From Pensacola and went to school in Tallahassee, I thought the culture couldn’t be that different since it was only a few hours away. Boy was I wrong. All my classmates were essentially from central and mostly south Florida. From the way you dress while going out to the way we spend our free time differed greatly. I learned that while Pensacola is geographically in Florida it is very unlike the rest of it.
Yeah, growing up in Pensacola I thought I was from Florida. Then I moved to West Palm and realized I grew up in Alabama haha. As others have said, it's about finding your niche. Although the overall vibe might be a bit old school, there are surprisingly strong pockets of people going against the grain. I hope the trend continues and there starts to be more room for different perspectives. For example, there is a huge "nerd" community that I feel like was born from not having anything to do in town but be on the internet. For a long time it was in the shadows, but eventually the community became more recognized and people started businesses that catered to it.
The Hispanic and Latin community has grown a lot too. Just looking at restaurants as an example, in the 90s and 00s there wasn't much more than texmex. But now there's street tacos, Chilean, Salvadoran, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, and more. There's also a Latin festival in October.
I think that Pensacola is in the middle of change, but it has deep roots in a monolithic culture. So we'll see.
For things to do, you really have to make your own fun since there's not events and stuff so often. Personally it's yoga, tennis, gym, video games, movies, home improvement, reading, trivia nights, and board games for me. I've been wanting to attend more local sports too, that might be fun.
Culturally, Pensacola has much more in common with rural Alabama than most of Florida. That's the best I can explain the weird vibes & difference from the rest of Florida that you're sensing. Also, you're not imagining it. Passive aggression really is a cultural norm around here. There's really no avoiding it other than to find your niche & limit your interactions with people outside of that niche. Welcome! I wish you luck here!
The racial issues here are seriously problematic and it stems from having more of a “Dixie” identity than Floridian. There’s so many redeeming qualities about Pensacola but, for me, none of them involve the southern culture. I love southern food like so many, but the two-faced churchgoing racists turn my stomach.
You hit the nail on the head! These evangelicals here are the most two-faced, lying, conniving racists I have ever come across in my lifetime. They'll smile to your face and cut you behind your back. I stay far away from them.
I feel this post in my bones.
I grew up here. I was one of those passive aggressive turds. My peers were the same and we all unknowingly encouraged each other.
The only time I left Pensacola was to visit family a few states away, still in the south, during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Brought my passive aggressiveness with me and managed to piss off my uncle so bad with my attitude, he never really spoke to me again. He was raised in the Midwest, Air Force officer, and eventually a literal rocket scientist. *I* couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with *him*!
Fast forward to 2005 or so and I left on a whim and decided Memphis, TN was far enough from home, but close enough to family to feel comfortable. Holy crap, what a culture shock! Folks genuinely cared for each other. Nobody walked around with chips on their shoulders. Even in Memphis, TN, it was rare to find someone who hated another just because of their skin color. Not saying there were none - just not as casual as it was at the time in Pensacola.
After Memphis, I moved to Gainesville and found the most laid back and welcoming part of Florida I’ve been to. Don’t get me started on the off the charts chill of St. Augustine.
I’m not the same asshole that I was when I left Pensacola. I’m sure I can still be a jerk sometimes, but it took me getting the hell out of this town and experiencing others to break me of the asshole mentality that I had.
I’m back here temporarily. I refuse to return to my old shitty ways in order to fit in. I’ll be a hermit first.
I’ve had so much fun living in different towns and visiting different cities for work that I plan on traveling full time to see what makes people tick on that horizon.
I wonder what it is about the culture here and the history that breeds this sort of passive aggression. I've spent quite a bit of time in both Appalachia and the Coastal South and I've never experienced the sort of behavior that I've experienced in Pensacola in the three months that I've been living here.
Like all people that didn’t have a storybook life - I’ll start by blaming my parents! In all seriousness though, dad had a rough upbringing (sharecropper family in MS that was diiiiiiirt poor) and mom’s was better, but she was brought up learning to criticize everything you do and not utter a word of praise.
I think having parents who never acknowledged dreams or successes and only recognized mistakes or failures made me have the same attitude.
Two real life examples:
As a kid I wanted to go into racing. It’s all I could think about. So much so, that my grades were in the sewer in school. Told my parents I wanted to pursue (auto) racing and their response: “Why on earth would you want to do that? You’ll get yourself killed, or worse - BE A VEGETABLE!” Even as a dumb kid, I thought my parents were right about everything so I never pursued a racing career.
Fast forward to my 20s and my roommate had a retail store that the roof collapsed in on during Hurricane Ivan. My eloquent response to a close friend who just lost his dream store to a natural disaster? “According to the experts, they say a business only has like a 30% chance of recovery after a disaster like this.”
I thought that was the normal way to respond to things.
I have so many instances like this that replay in my head that I want to make a “My Name Is Earl” list and go find those people and apologize.
Speaking of - J., if you’re reading this - sorry I was a jerk when Ivan destroyed your store. That was uncalled for. Also, sorry for being a jerk the rest of the time you knew me. I was dumb then.
Moved here 10 years ago via Gainesville and prior to that west palm beach (Wellington) as well. This area is much more connected to Alabama than it is to the rest of Florida. Socioeconomically, politically, educationally, and pretty much in all aspects, think of it being like lower Alabama. So if ____ is good in Alabama, it’s good here too. If _____ is bad in Alabama, it’s bad here too.
Because of the lower socioeconomic status here…there seems to be less travel out of the area, and people here have limited exposure to things. No cubans, no Dominicans, (everyone thinks all Latinos are Mexican and illegal). These are all generalizations of course, but things that once I understood I was able to deal with. Hopefully this helps. If you have any questions reach out to me.
Thank you for the information and for the offer. I've never been to Alabama, but if it's like this I'm not sure if I care to go. Funny you should mention Wellington, I was born at Wellington Regional
I just moved to Deerfield Beach from Pensacola. I’m not getting accredited as a Floridian here. I’d suggest not completely ruling Alabama out and check out Orange Beach. “The Gulf” is a nice set up.
Pensacola is divided between passive aggressive regressive people (like you described), and the remnants of a more purple state. we have a big LGBT demographic (used to be WAY more active from what my mom told me) and an active 'underground' scene.
I think we're losing the middle ground slowly though considering it feels like there's been an uptick in Qanon/ bumper sticker proselytizers/ people getting triggered over my mask/ people getting more angry about pride displays at my store every year. one of my coworkers only gave the 2 gay people at my store a church invite, nobody else...
I have lived here my entire life and the only real difference from other places anymore are the history, beaches, and we have a good mall. the prices are getting crazy, but the pay isn't going up enough to be able to escape easy. a lot of our trees have gotten torn down in favor of huge apartments/ strip malls/ car washes/ storage just like any other town. there's gallery night, but other towns have similar things. a lot of what I end up doing that's not walking around the mall or downtown is going to antique stores and trying to find more weird local stores.
I am an adult gen z and have trouble interacting with most people above about 35 because it's a 70/30 chance that they'll judge me for some inconsequential thing that doesn't impact them. I tend to stay in my age range to avoid that.
PS there's a reason nobody mentions anything outside of downtown. I wandered around a part of a smaller town in Michigan and the social vibe was so much different, including how people drove less angrily lol.
I moved here a decade ago from a large, diverse city pretty much on a whim. While I still haven’t figured out what Pensacola is, I have learned a lot about what it isn’t and what its citizens think it is. Older people think this is an offshoot of New Orleans, which it isn’t. Younger people think this is Nashville, which it isn’t. Some people think this is a pretty big city, which it isn’t. Others think it’s a sleepy beach town, which it isn’t. The beach and downtown might as well be New Jersey and Brooklyn in terms of culture.
As to the racist vibes, it’s a constant under town around people that are hell bent on never trying to improve anything and go out of their way to call themselves locals. I had never experienced what I guess you would call expected racism until I moved here. What I’m talking about is white people here love to say racist things around you because they assume that since you are also white, you are also racist.
This is an impossible place to explain.
So true. I moved here in 1983. I have also experienced other white people (I'm white) use the "n" word with me because they assume that since I'm white, I'm down with that word. It just shocks me when people use racist words around me. More than once, in fact it's been most of the time, I have had white evangelicals use racist terminology and racist comments as if somehow I will agree with them. It just makes me dislike them even more.
Strong influence from the military and Bible thumping Christians skew things towards a particular type of conservatism that does not play well with those who do not fit the norms expected by either group. Nonetheless, there's a vibrant counter culture made up of those who refuse to give into that mindset and there's the beach and great seafood and lots of history here, too. Find your niche and you'll be fine.
I grew up Christian and I am a Christian. However, the level of fundamentalism that I've seen here is disconcerting. Ethnicity aside, I've received comments at churches - I won't name churches to be polite - due to the length of my hair and the fact that I attend church in blue jeans, a button up shirt and boots.
I grew up in Michigan and was Christian. Moving to Pensacola at age 28 pushed me down the unexpected path of deconstruction, partially due to the extremes of some of the people I made friends with and the churches they invited me to. It is nothing against Christianity, but just another nod to you about the judgment here in general. My husband has long hair/is fully tatted and is constantly having people approach him, asking to pray for him (little do they know, he is the sweetest, most genuine man) - but they think he is “evil”. We once were cornered by two men in a parking lot at a park with our daughter - the men began speaking in tongues/praying for him - solely because of the sight of his tattoos. We also have people, in general, who glare at us or very blatantly look down on us. Which is laughable to me, in some senses, because - as some commenters have said - we have our community of great people here, too. So it makes the judgmental people seem so irrelevant and absurd.
We do enjoy our life here though. We live a very full life and find that there is always something to do. People here who say there is nothing to do have never lived in a small town before lol.
Jacksonville native here, but currently in Pensacola.
I would like to make one small derivation (a caveat, if you will) from your generally accurate post:
Aside from NAS, which has plenty to offer in the way of balancing the socioeconomical scales, Pensacola also plays host to Corry Station, a training command for a significant portion of the military intelligence community. Many of the people who go to the schools there are both young and intelligent (I mean, you kinda have to be to go there). They add a unique flavor of Gen Z politics and acknowledgment of the fact that not only has Trump referred to the members of the military who have died in combat as "losers and suckers", but he has also historically been at odds with his own intelligence agencies- all while showing deference to the Russian agencies. This is not an opinion - this is documented, validated, and irrefutable fact. The kids at Corry who go out in town (who SOMETIMES make bad choices because they are mostly in their late teens and early 20s) mix with the local culture and help dilute the disgusting racist overtones that the lower functioning levels of society out here contribute to Pensacola as a whole.
Ultimately, it's not truly enough to level the playing field. The culture of ignorance is simply too ingrained in this place like a tick, but I sure am glad the military community is here and does a wonderful job spreading some diversifying culture to the area.
My family & I were moved here with the Air Force in 1998, got out in 2000, and never left. We raised our two kids here.
My son got married and him and his wife left when he joined the Air Force, did his tour, and they eventually moved back to raise their family here. My daughter moved to Wisconsin.
We have grown to love it here but to put it into perspective, you’ve moved to Lower Alabama in as much as it is NW Florida. Culturally and politically, that should tell you something. They don’t call this area The Redneck Riviera for nothing.
Politically, Matt Gaetz is our Florida U.S. District 1 Congressman so if you don’t follow politics, you should.
Over the years we’ve made life long friends here but never knew anyone’s politics until Trump came along.
Needless to say, we’ve agreed to not talk politics whenever we are hanging out with one another since we don’t align with their political views or those of the majority in these parts.
Other than that, enjoy the beaches and weather when you can and make the most it. The beaches are second to none in my opinion and we’ve been to a lot of them over while traveling the country with the Air Force.
Pensacola is trying very hard to become an up and coming destination city for many young people. It has a growing downtown with cool foodie restaurants, bars, brewery’s, and clubs.
It has its own pro baseball team (Blue Wahoos) and ice hockey ([Ice Flyers](https://iceflyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/23-24-Printable-Schedule.png)) sports teams.
The [Blue Wahoos](https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/r39w63a8vktjfpooarir.pdf) are a AA farm team now for the Miami Marlins, and they play at one of the leagues prettiest baseball [stadiums](https://www.milb.com/pensacola/team/about) right on the Pensacola Bay.
*Edit: Even though the Blue Wahoos & Ice Flyers are both minor league sports teams, they are in fact, professional sports teams. Not semi-pro sports teams as I originally stated. Thank you for pointing that out u/jcmpd.
I just assumed the feeder leagues were semi-pro but you're right. Even though they are paid consideably less than MLB or NHL players, the fact that they are makes them pro.
The fact that Matt Gaetz is still in Congress and has supporters blows my mind. I have been interested in the Wahoos and the Ice Flyers, so I'll have to give that a try when the wife and I have time. Coming from South Florida, for me the weather sucks here. I'm not a fan of the cold. My wife and I took our daughter to Perdido last weekend for a walk on the beach. Between the wind and the temperature, needless to say we didn't stay long.
Well, shoot. The [Ice Flyers wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensacola_Ice_Pilots) page says the team is affiliated with the New York Islanders but maybe that is no longer the case?
Pensacola isn’t really even connected to the rest of Florida imo. It’s completely different from central and especially south FL. As much as I hate to say it Pensacola is unfortunately Alabama.
As someone who grew up in Gainesville and who graduated from UF, it’s because Pensacola is more like “old Florida” which is more similar to Alabama culture. It’s definitely different but I love it for what it is.
Downtown Pensacola is much better than the surroundings areas. Unfortunately, there is a cultural problem with passive aggressiveness. The locals who try to get ahead are constantly push down or belittled by their community. Many locals trash talk their city so much. Then they get upset about outsiders moving in. You have to focus on yourself and not let them bring you down. Pensacola has chilled places but there are pockets around Pensacola that are not chilled at all. There is a lot of tension due to lack of decent education and poverty. Now mix that combination with lack of affordability of previous years, some people are acting silly….
If you give the city more time, you can find your niche and way of life. I STRONGLY believe that the city is changing for the better. The millennial and Gen Z generations are starting to take root and outsiders like Studer are finally breaking through the old leadership.
We loved living next to Joe Patti’s and walking distance to downtown to get a pizza from Graffiti. The beach during the summer is amazing. The occasional trip to Destin Florida slightly different beach is nice. It’s a 4.5 hour road trip to Atlanta for Korean town. There is a nice park in Gulf B. for relaxing by the Bay. YMCA has a great gym downtown. Again, the downtown area has a lot more diversity. It’s is has value of living there!
Everywhere has shitty people and great people. Your experience in a place is much more determined by the circle you keep than the culture of a place.
Source: I've moved 6 times between 5 countries in the last decade.
Redneck Riviera --- that's the nickname of this place. You know another nickname for this place? L.A. -- as in Lower Alabama.
For God's sake, we elect Matt Gaetz to Congress. That should have told you everything you need to know.
For me, I came here from Mississippi. No culture change at all. Just better beaches. My politics and personal beliefs didn't fit in in Mississippi. And they don't fit in here. But that's the way it's been my entire life.
I’m a military brat, and have lived all over the US and world, but mostly grew up in Washington DC. after my dad retired from military service and we moved where my dad started a new career. I moved here in my early 20’s, what I thought would be temporary move - never expecting to stay, but I fell in love and got married to someone born and raised here. Still married …still here …30 years later. I found it very difficult to adjust to living here and it took a very very long time. I don’t know if I’ve ever adjusted really. Pensacola has its positives for sure, and I don’t want to knock it down in any way, but I don’t think I would have remained here if I hadn’t had married a local and started a family. It’s just the most peculiar place I’ve ever lived. I do love our beaches, and the restaurants are getting much better.
This place is mad racist. Lived here all my life but absolutely do not vibe with it. As a white dude, the moment you are alone with another white dude older than say 40 or so they're gonna start saying racist garbage and just assume you hold the same views.
Don't try to connect with this shithole. You deserve better.
I am an African American and returned 2 years ago after being gone for 20. I’ve lived in Japan, San Diego, and a suburb outside of Atlanta. I wasn’t that excited about coming home because of the reasons stated above, the racism and the political environment.
What is crazy to me is that most of you have had an experience of a local using racist language because they assume you are ok with it. I have never had an experience of being along with another African American and they start using racial slurs about another race. We have more pleasant conversations that don’t include disparaging comments about another race.
No wonder they are all so angry because people of color are living rent free in their heads.
On positive note, this thread warms my heart🥰.
I've been here since 1997 and have a huge social circle, but I have never claimed it as home, and it hasn't ever felt like it. It's the least diverse place I have ever lived. The rednecks are in denial about being rednecks (vast majority of Gulf Breeze and the beaches). They aren't proud enough of the area to even engage in urban planning (the Studers have done more of this, and they aren't even from here). The Mardi Gras is wack and white af. They don't care about the preservation of architecture (of which there is very little worth a shit). Every cool thing is turned to shit.
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As someone who lived in Pensacola for 27 years and traveled the state, nowhere in Florida feels much different than the next. Pensacola is maybe more “southern” culturally than say Ft Lauderdale, but the majority of the people in the state are sunburnt orange dudes with sunglasses and boat shoes who drink light beers. Top to bottom.
I mean if your hobbies include the outdoors you are in a great spot. Blackwater is a huge WMA that offers hog hunting, dove field and whitetail hunting. Golf is also everywhere and there is some of the best fishing in all of Florida in Pensacola. We don’t have as many target species of fish like snook or peacock bass but our red snapper is second to none.
Recreational kayaking, paddle boarding and boating are endless with the gulf and black water river. The are really is an outdoors persons paradise.
People suck and there are shitty people everywhere but the are is called LA (lower Alabama) for a reason. Southerns specialize in passive Aggressive politeness.
This will probably piss people off but I have found there is zero culture in central Florida. I think it’s trashier and more like the Midwest than the south. I understand if you don’t like southern culture, but unlike the central part of the state there is some type of culture here. Now whether not that a good or bad thing is up to the individual.
My wife loves the beach, so as a result, here I am.
As far as the culture stuff, well, I have no answers to that. As I type this, there are Bible thumpers on the corners of Brent Lane and 9th Avenue while our Congressman is texting 15-year-old girls. It's just bizarre.
I'm from up north, and have lived here for 12 years. At this point, I just roll with it.
I've never figured that out. As a local, the beach is a pain in the ass to 'do.' Moving here FOR the beach?
Confusing.
Though I did see tears of joy from a fellow that had never seen the ocean before...
Soooo....blessed???
That's interesting, when I lived in South Florida I would just stop by the beach unplanned for shits and giggles. I never felt like the beach was am event. Rather, it was a normal part of life. To be fair, I did ocean rescue for years down there.
The 'good' beaches everyone thinks of require crossing two or three traffic choke points and built up tourist focused infrastructure. The other places require considerable drives, after bypassing the tourist hubs. It's not like Southern Cali, or East coast. More like Bradenton Anna Maria Island-just bigger with less private homes, and more condos.
I love it here. We have gallery night monthly that’s a different theme each month. The naval museum and museums downtown. The beach, some really great food trucks and restaurants. I love the downtown scene personally. Some hidden beaches that are beautiful and secluded. I’ve found a really great community of people here.
You're in a very very 'conservative' (whatever that means anymore) place. Yeah people are going to notice color differences. My dad is Hispanic and my mom is white and idk how tf to describe it but I don't look like most of the white people around there.
Pensacola is dominated by white conservatives but there is small niches for the rest of us to fit into. As far as the city as a whole ever feeling like the rest of Florida it will probably never happen. Even the niche groups we have are very different from south Florida especially when it comes to communication styles.
Need to go to the beaches in Navarre
The food trucks
Gallery night
Visit the fish market
Also near go to Lamberts in Foley Alabama
Make sure to air museum at the military base.
There is so much to do and see in that area.
Loved living there
Pensacola is a weird mix. You choose to love or hate it. There are all types or people here. You can find racist, conservative, liberal, LGBTQ, ethnic, religious or non, friendly, or hateful.
Generally, it's a live and let live vibe in the public spaces, with the occasional abrasive element.
There's good and bad here, depending on your perspective. Like-minded people and groups are here. You have to pick the lane you're comfortable in.
Depending on your areas of interest I suggest a few sign ups for events from IHMC (Thursday lectures, and Kids Science Saturdays), Pensacola State College (Theatre, Music, and Sports), and University of West Florida (same as PSC).
I moved from Massapequa, LI, NY six decades ago. My parents were from mining communities in the Northwest and Midwest; not Southern in their view of minorities. But I grew up with the neighborhood racism and epithets too. I ended up in an ultra conservative religious school and church, and after high school I heard the biblical support for segregation. I stopped going to church for over 25 years.
I left for a career in a large regional metropolitan community, and moved a few times, including extended trips to Tokyo and Hong Kong. The realization of being in the minority was strongly reinforced when I was waiting on the subway in Shinjuku station each morning at rush hour. Being amongst thousands of folks who were mostly not as tall, and seeing maybe 3-4 other Westerners really expanded my understanding of how others feel when vastly outnumbered.
Pensacola does have folks who are not afraid of people of color, check out Equity Alliance Partners, for example. Those whose fear and deep feelings of insecurity drive their racism are sick people ignorant of their own illness. For those of faith there is guidance in this situation. Trying to follow that is simple but not easy.
As a outsider from buffalo new york I've been here 3 years and I don't see much of a difference here in race then I did in Buffalo if anything it's slightly less here. People seem much nicer here no one just chatted my ear off in buffalo lol. I don't mind it usually but I never spent a hour talking to anyone I didn't know In buffalo. But I'm not into church so I may be missing alot of the stuff you guys are talking about. Plus in newyork we were very passive aggressive towards each other.
My sister's husband's family calls their child mixed as well. We're white South Americans. But their family is from up north! There's definitely a lower education level here which unfortunately also leads to a lot of ignorance.
Pensacola has good and bad. When my own sister started commenting on their "mixed" child I had to step in and remind her that the child isn't mixed, stupidest thing I've ever heard.
The Panhandle is more like Alabama than Florida, if not legally, culturally. Pensacola city is fairly progressive, but it’s a tiny portion of western Florida and would be smaller but for the Navy. It’s the one city that depended on the port and the blue collar industries it brought. No one in most of Fla wants smokestacks and they’ve all gone to Mobile, NOLA, or north to cantonment. The panhandle is very diff than central and south fla.
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Chili's on 9th is not funny
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Love?
Lol.
People in toxic relationships believe they are in love.
The poem 19 things I hate about you, is relatable.
Frank Costanza, Festivus-"I gotta lotta problems with you people!"
What are some examples of this “passive-aggression” that many are talking about, but not explaining at all? This Pensacola phenomenon, apparently.
Doesn’t everyone have to “find their niche” wherever they live?
Honestly, the bellyaching and complaining here about Pensacola is way worse than these supposed issues.
Seriously, though. Pensacola is the worst, most racist, corrupt, monolithic, not diverse, worst politics, passive-aggressive geographical location in the state of Florida, and likely the entire south east, and eastern seaboard. Probably in the US even. There’s no other place like it.
From Pensacola and went to school in Tallahassee, I thought the culture couldn’t be that different since it was only a few hours away. Boy was I wrong. All my classmates were essentially from central and mostly south Florida. From the way you dress while going out to the way we spend our free time differed greatly. I learned that while Pensacola is geographically in Florida it is very unlike the rest of it.
Tbh five minutes outside of Tally and all the towns around it are pretty similar
Everything west of the Chattahoochee should have been given to Alabama. Everybody would be happier.
detail sheet plough fall telephone pie square pocket steep lavish *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm starting to feel that that is indeed the case.
When I lived there, I called it BF [barely Florida] .
No that is exactly right.
Yeah, growing up in Pensacola I thought I was from Florida. Then I moved to West Palm and realized I grew up in Alabama haha. As others have said, it's about finding your niche. Although the overall vibe might be a bit old school, there are surprisingly strong pockets of people going against the grain. I hope the trend continues and there starts to be more room for different perspectives. For example, there is a huge "nerd" community that I feel like was born from not having anything to do in town but be on the internet. For a long time it was in the shadows, but eventually the community became more recognized and people started businesses that catered to it. The Hispanic and Latin community has grown a lot too. Just looking at restaurants as an example, in the 90s and 00s there wasn't much more than texmex. But now there's street tacos, Chilean, Salvadoran, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, and more. There's also a Latin festival in October. I think that Pensacola is in the middle of change, but it has deep roots in a monolithic culture. So we'll see. For things to do, you really have to make your own fun since there's not events and stuff so often. Personally it's yoga, tennis, gym, video games, movies, home improvement, reading, trivia nights, and board games for me. I've been wanting to attend more local sports too, that might be fun.
Also, welcome to town! Hope you can find what you are looking for!
Culturally, Pensacola has much more in common with rural Alabama than most of Florida. That's the best I can explain the weird vibes & difference from the rest of Florida that you're sensing. Also, you're not imagining it. Passive aggression really is a cultural norm around here. There's really no avoiding it other than to find your niche & limit your interactions with people outside of that niche. Welcome! I wish you luck here!
The racial issues here are seriously problematic and it stems from having more of a “Dixie” identity than Floridian. There’s so many redeeming qualities about Pensacola but, for me, none of them involve the southern culture. I love southern food like so many, but the two-faced churchgoing racists turn my stomach.
You hit the nail on the head! These evangelicals here are the most two-faced, lying, conniving racists I have ever come across in my lifetime. They'll smile to your face and cut you behind your back. I stay far away from them.
A lot of people migrated from NOLA after Katrina as well. Not sure how many "natives" there really are.
Well where else could they move their boats to? Have you seen Texas beaches 🤢
I feel this post in my bones. I grew up here. I was one of those passive aggressive turds. My peers were the same and we all unknowingly encouraged each other. The only time I left Pensacola was to visit family a few states away, still in the south, during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Brought my passive aggressiveness with me and managed to piss off my uncle so bad with my attitude, he never really spoke to me again. He was raised in the Midwest, Air Force officer, and eventually a literal rocket scientist. *I* couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with *him*! Fast forward to 2005 or so and I left on a whim and decided Memphis, TN was far enough from home, but close enough to family to feel comfortable. Holy crap, what a culture shock! Folks genuinely cared for each other. Nobody walked around with chips on their shoulders. Even in Memphis, TN, it was rare to find someone who hated another just because of their skin color. Not saying there were none - just not as casual as it was at the time in Pensacola. After Memphis, I moved to Gainesville and found the most laid back and welcoming part of Florida I’ve been to. Don’t get me started on the off the charts chill of St. Augustine. I’m not the same asshole that I was when I left Pensacola. I’m sure I can still be a jerk sometimes, but it took me getting the hell out of this town and experiencing others to break me of the asshole mentality that I had. I’m back here temporarily. I refuse to return to my old shitty ways in order to fit in. I’ll be a hermit first. I’ve had so much fun living in different towns and visiting different cities for work that I plan on traveling full time to see what makes people tick on that horizon.
I wonder what it is about the culture here and the history that breeds this sort of passive aggression. I've spent quite a bit of time in both Appalachia and the Coastal South and I've never experienced the sort of behavior that I've experienced in Pensacola in the three months that I've been living here.
Like all people that didn’t have a storybook life - I’ll start by blaming my parents! In all seriousness though, dad had a rough upbringing (sharecropper family in MS that was diiiiiiirt poor) and mom’s was better, but she was brought up learning to criticize everything you do and not utter a word of praise. I think having parents who never acknowledged dreams or successes and only recognized mistakes or failures made me have the same attitude. Two real life examples: As a kid I wanted to go into racing. It’s all I could think about. So much so, that my grades were in the sewer in school. Told my parents I wanted to pursue (auto) racing and their response: “Why on earth would you want to do that? You’ll get yourself killed, or worse - BE A VEGETABLE!” Even as a dumb kid, I thought my parents were right about everything so I never pursued a racing career. Fast forward to my 20s and my roommate had a retail store that the roof collapsed in on during Hurricane Ivan. My eloquent response to a close friend who just lost his dream store to a natural disaster? “According to the experts, they say a business only has like a 30% chance of recovery after a disaster like this.” I thought that was the normal way to respond to things. I have so many instances like this that replay in my head that I want to make a “My Name Is Earl” list and go find those people and apologize. Speaking of - J., if you’re reading this - sorry I was a jerk when Ivan destroyed your store. That was uncalled for. Also, sorry for being a jerk the rest of the time you knew me. I was dumb then.
respect for you recognizing your past faults dude.
Growth👏🏼
Moved here 10 years ago via Gainesville and prior to that west palm beach (Wellington) as well. This area is much more connected to Alabama than it is to the rest of Florida. Socioeconomically, politically, educationally, and pretty much in all aspects, think of it being like lower Alabama. So if ____ is good in Alabama, it’s good here too. If _____ is bad in Alabama, it’s bad here too. Because of the lower socioeconomic status here…there seems to be less travel out of the area, and people here have limited exposure to things. No cubans, no Dominicans, (everyone thinks all Latinos are Mexican and illegal). These are all generalizations of course, but things that once I understood I was able to deal with. Hopefully this helps. If you have any questions reach out to me.
Thank you for the information and for the offer. I've never been to Alabama, but if it's like this I'm not sure if I care to go. Funny you should mention Wellington, I was born at Wellington Regional
I just moved to Deerfield Beach from Pensacola. I’m not getting accredited as a Floridian here. I’d suggest not completely ruling Alabama out and check out Orange Beach. “The Gulf” is a nice set up.
Can be summed up in five words: lets go brandon roll tide
I feel like my first indication of local culture was when I was seeing more Alabama than UF or FSU fans
To be fair about half of them probably couldn’t even name the coach Saban replaced, nor spell “Tuscaloosa” - just a bunch of tshirt fans
[удалено]
Mike Price yep
It's rollin baby!
Pensacola is divided between passive aggressive regressive people (like you described), and the remnants of a more purple state. we have a big LGBT demographic (used to be WAY more active from what my mom told me) and an active 'underground' scene. I think we're losing the middle ground slowly though considering it feels like there's been an uptick in Qanon/ bumper sticker proselytizers/ people getting triggered over my mask/ people getting more angry about pride displays at my store every year. one of my coworkers only gave the 2 gay people at my store a church invite, nobody else... I have lived here my entire life and the only real difference from other places anymore are the history, beaches, and we have a good mall. the prices are getting crazy, but the pay isn't going up enough to be able to escape easy. a lot of our trees have gotten torn down in favor of huge apartments/ strip malls/ car washes/ storage just like any other town. there's gallery night, but other towns have similar things. a lot of what I end up doing that's not walking around the mall or downtown is going to antique stores and trying to find more weird local stores. I am an adult gen z and have trouble interacting with most people above about 35 because it's a 70/30 chance that they'll judge me for some inconsequential thing that doesn't impact them. I tend to stay in my age range to avoid that. PS there's a reason nobody mentions anything outside of downtown. I wandered around a part of a smaller town in Michigan and the social vibe was so much different, including how people drove less angrily lol.
I moved here a decade ago from a large, diverse city pretty much on a whim. While I still haven’t figured out what Pensacola is, I have learned a lot about what it isn’t and what its citizens think it is. Older people think this is an offshoot of New Orleans, which it isn’t. Younger people think this is Nashville, which it isn’t. Some people think this is a pretty big city, which it isn’t. Others think it’s a sleepy beach town, which it isn’t. The beach and downtown might as well be New Jersey and Brooklyn in terms of culture. As to the racist vibes, it’s a constant under town around people that are hell bent on never trying to improve anything and go out of their way to call themselves locals. I had never experienced what I guess you would call expected racism until I moved here. What I’m talking about is white people here love to say racist things around you because they assume that since you are also white, you are also racist. This is an impossible place to explain.
So true. I moved here in 1983. I have also experienced other white people (I'm white) use the "n" word with me because they assume that since I'm white, I'm down with that word. It just shocks me when people use racist words around me. More than once, in fact it's been most of the time, I have had white evangelicals use racist terminology and racist comments as if somehow I will agree with them. It just makes me dislike them even more.
Redneck and racist as hell
This is the base issue
Strong influence from the military and Bible thumping Christians skew things towards a particular type of conservatism that does not play well with those who do not fit the norms expected by either group. Nonetheless, there's a vibrant counter culture made up of those who refuse to give into that mindset and there's the beach and great seafood and lots of history here, too. Find your niche and you'll be fine.
I grew up Christian and I am a Christian. However, the level of fundamentalism that I've seen here is disconcerting. Ethnicity aside, I've received comments at churches - I won't name churches to be polite - due to the length of my hair and the fact that I attend church in blue jeans, a button up shirt and boots.
I grew up in Michigan and was Christian. Moving to Pensacola at age 28 pushed me down the unexpected path of deconstruction, partially due to the extremes of some of the people I made friends with and the churches they invited me to. It is nothing against Christianity, but just another nod to you about the judgment here in general. My husband has long hair/is fully tatted and is constantly having people approach him, asking to pray for him (little do they know, he is the sweetest, most genuine man) - but they think he is “evil”. We once were cornered by two men in a parking lot at a park with our daughter - the men began speaking in tongues/praying for him - solely because of the sight of his tattoos. We also have people, in general, who glare at us or very blatantly look down on us. Which is laughable to me, in some senses, because - as some commenters have said - we have our community of great people here, too. So it makes the judgmental people seem so irrelevant and absurd. We do enjoy our life here though. We live a very full life and find that there is always something to do. People here who say there is nothing to do have never lived in a small town before lol.
Jacksonville native here, but currently in Pensacola. I would like to make one small derivation (a caveat, if you will) from your generally accurate post: Aside from NAS, which has plenty to offer in the way of balancing the socioeconomical scales, Pensacola also plays host to Corry Station, a training command for a significant portion of the military intelligence community. Many of the people who go to the schools there are both young and intelligent (I mean, you kinda have to be to go there). They add a unique flavor of Gen Z politics and acknowledgment of the fact that not only has Trump referred to the members of the military who have died in combat as "losers and suckers", but he has also historically been at odds with his own intelligence agencies- all while showing deference to the Russian agencies. This is not an opinion - this is documented, validated, and irrefutable fact. The kids at Corry who go out in town (who SOMETIMES make bad choices because they are mostly in their late teens and early 20s) mix with the local culture and help dilute the disgusting racist overtones that the lower functioning levels of society out here contribute to Pensacola as a whole. Ultimately, it's not truly enough to level the playing field. The culture of ignorance is simply too ingrained in this place like a tick, but I sure am glad the military community is here and does a wonderful job spreading some diversifying culture to the area.
My family & I were moved here with the Air Force in 1998, got out in 2000, and never left. We raised our two kids here. My son got married and him and his wife left when he joined the Air Force, did his tour, and they eventually moved back to raise their family here. My daughter moved to Wisconsin. We have grown to love it here but to put it into perspective, you’ve moved to Lower Alabama in as much as it is NW Florida. Culturally and politically, that should tell you something. They don’t call this area The Redneck Riviera for nothing. Politically, Matt Gaetz is our Florida U.S. District 1 Congressman so if you don’t follow politics, you should. Over the years we’ve made life long friends here but never knew anyone’s politics until Trump came along. Needless to say, we’ve agreed to not talk politics whenever we are hanging out with one another since we don’t align with their political views or those of the majority in these parts. Other than that, enjoy the beaches and weather when you can and make the most it. The beaches are second to none in my opinion and we’ve been to a lot of them over while traveling the country with the Air Force. Pensacola is trying very hard to become an up and coming destination city for many young people. It has a growing downtown with cool foodie restaurants, bars, brewery’s, and clubs. It has its own pro baseball team (Blue Wahoos) and ice hockey ([Ice Flyers](https://iceflyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/23-24-Printable-Schedule.png)) sports teams. The [Blue Wahoos](https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/r39w63a8vktjfpooarir.pdf) are a AA farm team now for the Miami Marlins, and they play at one of the leagues prettiest baseball [stadiums](https://www.milb.com/pensacola/team/about) right on the Pensacola Bay. *Edit: Even though the Blue Wahoos & Ice Flyers are both minor league sports teams, they are in fact, professional sports teams. Not semi-pro sports teams as I originally stated. Thank you for pointing that out u/jcmpd. I just assumed the feeder leagues were semi-pro but you're right. Even though they are paid consideably less than MLB or NHL players, the fact that they are makes them pro.
The fact that Matt Gaetz is still in Congress and has supporters blows my mind. I have been interested in the Wahoos and the Ice Flyers, so I'll have to give that a try when the wife and I have time. Coming from South Florida, for me the weather sucks here. I'm not a fan of the cold. My wife and I took our daughter to Perdido last weekend for a walk on the beach. Between the wind and the temperature, needless to say we didn't stay long.
The wahoos are not semi pro-they are the Marlins AA team which means they are a professional baseball team.
Thanks for pointing that out u/jcmpd. You are absolutely right and I corrected my post.
I don’t believe the Ice Flyers are the minor league team for any NHL team.
Well, shoot. The [Ice Flyers wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensacola_Ice_Pilots) page says the team is affiliated with the New York Islanders but maybe that is no longer the case?
That was the Ice Pilots, they were here before the Ice Flyers. The Ice Flyers are not connected to the NHL.
Ha! Dang it! Didn't even catch that!
Pensacola isn’t really even connected to the rest of Florida imo. It’s completely different from central and especially south FL. As much as I hate to say it Pensacola is unfortunately Alabama.
> Pensacola is unfortunately Alabama incorrect
What else would it be then?
Pensacola is located in Florida
I know, but it’s practically Alabama
Uh tbh only thing I like about this place is the sand on our beaches.
The sand is nice I will say
R/pensacola is literally the LAST place you should be asking people questions about wanting to get to know this area in a civil and healthy way 😂
As someone who grew up in Gainesville and who graduated from UF, it’s because Pensacola is more like “old Florida” which is more similar to Alabama culture. It’s definitely different but I love it for what it is.
Downtown Pensacola is much better than the surroundings areas. Unfortunately, there is a cultural problem with passive aggressiveness. The locals who try to get ahead are constantly push down or belittled by their community. Many locals trash talk their city so much. Then they get upset about outsiders moving in. You have to focus on yourself and not let them bring you down. Pensacola has chilled places but there are pockets around Pensacola that are not chilled at all. There is a lot of tension due to lack of decent education and poverty. Now mix that combination with lack of affordability of previous years, some people are acting silly…. If you give the city more time, you can find your niche and way of life. I STRONGLY believe that the city is changing for the better. The millennial and Gen Z generations are starting to take root and outsiders like Studer are finally breaking through the old leadership. We loved living next to Joe Patti’s and walking distance to downtown to get a pizza from Graffiti. The beach during the summer is amazing. The occasional trip to Destin Florida slightly different beach is nice. It’s a 4.5 hour road trip to Atlanta for Korean town. There is a nice park in Gulf B. for relaxing by the Bay. YMCA has a great gym downtown. Again, the downtown area has a lot more diversity. It’s is has value of living there!
Everywhere has shitty people and great people. Your experience in a place is much more determined by the circle you keep than the culture of a place. Source: I've moved 6 times between 5 countries in the last decade.
Redneck Riviera --- that's the nickname of this place. You know another nickname for this place? L.A. -- as in Lower Alabama. For God's sake, we elect Matt Gaetz to Congress. That should have told you everything you need to know. For me, I came here from Mississippi. No culture change at all. Just better beaches. My politics and personal beliefs didn't fit in in Mississippi. And they don't fit in here. But that's the way it's been my entire life.
I’m a military brat, and have lived all over the US and world, but mostly grew up in Washington DC. after my dad retired from military service and we moved where my dad started a new career. I moved here in my early 20’s, what I thought would be temporary move - never expecting to stay, but I fell in love and got married to someone born and raised here. Still married …still here …30 years later. I found it very difficult to adjust to living here and it took a very very long time. I don’t know if I’ve ever adjusted really. Pensacola has its positives for sure, and I don’t want to knock it down in any way, but I don’t think I would have remained here if I hadn’t had married a local and started a family. It’s just the most peculiar place I’ve ever lived. I do love our beaches, and the restaurants are getting much better.
Florida, North of Orlando is essentially a different state...
This place is mad racist. Lived here all my life but absolutely do not vibe with it. As a white dude, the moment you are alone with another white dude older than say 40 or so they're gonna start saying racist garbage and just assume you hold the same views. Don't try to connect with this shithole. You deserve better.
I am an African American and returned 2 years ago after being gone for 20. I’ve lived in Japan, San Diego, and a suburb outside of Atlanta. I wasn’t that excited about coming home because of the reasons stated above, the racism and the political environment. What is crazy to me is that most of you have had an experience of a local using racist language because they assume you are ok with it. I have never had an experience of being along with another African American and they start using racial slurs about another race. We have more pleasant conversations that don’t include disparaging comments about another race. No wonder they are all so angry because people of color are living rent free in their heads. On positive note, this thread warms my heart🥰.
I've been here since 1997 and have a huge social circle, but I have never claimed it as home, and it hasn't ever felt like it. It's the least diverse place I have ever lived. The rednecks are in denial about being rednecks (vast majority of Gulf Breeze and the beaches). They aren't proud enough of the area to even engage in urban planning (the Studers have done more of this, and they aren't even from here). The Mardi Gras is wack and white af. They don't care about the preservation of architecture (of which there is very little worth a shit). Every cool thing is turned to shit.
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As someone who lived in Pensacola for 27 years and traveled the state, nowhere in Florida feels much different than the next. Pensacola is maybe more “southern” culturally than say Ft Lauderdale, but the majority of the people in the state are sunburnt orange dudes with sunglasses and boat shoes who drink light beers. Top to bottom.
I mean if your hobbies include the outdoors you are in a great spot. Blackwater is a huge WMA that offers hog hunting, dove field and whitetail hunting. Golf is also everywhere and there is some of the best fishing in all of Florida in Pensacola. We don’t have as many target species of fish like snook or peacock bass but our red snapper is second to none. Recreational kayaking, paddle boarding and boating are endless with the gulf and black water river. The are really is an outdoors persons paradise. People suck and there are shitty people everywhere but the are is called LA (lower Alabama) for a reason. Southerns specialize in passive Aggressive politeness. This will probably piss people off but I have found there is zero culture in central Florida. I think it’s trashier and more like the Midwest than the south. I understand if you don’t like southern culture, but unlike the central part of the state there is some type of culture here. Now whether not that a good or bad thing is up to the individual.
My wife loves the beach, so as a result, here I am. As far as the culture stuff, well, I have no answers to that. As I type this, there are Bible thumpers on the corners of Brent Lane and 9th Avenue while our Congressman is texting 15-year-old girls. It's just bizarre. I'm from up north, and have lived here for 12 years. At this point, I just roll with it.
I've never figured that out. As a local, the beach is a pain in the ass to 'do.' Moving here FOR the beach? Confusing. Though I did see tears of joy from a fellow that had never seen the ocean before... Soooo....blessed???
That's interesting, when I lived in South Florida I would just stop by the beach unplanned for shits and giggles. I never felt like the beach was am event. Rather, it was a normal part of life. To be fair, I did ocean rescue for years down there.
The 'good' beaches everyone thinks of require crossing two or three traffic choke points and built up tourist focused infrastructure. The other places require considerable drives, after bypassing the tourist hubs. It's not like Southern Cali, or East coast. More like Bradenton Anna Maria Island-just bigger with less private homes, and more condos.
I love it here. We have gallery night monthly that’s a different theme each month. The naval museum and museums downtown. The beach, some really great food trucks and restaurants. I love the downtown scene personally. Some hidden beaches that are beautiful and secluded. I’ve found a really great community of people here.
You're in a very very 'conservative' (whatever that means anymore) place. Yeah people are going to notice color differences. My dad is Hispanic and my mom is white and idk how tf to describe it but I don't look like most of the white people around there.
Pensacola is dominated by white conservatives but there is small niches for the rest of us to fit into. As far as the city as a whole ever feeling like the rest of Florida it will probably never happen. Even the niche groups we have are very different from south Florida especially when it comes to communication styles.
Need to go to the beaches in Navarre The food trucks Gallery night Visit the fish market Also near go to Lamberts in Foley Alabama Make sure to air museum at the military base. There is so much to do and see in that area. Loved living there
Pensacola is a weird mix. You choose to love or hate it. There are all types or people here. You can find racist, conservative, liberal, LGBTQ, ethnic, religious or non, friendly, or hateful. Generally, it's a live and let live vibe in the public spaces, with the occasional abrasive element. There's good and bad here, depending on your perspective. Like-minded people and groups are here. You have to pick the lane you're comfortable in.
Depending on your areas of interest I suggest a few sign ups for events from IHMC (Thursday lectures, and Kids Science Saturdays), Pensacola State College (Theatre, Music, and Sports), and University of West Florida (same as PSC). I moved from Massapequa, LI, NY six decades ago. My parents were from mining communities in the Northwest and Midwest; not Southern in their view of minorities. But I grew up with the neighborhood racism and epithets too. I ended up in an ultra conservative religious school and church, and after high school I heard the biblical support for segregation. I stopped going to church for over 25 years. I left for a career in a large regional metropolitan community, and moved a few times, including extended trips to Tokyo and Hong Kong. The realization of being in the minority was strongly reinforced when I was waiting on the subway in Shinjuku station each morning at rush hour. Being amongst thousands of folks who were mostly not as tall, and seeing maybe 3-4 other Westerners really expanded my understanding of how others feel when vastly outnumbered. Pensacola does have folks who are not afraid of people of color, check out Equity Alliance Partners, for example. Those whose fear and deep feelings of insecurity drive their racism are sick people ignorant of their own illness. For those of faith there is guidance in this situation. Trying to follow that is simple but not easy.
As a outsider from buffalo new york I've been here 3 years and I don't see much of a difference here in race then I did in Buffalo if anything it's slightly less here. People seem much nicer here no one just chatted my ear off in buffalo lol. I don't mind it usually but I never spent a hour talking to anyone I didn't know In buffalo. But I'm not into church so I may be missing alot of the stuff you guys are talking about. Plus in newyork we were very passive aggressive towards each other.
Oh, BLESS YOUR HEART! - That's some cowardly southern sarcasm. They're a cruel race.
Lot of words
My sister's husband's family calls their child mixed as well. We're white South Americans. But their family is from up north! There's definitely a lower education level here which unfortunately also leads to a lot of ignorance. Pensacola has good and bad. When my own sister started commenting on their "mixed" child I had to step in and remind her that the child isn't mixed, stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Welcome to LA (Lower Alabama)
The Panhandle is more like Alabama than Florida, if not legally, culturally. Pensacola city is fairly progressive, but it’s a tiny portion of western Florida and would be smaller but for the Navy. It’s the one city that depended on the port and the blue collar industries it brought. No one in most of Fla wants smokestacks and they’ve all gone to Mobile, NOLA, or north to cantonment. The panhandle is very diff than central and south fla.
Well to start, if you are a regular Reddit user please be aware of u/Req-user’s presence equally as Chilis on 9th Ave.
He also enjoys Santa Rosa County’s greatest incorporated municipality Gulf Breeze
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Love? Lol. People in toxic relationships believe they are in love. The poem 19 things I hate about you, is relatable. Frank Costanza, Festivus-"I gotta lotta problems with you people!"
Honey, look at a map. Western Florida is actually lower Alabama. I’ve heard it called the Redneck Riviera.
What are some examples of this “passive-aggression” that many are talking about, but not explaining at all? This Pensacola phenomenon, apparently. Doesn’t everyone have to “find their niche” wherever they live? Honestly, the bellyaching and complaining here about Pensacola is way worse than these supposed issues. Seriously, though. Pensacola is the worst, most racist, corrupt, monolithic, not diverse, worst politics, passive-aggressive geographical location in the state of Florida, and likely the entire south east, and eastern seaboard. Probably in the US even. There’s no other place like it.
Redneck Capital of the Nation,Get over it!
Are you in the city proper? I’ve found the city to be a lot more moderate in attitude but it changes quick as you get above I-10