Panama City Beach, Florida

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Panama City Beach, Florida
Flag of Panama City Beach, Florida
Flag		 Official seal of Panama City Beach, Florida
Seal
Nickname: The World's Most Beautiful Beaches
Location in Bay County and the state of Florida
Location in Bay County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30°10′36″N 85°48′20″W / 30.17667, -85.80556
Country Flag of the United States United States
State Flag of Florida Florida
County  Bay
Incorporated 1969
Government
 - Mayor Gayle Oberst
 - City Manager Richard Jackson
Area
 - Total 7.0 sq mi (18.2 km²)
 - Land 6.9 sq mi (18.0 km²)
 - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation 10 ft (3 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 7,671
 - Density 1,104.9/sq mi (426.8/km²)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP 32401, 32407, 32408, 32413, 32417
Area code(s) 850
FIPS code 12-54725[1]
GNIS feature ID 0308451[2]
Website: http://www.pcbgov.com

The City of Panama City Beach (a/k/a Panama City Beach, or simply "PCB") is a city in the Florida Panhandle on the Gulf of Mexico in Bay County, Florida, United States. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Panama City," despite being a distinct municipality from the older and larger inland Panama City to the east, making Panama City and Panama City Beach two separate cities. Panama City Beach's slogan is "The World's Most Beautiful Beaches" due to the unique sugar-white sandy beaches of Northwest Florida.

For quite some time Panama City Beach has been a popular vacation destination, especially among people in the Southern United States. The city is also a very popular spring break destination, sometimes being referred to as "The Spring Break Capital of the World," due to about 100,000 college and high school students who arrive during the months of March and April.

Well-known locations in the city were places such as "The Hang-Out" at the Long Beach Resort motel and the now closed Miracle Strip Amusement Park. There has recently been a construction boom and the cityscape is now characterized by high-rise hotels and condominiums.

Contents

[edit] Real estate boom

A construction boom is raising the economic image of the area, known informally as the "Redneck Riviera" due to the older homes & downtrodden motels, as pricey high-rise condominiums and luxury homes replace the older structures. However, this is turning unobstructed, low-rise beach views and affordable waterfront property into rarities. Many beachfront properties have quadrupled or more in value since 2000, so much so that CNN/Money named Panama City Beach as the #1 real estate market in America for the next 5 years in November 2006.[1] Beachfront property has sold for upwards of $60,000 per "front foot" (linear foot) at the top of the market. The downturn in the USA real estate market in 2007, combined with a flux of new condo construction have brought spiraling prices somewhat under control, but they are still at lofty levels from their pre-boom days of the 1990s, yet still undervalued compared to other Northwest Florida coastal cities like Destin.[2]

[edit] Geography

Panama City Beach is located at 30°12′27″N, 85°51′5″W (30.207362, -85.851485)[3]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²)— 6.9 square miles (18.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.42%) is water. There is approximately 27 miles of shoreline in Panama City Beach with approximately half of it fronting the Gulf of Mexico.[3]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7,671 people, 3,529 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,104.9 persons per square mile (426.8/km²). There were 8,910 housing units at an average density of 1,283.4 houses per square mile (495.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.21% White, 0.87% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.20% of the population.

Households in Panama City Beach are predominantly married couples without children or POSSLQs. There were 3,529 households out of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.66.

In the city the population was spread out with 16.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,198, and the median income for a family was $49,127. Males had a median income of $32,459 versus $22,358 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,734. About 2.2% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

According to the 2005 U.S. Census Bureau's Estimates, the beach area continues to grow very rapidly at 11,477.

Major employers in Panama City Beach include the Coastal Systems Station-Naval Surface Warfare Center, St. Joe, Nextel as well as tourism and hospitality industries.

[edit] Government

The City of Panama City Beach government operates as a council-manager government. The Mayor sits as a Council member-at-large and presides over all of the City council. The Mayor sits as a Council member-at-large and presides over all of the City Council meetings. In the event that the Mayor cannot preside over a City Council meeting, the Mayor Pro-Tem is the presiding officer of the meeting until such time as the Mayor returns to his seat. The City Manager is responsible for the administration and the day-to-day operation of all of the municipal services and city departments. The City Manager also maintains intergovernmental relationships with federal, state, county and other local governments.

The primary law enforcement agency in the city is the Panama City Beach Police Department. The city and the rest of Bay County are also under the jurisdiction of the Bay County Sheriff's Office.

[edit] City council

  • Gayle Oberst – Mayor (Term Expires in 2010)
  • Jeff Ferguson – Vice-Mayor Pro-Tem and Ward 1 Council member (Term Expires in 2010)
  • Rick Russell – Ward 2 Council member (Term Expires in 2008)
  • Bobby Bolton – Ward 3 Council member (Term Expires in 2010)
  • Ken Nelson – Ward 4 Council member (Term Expires in 2008)
  • Richard Jackson – City Manager
  • Holly J. White – City Clerk

[edit] City management

[edit] Services

  • Panama City Beach Police Department
  • Panama City Beach Fire Rescue

[edit] Education

Primary and secondary public education is provided by the Bay District Schools (BDS).

The Gulf Coast Community College (GCCC) is located in Panama City, just across the Hathaway Bridge from Panama City Beach.

[edit] Transportation

Panama City-Bay County International Airport provides commercial flights into the area. The airport also serves private aircraft, domestic and international passenger flights, and freight/cargo flights.

[edit] Major Highways

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The final episode of WCW Monday Nitro was broadcast from there in March 2001.
  • The Florida Ironman Triathlon has been taking place here in November every year since 1999.
  • The Black Lips song, "Dirty Hands" makes fun of spring breakers at Panama City Beach, with the line "I got a tattoo of a dolphin on my belly button and Bobby got a tattoo that said Panama City Beach 3003"
  • (I've got the) Panama City Blues was recorded by Larry (Parker)and The Loafers in 1960 at Reed Studios in Birmingham, AL, as a tribute to the area.
  • Several other songs also reference Panama City Beach, such as "Laughed Until We Cried" by Jason Aldean, and "Panama City" by Donovan Chapman.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
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County seat: Panama City
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