Panama City

Home Sweet Home    Find a Realtor    Find a Company    Vital Stats    Rain & Shine    Job Market    Class Notes    Getting Around

Great Outdoors    Good Sports    Hot Times    Shop 'til You Drop    Nightlife    College Scene    Just for Seniors

Yet that's just one among many great reasons to discover Panama City, located in Florida's northwestern Panhandle, along the Gulf of Mexico. Panama City is the county seat and principal city of Bay County, which is about 100 miles southwest of Tallahassee, 100 miles east of Pensacola and approximately 300 miles from both Atlanta and New Orleans. More than 40 million people are within a day's drive of Bay County. It offers a growing economy, a selection of homes in various price ranges and a lifestyle that's equally appealing for the young, the young at heart and everyone in between.

Home Sweet Home

Single-family existing homes are a good value here. During 1999, for example, the median sales price was $99,400, which makes homeownership in the area both attractive and affordable.

Vital Stats

Panama City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes all of Bay County

Population: 146,999
Median age: 36.6
New citizens: 2,220 yearly
New job creation: 2.9 percent (1999)
Unemployment rate: 4.9 percent in August, 1999
Cost of living: 95.39 Florida Price Level Index (weighted state average=100)
Per capita income: $19,487
Median household income: $29,600

Rain & Shine

The western Panhandle of Florida enjoys what residents consider an ideal four-season climate. The average high temperature in July is 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or near-perfect beach weather. In January the average low dips to 43 degrees Fahrenheit, providing cool days without being harsh. It all adds up to a delightful average year-round air temperature of 78 and a water temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

An average rainfall of 64 inches, which is nearly 30 inches above the national average, helps keep things green and growing nearly all year. Yet Panama City Beach also enjoys sunshine some 320 days every year. As for snow, well, it does come in flurries occasionally, bringing most everyone outside to take a look.

Job Market

Tourism is a major component of the area economy that accounts for about 10,000 jobs because Panama City Beach is a favorite of families on vacations, snowbirds and college students on Spring Breaker. There are more than 18,000 hotel, motel and condominium units in the Panama City Beach area of Bay County.

Key employment sectors include services, government, largely due to Tyndall Air Force Base and the Coastal Systems Station, retail and wholesale trades and manufacturing. Tyndall's employment includes some 2,501 civilians; additionally, the base serves more than 7,600 Bay County military retirees. The Coastal Systems Station, which is a major research and development facility that supports naval operations, employs 1,742 civilians in various administrative, technical and support positions. Other major area employers are the Bay County School Board (3,500); Bay Medical Center (1,600); Hilton (1,000); SallieMae (843); Bay County government (763); Stone Container Corp. (685); Panama City government (500); Super Wal-Mart (400); Arizona Chemical Company (400); and the U.S. Postal Service (367).

The county is committed to attracting additional employment and diversifying the economy. It has a strong base on which to build. There are abundant natural resources, extensive rail and interline facilities, several industrial parks and more than 3,000 fiber miles of optic cable in place for telecommunications.

Class Notes

Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm). There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.

Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.

For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."

Bay County residents benefit from a superb location and strong transportation network. The county is just 38 miles from Interstate 10, which extends from Florida to California. A four-lane highway (U.S. 231) connects residents and shippers to the interstate. More than two dozen common and contract trucking firms serve the county. Greyhound provides passenger service on its buses and maintains a Panama City bus stop.

Bay County International Airport links to large hub airports. Daily service to major cities in the Southeast comes from six air carriers. Five air cargo carriers operate daily freight and parcel services. Local rail freight service is provided by the Bay Line Railroad, which interlines with the CSX and Norfolk-Southern systems. Port Panama City is deep-water, economical and features a progressive foreign trade zone.

Great Outdoors

For most visitors and residents, the fun starts along 27 miles of white sandy beach. You can boat, jetski, waterski, parasail, snorkel, scuba dive or just bask the hours away. The county also boasts a huge sportfishing fleet and the state's longest pier.

But there's more--lots more. The St. Andrews State Recreation Area features nearly 1,100 acres of outdoor splendor, complete with camping, picnic and playground facilities. Other local favorites are Shell Island, which is accessible only by boat, Dead Lake State Park, Falling Waters State Park and Florida Caverns State Park

For even more family fun, you'll find several theme parks, including the Miracle Strip Amusement Park with a boardwalk atmosphere and the GulfWorld marine park. There's also Shipwreck Island waterpark, the largest within 300 miles, and Zoo World Zoological and Botanical Park, which features several rare and endangered species.

Good Sports

For most visitors and residents, the fun starts along 27 miles of white sandy beach. You can boat, jetski, waterski, parasail, snorkel, scuba dive or just bask the hours away. The county also boasts a huge sportfishing fleet and the state's longest pier.

But there's more--lots more. The St. Andrews State Recreation Area features nearly 1,100 acres of outdoor splendor, complete with camping, picnic and playground facilities. Other local favorites are Shell Island, which is accessible only by boat, Dead Lake State Park, Falling Waters State Park and Florida Caverns State Park.

For even more family fun, you'll find several theme parks, including the Miracle Strip Amusement Park with a boardwalk atmosphere and the GulfWorld marine park. There's also Shipwreck Island waterpark, the largest within 300 miles, and Zoo World Zoological and Botanical Park, which features several rare and endangered species.

Hot Times in the City

The area's cultural life is as varied as the population itself. There are very strong civic groups committed to enhancing the quality of life here, including the Anthropological Society, Art Association, Audubon Society, Bay Arts Alliance, Panama City Music Association, Friends of the Library, Historical Society and the Panhandle Writer's Guild. Ballet Theatre of Northwest Florida, Gulf Coast College Symphony and Kaleidoscope Theater provide cultural fare worth sampling, and the Junior Museum of Bay County appeals to area youngsters by offering hands-on scientific fun. Calendar highlights include the Spring Festival of the Arts and the Indian Summer Seafood Festival.

The Martin Theatre and the Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida are part of a thriving downtown district. The Center hosts exhibits that attract artists from around the country. Also popular are concerts in 100-year-old McKenzie Park and visits to the Museum of Man in the Sea, a unique repository of relics from the early era of scuba diving and underwater exploration.

Shop 'til You Drop

Whether you're looking for a quick gift or doing some serious all-day shopping, you'll probably find what you need in Bay County. In Panama City, there's a full-service regional mall downtown on Highway 77--the Panama City Mall. Specialty shops and galleries downtown, plus the stores of Baldwin Plaza on 23rd Street, offer goods in abundance.

But if difficult-to-find items top your shopping list, you may want to venture out on a shopping excursion to Destin (boutiques and Silver Sands Factory Stores) or Tallahassee.

Nightlife

The Ebro Greyhound Track features live races nearly every night from March until September. Simulcast racing is shown from September through January. Approximately $1 million is this track's weekly payout.

The dining is sublime in the Panama Beach area, especially when you devour some of the world's finest seafood. Countless restaurants serve up everything from on-the-go fast food to local delicacies that visitors return for again and again. Consider Hamilton's Seafood Restaurant & Lounge on the Grand Lagoon or watch fishermen unload the sea harvest at Captain Anderson's Restaurant, both beachside. On the mainland, locals mention Canape's, which is downtown on Highway 98. The Grouper Meuniere and the Filet Maison at the city's historic and colorful Greenhouse Restaurant and Lounge are also time-tested favorites. And Panama City's popularity with springbreakers (600,000 during a recent seven-week period) guarantees a variety of clubs, pubs and lounges where you can socialize and dance to the latest beat or your favorite golden oldies. To dance with dignity, most residents avoid the crowded spring season and enjoy the clubs when they're not so crowded. Club Lavela books itself as the world's largest nightclub. Harpoon Harry's and The Brig also serve up food, drinks and entertainment nightly.

College Scene

Gulf Coast Community College (GCCC) provides one of the state's most highly regarded two-year programs. Located on the North Bay of the Gulf Coast, the school enrolls aabout 8,000 students. GCCC students who transfer to state universities earn impressive GPAs that rank it among the state's top three community colleges. Workplace-related programs for students of all ages and interests contribute to the college's strengths.

The Panama City Campus of Florida State University offers 11 undergraduate and 11 graduate degree programs to about 1,000 students. The programs are developed from surveys that measure local needs. Florida State's main campus, in Tallahassee, is about a 90-minute drive from Panama City. Tyndall Air Force Base offers numerous educational opportunities to all members of the community through several extension campuses, including GCCC and Troy State.

Just for Seniors

Retirement life in Bay County is very active, led by the more than 7,600 military retirees. In all, approximately 13 percent of county residents are 65 years and older. Bay County's cost of living is very affordable compared to most areas of the country. Florida has no state income tax, no sales tax on food or medicine and a $25,000 homestead exemption on property taxes.

Seven senior centers, featuring congregate meals and social activities, are scattered around the county. Senior services such as home-delivered meals, homemaker help, personal care and respite care are available locally. For information and referral to agencies supplying these and other needs to seniors, call the Elder Helpline at 850/769-3468.