Retirement: Pensacola-ish...

[Dr.No]

I figured that I should throw some personal experience here. All the info from Zemurray and Tayzach is totally accurate. That from dragonblast is totally inaccurate. I’m a retired Navy Commander with thirty years in Pensacola - it’s a great little town with good sailing. Pensacola Shipyard is your best bet for full service haul out work. Pelican Perch is fine for the do it yourself mode. You will have absolutely no problems in finding a rental well within your budget. I don’t have any great experience with the RV parks here, but if you can get a reservation, Fort Pickens in the National Park Service is lovely. Cheers, Dr. No

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

Panama City got hammered by Hurricane Michael and is in short supply of housing (but still available) and very short supply of slips (rare and expensive). PC is not really a sailing town even though the water is great here.

I very much like the Pensacola area in terms of things to do, yards to get work done, and diversity of places to live. It isn't just P'Cola proper; there are good places to live east and west. P'Cola also seems to have a more active sailing community. I'd like to see $ come into PC to help it recover but I also want to give you a straight answer.

Interesting comments about the heat on the panhandle in the summer. Yes, it can be miserable but it is FL after all and if you are close to the Gulf it cools down a bit at night.

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by tomfl

To those who say they can't live without AC my comment is 'suck it up buttercup'. .

Not everyone has the same body. Some of us are naturally hot. My ex-wife called me the human furnace because I was so hot in bed. Actually both ways but I digress. I grew up in Fla and have been back many times. It's too frickin hot most of the year for me. I refuse to go to bed bathed in sweat. I like the Puget Sound better. The weather is pleasant most of the time. I wish the water was warmer though but that's life.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by tomfl

I grew up in Miami as a kid in school in the 1950s. My Dad was an MD who made a good living but no AC back then; it was simply not that wide spread. We moved several times to bigger more expensive houses; again no AC. Went to school at USF in Tampa as an undergrad in the 1960s and guess what; no AC for cheap student housing. Later attended FSU for law school in Tallahassee; finally got AC in the 1970s. My Seawind has no AC and I cruise it with impunity. To those who say they can't live without AC my comment is 'suck it up buttercup'. For well over 99% of the time humans have lived in Florida there was no AC.

It's nice to remember how things were back in the day, but today is a different day.

It's hotter now!

Pensacola is not just hot in July and August it's sweltering!

Having said that, I still did my 3-5 mile runs 2-3 times/week even on black flag days which is when the military suspends all strenuous exercise outdoors. Many times I'd be running in 90 dergees on up. There was a hose though at the end of the trail so I would totally take a shower immediately upon completion to avoid heat related health problems....that and drink lots of water

It was the same with sailing. Beach cats don't have bimini's or motors so it could get very how

Also with our 50-70 mile bike ride in the mid 2000's that didn't finish til near 11am. it got super hot sometimes

Most non-airconditioned houses back in the day had trees around them and good airflow. The apartments with AC built later did not and the air flow was almost nonexistant

I think it started to get really hot right at the end of the 1990's with the arrival of the El Nino's or La Ninas. I can't remember which but those Summers were worse than in the mid 1990's as I recall

The beaches are beautiful though and I saw my first rattlesnake crossing from the Bayside to the Gulf mid Pensacola Bay after running the beach cats onshore and walking over. It was quite a surprise

I also lived in Yuma, AZ for a few years and I don't remember 107-110 degrees there being as bad as Pensacola in July and August after the late 90's. And at the first place we rented, we only had a Swamp Cooler! No AC. (I'd never heard of a swamp cooler until after I'd paid the first month's rent)

[Ex-Calif]

Been away a bit and just caught up the reading. Many thanks for all the open friendly dialog. All opinions are interesting and welcome. Special kudos to Thom255, tomfl, tazach, commander no etc.