would upset their apple cart of the good old boy deep south redneck white trash world, ran by their deep south redneck white skinned KKK police and their white skinned judges that protect them. I personally know of other members who have told their command either approve their transfer out of here or they will leave the army.

On the other hand the beaches are beautiful.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris Behind Bars

Walton County replaces Confederate Battle flag with Original

Plane flying Confederate flag buzzes city

2 ex-prison guards in KKK sentenced for plot to kill black inmate

So where are these areas of Pensacola that supposedly non-white people cant go?

[beachmouse]

I'm also puzzled about the schools comment since the private schools in my area tend to be on the lily white variety. (And the spousal unit knows the president of the Rocky Bayou Christian school board- president is one of those 'a college education is wasted on women who shouldn't work outside the home after marriage' people) Minority friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. have all uneventfully sent their kids to Okaloosa public schools and been happy enough with the experience there and felt like kids have been well prepared for college and life.

[Inspector1489]

Wow, paint with a broad brush much, Alexia?

I won't and don't for a minute condone the actions of those involved in the links you shared or your personal experiences. I'm sorry that you were exposed to that type of behavior. While I fall into your "lily white" basket, I am repulsed at your insinuation that somehow every white person that calls the region home is a "deep south redneck that speaks the unintelligible southern drawl and is looking to hang someone from a tree".
Get outta here with that.

Originally Posted by Alexia1997

I'm very familiar with the Pensacola/Eglin/Niceville area. I've also visited the outer banks and lived in NC in the military.

My advice is don't move. It's a different world, kind of like stepping back in time. Think of the movies Doc Hollywood and My cousin Vinnie non-stop, but for real life, twenty four hours a day.

I know of a few soldiers who have been harassed by the locals and local police for being minorities. There are areas of Pensacola/Niceville/okaloosa and escambia county that unless you have lily white skin and speak the unintelligible southern drawl then you avoid unless you want your corpse found swinging from a tree the next morning. All my military colleagues place the children in the few private schools available due to the abysmal school system here. Every single one of them.

And amazingly the local city and county governments don't seem to want business or military to bring people here as it would upset their apple cart of the good old boy deep south redneck white trash world, ran by their deep south redneck white skinned KKK police and their white skinned judges that protect them. I personally know of other members who have told their command either approve their transfer out of here or they will leave the army.

On the other hand the beaches are beautiful. Well...there is something we can agree on!


Also, not to minimize the accuracy of the links you shared, but they are somewhat dated.


From 2009:

Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris Behind Bars

From 2015:

Walton County replaces Confederate Battle flag with Original

From 2016:

Plane flying Confederate flag buzzes city

From Sept 2017, but the photos with the story show the two guards. Moran, on the left, appears to be a minority. He's a member of the KKK?

2 ex-prison guards in KKK sentenced for plot to kill black inmate

[Knowthyyself]

HA! I am also (unfortunately) "lily white", my husband is not white...unfortunately, every white person I have ever met IS a super awkward racist son of a *****...so I can tell - that you are upset because you have been found out! White people need to wake the F up and stop hating on other non whites for no reason...my absolute favorite is when we pass white males walking with their asian or latin wives and he stares at us because i am white an not married to one...such hypocritical garbage...seriously eat ****...the jews did a rather amazing job at separating us "white folks" so that we not only hate ourselves but others as well...good job! ...repulsed my ass!

Originally Posted by Inspector1489

Wow, paint with a broad brush much, Alexia?

I won't and don't for a minute condone the actions of those involved in the links you shared or your personal experiences. I'm sorry that you were exposed to that type of behavior. While I fall into your "lily white" basket, I am repulsed at your insinuation that somehow every white person that calls the region home is a "deep south redneck that speaks the unintelligible southern drawl and is looking to hang someone from a tree".
Get outta here with that.