Pensacola, Florida has about 52,000 people, and is in Escambia County, which has a population of about 298,000 people. Other nearby small communities include Warrington (15,000), West Pensacola (22,000), Ferry Pass (29,000), Brent (22,000), Bellview (24,000), and Ensley (21,000). The populations of Escambia are spread out quite a bit in the greater Pensacola metro area. Escambia County, Florida is the westernmost county of Florida, and is across the Perdido River from Alabama; it also just south of Escambia County, Alabama - they are both (mostly) on opposite sides of the Escambia River.

It is about 9 miles from downtown Pensacola to station; this takes about 20 minutes to commute, but the area is fairly spread out and travel times can vary significantly. The average commute in Escambia County is about 22 minutes.

Tourism makes up a large part of the local economy; Pensacola is part of the Emerald Coast region of Florida, and the white beaches attract people from across the Midwest and South.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average small apartment rent in the Pensacola area ranges from $500 to $800 per month, with a median of about $650 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a detached house in Pensacola is about $278,000, compared to $275,000 for Florida; an average townhouse price in Pensacola was about $110,000, compared to $196,000 for Florida.

Short Description of the Area: Pensacola is the main city of a larger metro area on the extreme west side of Florida. The area has over 450,000 people, making it one of the ten largest metro areas in the state. Pensacola is warm year-round, with a generally humid climate, sunny weather, and white sand beaches. This part of Florida, the Emerald Coast, is very tourist-oriented, giving service people quite a few options for entertainment.

Climate and Weather: The area has a warm, humid climate, winter temperatures of the low 60s to low 40s and summer temperatures in the low 90s to mid 70s range. The area has generally mild weather, but spring through fall does have threat of tropical storms coming off the Gulf, including occasional hurricanes; Pensacola has been hit by hurricanes eight times in forty years. Thunderstorms are fairly common, with impressive lightning displays.