Escambia County, Florida

Escambia County Education, Geography, and History

Escambia County is the westernmost county in the state of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 297,619.  Escambia County was created on July 21, 1821 as an original county. The county seat is Pensacola. This county is named for possibly came from the Native American word Shambia, meaning "clear water".

Escambia County is included in the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county population has continued to increase as the suburbs of Pensacola and other cities have developed.

Etymology - Origin of Escambia County Name

This county is named for possibly from the Native American word Shambia, meaning "clear water".

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Escambia County History

Escambia County was created in 1821. The county was created by the Territorial Legislature on July 22, 1821 to be Florida's first county, a distinction it shares with St. John's County. This county is named for possibly came from the Native American word Shambia, meaning "clear water". Escambia County and St. Johns County were Florida's original two counties with the Suwannee River being the boundary between the two

America's history begins right here. A half-century before the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the original residents of Escambia County- the Creek and Poarch Indians- were on hand for the first landing of Europeans anywhere on the American mainland. Over the course of the next 400 years, the flags of five nations flew over this area on one or more occasions.

More at

History of Escambia County

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 876 square miles (2,268 km²).662 square miles (1,715 km²) of it is land and 213 square miles (552 km²) of it (24.35%) is water.

Escambia county is located in northwest Florida. The county includes the island of Santa Rosa, which is separate from Santa Rosa County proper.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Escambia County, Ala.
• East: Santa Rosa County
• South: Gulf of Mexico
• West: Baldwin County, Ala.

Education

Public primary and secondary education schools in Pensacola are administered by the Escambia County School District.

The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College, as well as Pensacola Christian College, are located in Escambia County.

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