Pensacola was first settled by the Spanish Empire in 1559, antedating the establishment of St. Augustine by six years,[8] but was abandoned due to a significant hurricane and not re-established until 1698.

[17][15][18][19] The expedition was to establish an outpost, ultimately called Santa María de Ochuse by Luna, as a base for Spanish efforts to colonize Santa Elena (present-day Parris Island, South Carolina), but the colony was decimated by a hurricane on September 19, 1559,[17][15][19] which killed an unknown number of sailors and colonists, sank six ships, grounded a seventh, and ruined supplies.

The survivors struggled to survive, most moving inland to what is now central Alabama for several months in 1560 before returning to the coast; in 1561, though, the effort was abandoned.

[17][19] In the late 17th century, the French began exploring the lower Mississippi River, with the intention of colonizing the region as part of La Louisiane or New France in North America.

In 1698, they established a fortified town near what is now Fort Barrancas, laying the foundation for permanent European-dominated settlement of the modern city of Pensacola.

Some married or had unions with Pensacola, Creek, or African women, both slave and free, and their descendants created a mixed-race population of mestizos and mulattos.

The Spanish encouraged fugitive slaves from the Southern colonies to come to Florida as a refuge, promising freedom in exchange for conversion to Catholicism.

From 1763, the British strengthened defenses around the mainland area of fort San Carlos de Barrancas, building the Royal Navy Redoubt.

In 1778, the Willing Expedition proceeded with a small force down the Mississippi, ransacking estates and plantations, until they were eventually defeated by a local militia.

[25] After Spain joined the American Revolution in 1779 on the side of the rebels, Spanish forces captured the city in the 1781 Siege of Pensacola, gaining control of West Florida.

In the final stages of the War of 1812, American troops launched an offensive on Pensacola against the Spanish and British garrisons protecting the city, which surrendered after two days of fighting.

In addition, an increasing proportion of Anglo Americans, who constituted the majority of Whites by 1840, led to a hardening of racial discrimination in the area.

Examples of these CDPs include Goulding, Ferry Pass, Ensley, Bellview, Myrtle Grove, Warrington, and West Pensacola.

[3] The land is sloped up northward from Pensacola Bay, with most of the city at an elevation above that at which a potential hurricane storm surge could affect.

Due partly to the coastal location, temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are relatively rare, and last occurred in June 2011, when two of the first four days of the month recorded highs reaching the century mark.

[36] The mean coldest temperature reached in a given winter season is about 24 °F (−4.4 °C), although the median is slightly higher, at no colder than 25 °F (−3.9 °C) most years, placing Pensacola in USDA zone 9b.

The most recent snowfall event occurred January 21, 2025, which produced record-breaking accumulations of up to 9.4 inches within the city limits and near-blizzard conditions.

Hurricanes which have made landfall at or near Pensacola since the late 20th century include Eloise (1975), Frederic (1979), Juan (1985), Erin (1995), Opal (1995), Georges (1998), Ivan (2004), Dennis (2005), and Sally (2020).

In July 2005, Hurricane Dennis made landfall just east of the city, sparing it the damage received from Ivan the year before.

Pensacola received only a glancing blow from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, resulting in light to moderate damage reported in the area.

Tens of thousands naval aviators have received their training there, including John H. Glenn, USMC, who became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, and Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to set foot on the Moon in 1969.

The museum cares for and exhibits hundreds of vintage naval-aviation aircraft and preserves the history of naval aviation through displays, symposiums, IMAX movies, and tours.

NASP hosted the commissioning ceremony of the United States Navy's newest amphibious transport dock, the USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) on September 7, 2024.

LPD 29 is the 13th ship of the San Antonio-class to be commissioned in the United States Navy and is the first vessel to be the namesake of Richard M. McCool Jr.[62][63] Pensacola is home to a number of annual festivals, events, historic tours, and landmarks.

The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is held annually in November in Seville Square, and often draws more than 200 regional and international artists.

From 2008 to 2018, The Pelican Drop was a significant attraction in the area, drawing in crowds of up to 50,000 local residents and visitors, making it one of the largest events of its kind in the Central Time Zone.

[71] In December 2019, organizers announced that the Pelican Drop had been canceled due to financial issues and the burden the event had caused on local police and public services.

Two additional charter amendments were approved on November 4, 2014, which made the position of mayor subject to recall and provided the city council with the authority to hire staff.

WPCS (FM) is broadcast from the Pensacola Christian College campus, where the nationwide Rejoice Radio Network maintains its studio.

However, from early 1993 through August 2005 Pensacola was served by the tri-weekly Amtrak Sunset Limited, but service east of New Orleans to Jacksonville and Orlando was suspended due to damage to the rail line of CSX during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.