Panama City Beach, Florida

Not to be confused with Panama City, Florida.
Panama City Beach, Florida
PCB
City

View of the beach looking northwest from St. Andrews State Park

Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): The World's Most Beautiful Beaches

Location in Bay County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30°10′36″N 85°48′20″W / 30.17667°N 85.80556°W / 30.17667; -85.80556Coordinates: 30°10′36″N 85°48′20″W / 30.17667°N 85.80556°W / 30.17667; -85.80556
Country  United States
State  Florida
County Bay
Incorporated 1977
Government
 • City Manager Mario Gisbert (2012-present)
Richard Jackson (1980-2012)
Area
 • Total 18.6 sq mi (48.2 km2)
 • Land 18.4 sq mi (47.6 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation 10 ft (3 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 12,018
 • Density 650/sq mi (250/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 www.pcbgov.com

Panama City Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 12,018.[3] 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[4] sugar-white sandy beaches of northwest Florida.

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 having been referred to as "The Spring Break Capital of the World," due to about 100,000+ college and high school students who would arrive during the months of March and April.

Real estate boom

A construction boom in the early to mid 2000s changed the image of the area due to the older homes and motels being replaced with high-rise condominiums and more expansive homes. However, this is turning unobstructed, low-rise beach views and affordable waterfront property into rarities. At the peak of the real estate boom, many beachfront properties had quadrupled or more in value since 2000. In November 2006 CNN/Money named Panama City Beach the No. 1 real estate market in America for the next five years in.[5] Beachfront property has sold for upwards of $60,000 per "front foot" (linear foot) at the top of the market. The downturn in the U.S. real estate market in 2007, combined with a surge of new condo construction, brought spiraling prices somewhat under control. With the real estate boom, Panama City Beach became a well known destination for Spring Break.[6]

Shopping

Pier Park, an outdoor shopping mall, opened in 2008.

Geography

Panama City Beach is located at 30°12′27″N 85°51′5″W / 30.20750°N 85.85139°W / 30.20750; -85.85139 (30.207362, -85.851485).[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.2 km2)— 18.4 square miles (47.6 km2) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km2) (1.17%) is water.[8] There are approximately 9 miles (14 km) of shoreline in Panama City Beach fronting the Gulf of Mexico.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
196036—
19706786.1%
19802,1483,106.0%
19904,05188.6%
20007,67189.4%
201012,01856.7%
Est. 201412,408[9]3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 12,018 people, 5,417 households, and 3,068 families residing in the city. The population density was 653.2 persons per square mile (252.5/km²). There were 17,141 housing units at an average density of 931.6 houses per square mile (360.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.5% White, 2.3% African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.7% Asian and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population.[3]

There were 5,417 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were headed by married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22, and the average family size was 2.76.[3]

In the city the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.9 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.[3]

Ancestries: English (17.7%), German (17.4%), Irish (14.8%), United States (11.1%), Italian (3.6%), French (3.1%).

At the 2000 census, 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.

Government

The City of Panama City Beach has a council-manager government. The Mayor sits as a Council member-at-large and presides over 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.

City council

City management

Services

Education

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

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

The Florida State University Panama City branch campus (FSUPC) is also located in Panama City, just across the Hathaway Bridge from Panama City Beach.

Transportation

The new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport provides commercial flights into the area. The airport serves private aircraft, domestic passenger flights, and freight/cargo flights. It is the first international airport to be constructed after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The other modes of transportation is scooters, which can be rented by the day. As well as taxi and shuttle companies which are permitted through the local police.

Panama City Beach also has a Trolley system available which runs hourly. The Bay Town Trolley system runs throughout the county giving its tourists and locals the resource they need to get around Bay County.

Major highways

Sports

The City was home to the Panama City Beach Pirates, a fourth-division soccer team from 2007–2015.

Recreation

Gallery

Panama Beach Panorama

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Panama City Beach, Florida.
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