| Panama City | |||
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| — City — | |||
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| Motto: PC Bay Cnty crths01.jpg | |||
| Location in Bay County and the U.S. state of Florida | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Florida | ||
| County | Bay | ||
| Incorporated | 1909 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Greg Brudnicki | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 26.7 sq mi (69.1 km2) | ||
| • Land | 20.5 sq mi (53.1 km2) | ||
| • Water | 6.2 sq mi (16.0 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| • City | 36,417 | ||
| • Density | 1,774.8/sq mi (685.2/km2) | ||
| • Metro | 163,505 | ||
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| Zip Codes | 32401, 32402, 32403, 32404, 32405, 32406, 32407, 32408, 32409, 32411, 32412, 32413, 32417, 32461 | ||
| Area code(s) | 850 | ||
| FIPS code | 12-54700[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0288448[2] | ||
| Website | www.pcgov.org | ||
Panama City is a city and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States.[3] Located along U.S. Route 98, it is the largest city between Tallahassee, Florida and Pensacola, Florida. It is the larger (population-wise) of two principal cities of the Panama City-Lynn Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 36,484. When Panama City was incorporated in 1909, its original city limits were 15th Street (Hwy 98) on the north, Balboa Avenue on the west and Bay Avenue on the east.
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The developer of the town, George Mortimer West, gave the town its name because it was on a direct line between Chicago and Panama City. The original name of the city was "Harrison, Florida". The name was changed during the building of the Panama Canal as a way to link the area to an ongoing media interest, in hopes of promoting real estate development in Bay County. This is the version of city history as cited in "A History of Panama City" from the Panama City Public Library. [4]
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 36,484 people, 14,819 households, and 9,039 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.0/per square mile . There were 17,438 housing units at an average density of 530.7 per square mile (204.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 71.6% White, 22.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1 Native Hawaiian and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population.
There were 14,819 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
Ancestries: United States (12.9%), Irish (10.2%), German (9.8%), English (9.0%), Italian (2.9%), French (2.6%).
Panama City is located at (30.174451, -85.664480),[5] within the Florida Panhandle and along the Emerald Coast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city limits encompass an area of 26.7 square miles (69 km2)—20.5 square miles (53.1 km²) of it is land and 6.2 square miles (16.0 km² or 23.12%) of it is water.
Panama City has a humid subtropical climate, with short, mild winters and long, hot and humid summers. In January, temperatures fall to 37°F (3°C), and in summer, rise to 91°F (33°C), although in the winter of 2010, temperatures plummeted to 15°F (-9°C).
Hurricanes often impact the city, the last being in 1998 when Hurricane Earl brought winds exceeding 80 miles per hour (130 km/h).
| Climate data for Panama City, Fla. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
66 (19) |
73 (23) |
81 (27) |
86 (30) |
91 (33) |
91 (33) |
91 (33) |
88 (31) |
82 (28) |
73 (23) |
66 (19) |
79.3 (26.3) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 37 (3) |
41 (5) |
46 (8) |
52 (11) |
61 (16) |
68 (20) |
72 (22) |
72 (22) |
68 (20) |
55 (13) |
46 (8) |
39 (4) |
54.8 (12.6) |
| Source: [6] | |||||||||||||
The median income for a household in the city was $31,572, and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $21,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,830. About 12.1% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
Major employers in the Bay County area include Gulf Power and Smurfit-Stone Container.
In 2006, Panama City was named the best place to invest in real estate in the US by CNN's Business 2.0 magazine.[7]
Tyndall Air Force Base is located east of the city. The HHT 1-153 CAV is stationed there, It is part of Florida Army National Guard's 53rd Infantry Brigade.
The Bay Line Railroad LLC has an 82 miles (132 km) rail line running north to Dothan, Alabama to a connection with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.
The city was served by the Panama City-Bay County International Airport (PFN) until May 22, 2010. It was replaced by the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) with Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It became the first international airport designed and constructed since the September 11 attacks.
Panama City's public schools are operated by Bay District Schools. Gulf Coast State College, formerly Gulf Coast Community College, is now a 4 year state college. Satellite campuses of Florida State University Panama City Campus and Troy University are located in the city. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University has a satellite campus on Tyndall Air Force Base.
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