Region preview · 2027 Edition

Moving to the Panhandle: what to know

Florida's far northwest: sugar-white Gulf beaches, Navy and Air Force towns, and a Southern pace.³ It's the part of the state that runs on Central Time, with real winters by Florida standards and the lowest home prices of the regions profiled so far.

Counties: The Central Time counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun and northern Gulf. Includes Pensacola, Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Panama City, Marianna.

63° / 44°¹January high / low, Pensacola

92° / 75°¹July high / low

68 in¹rain a year, wettest summer, peaking in July

$257,200²median home value, Escambia County

20.3%²aged 65 and over, Escambia County

$67,500²median household income

Weather

The coolest and wettest of the regions so far. Winters bring cool nights and the occasional frost; summers are as hot and humid as anywhere in Florida, with frequent thunderstorms. It's on Central Time, an hour behind Orlando and Miami.¹

Storms and hazards

Hurricanes hit hard here. Michael came ashore at Mexico Beach in October 2018 as a Category 5 with 160 mph winds and a storm surge about 14 feet deep, damaged every building on Tyndall Air Force Base, and was blamed for 50 deaths in Florida. It was the strongest landfall ever recorded on the Panhandle. Ivan in 2004 and Sally in 2020 also battered the Pensacola area.^1,3,4,5
Heavy rain floods low ground inland too, so inland flooding is a real risk, not just the coast.⁶
Winter freezes are possible: protect pipes, pets and plants on the coldest nights.⁷

See every hurricane near the Panhandle since 1851, mapped

Who it suits

Our judgment, from the facts in the full profile.

Military families and veterans: five major bases are here
Beach lovers who want quieter, cheaper coast than South Florida
People who want four mild seasons instead of one long summer

A few things to see

Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore^1,4
The National Naval Aviation Museum, and a Blue Angels practice from the bleachers⁸
Historic Pensacola and Fort Pickens^1,4

Only in Florida

Every April at the Flora-Bama, contestants stand in a circle in Florida and hurl a dead mullet across the state line into Alabama.⁹ Winning throws pass 150 feet, and the money raised goes to local charities.

Visitor information

The official, non-commercial places to ask about things to do, events and local services.^10,11 Many tourism offices also offer a free visitor guide.

County tourism offices

Escambia County: Visit Pensacola
Santa Rosa County: Santa Rosa County Tourism
Okaloosa County: Destin-Fort Walton Beach
Walton County: Visit South Walton
Bay County: Visit Panama City Beach
Jackson County: Visit Jackson County
Gulf County: Visit Gulf County

State-certified visitor information centers

Destination Panama City Visitor Information Center, 101 West Beach Drive, Panama City
Gulf County Tourist Development Council Visitor Information Center, 150 Captain Fred's Place, Port St. Joe
Visit Pensacola Visitor Information Center, 1401 East Gregory St., Pensacola
Discover Mexico Beach Welcome Center, 102 Canal Pkwy., Mexico Beach
Visit Pensacola-Perdido Key Visitor Information Center, 15500 Perdido Key Dr, Perdido Key
Santa Rosa County Visitor Information Center, 8543 Navarre Parkway, Navarre
Destin-Fort Walton Beach Welcome Centers, 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach
Florida Welcome Center (I-10), 16 miles west of Pensacola on I-10 East, Pensacola
Visit South Walton Visitor Information Center, 25777 U.S. Highway 331 S., Santa Rosa Beach
Jackson County Visitors Center, 4318 Lafayette Street, Marianna
Florida Welcome Center (US 231), 5865 Hwy. US 231, 3 miles north of Campbellton, Campbellton
Visit Panama City Beach Welcome Center, 17001 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach
Pensacola Beach Visitor Information Center, 7 Casino Beach Boardwalk, Pensacola Beach

The full Panhandle profile is in Choosing Your Place

Every county's people, income, home value and rent
Costs, insurance, hospitals, getting around, jobs, culture and history
63 town cards for this region, each with home value, rent, median age and the nearest 24-hour ER and airport
Side-by-side compare with any other region, and the monthly-cost calculator

Get Choosing Your Place · $9.99 What's inside

Moving here for sure? Living Here & Staying Ready has Panhandle's county emergency and special-needs numbers, and a household plan. Get the Complete Edition for $19.99.

Written by Charles Squires, North Port, Florida. 40 years living in Florida, in eight places.

I lived in Fort Walton Beach and Destin for 11 years.

More about the author and how this manual is made

Towns in the Panhandle

Free basics for each of the 63 places with 1,000 or more people: home value, rent and the nearest ER.

Bagdad · Bellview · Blountstown · Bonifay · Brent · Callaway · Cedar Grove · Century · Chipley · Crestview · DeFuniak Springs · Destin · East Milton · Eglin AFB · Ensley · Ferry Pass · Fort Walton Beach · Freeport · Gonzalez · Goulding · Graceville · Gulf Breeze · Holley · Hurlburt Field · Laguna Beach · Lake Lorraine · Lower Grand Lagoon · Lynn Haven · Malone · Marianna · Mary Esther · Mexico Beach · Midway CDP (Santa Rosa County) · Milton · Miramar Beach · Molino · Myrtle Grove · Navarre · Navarre Beach · Niceville · Ocean City · Oriole Beach · Pace · Panama City · Panama City Beach · Parker · Pea Ridge · Pensacola · Pensacola Station · Point Baker · Port St. Joe · Pretty Bayou · Sneads · Springfield · Tiger Point · Upper Grand Lagoon · Valparaiso · Wallace · Warrington · West Pensacola · Wewahitchka · Woodlawn Beach · Wright

Other regions: Southwest Florida · Tampa Bay · Central Florida · Heartland · North Central Florida · Northeast Florida · Space Coast and Daytona · Southeast Florida · Florida Keys · Big Bend and Nature Coast