Great Place to Live

Whether you enjoy the classics, jazz, or contemporary music, you will find it all right here. The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra delights listeners every season with its renditions of the classics. Each Thursday during the summer, Seville Square hosts thousands for free concerts where they can stretch out on the grass, enjoy a picnic, and listen to everything from rock and roll and Broadway show tunes to a military brass band. You can also enjoy concerts by the Choral Society, Jazz Society, and Barbershop Chorus. If you like chamber music, you will love the Summer Music Festival, and the County Youth Orchestra will delight you.

If you’re interested in browsing through the works of accomplished artists, join us each November for the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival. This juried event draws more than 200 artists who display thousands of works of art in all media. Join the more than 200,000 people who enjoy this festival annually. For year-round enjoyment, the Museum of Art offers a standing collection of 20th century American artists and 19th and 20th century glass with 18 changing exhibitions annually. The Downtown Arts District Association also sponsors several "gallery nights" which highlight a multitude of independent and cooperative art galleries in the downtown area.

If you enjoy the theater, you have several choices for your pleasure. The Cultural Center is home to the Pensacola Little Theater which has served the community for more than 60 years. With a repertoire which ranges from musicals to dramas and comedies, the Theater provides year-round entertainment. The historic Saenger Theater provides the backdrop for Broadway touring companies, concerts, and local entertainment groups. You can also enjoy performances by the Pensacola Opera and Ballet Pensacola. Additionally, the performing arts departments at both the University of West Florida and Pensacola Junior College offer promising thespians the opportunity to display their wares.

Education is key to a vital community, and Escambia County has the educational resources at its disposal to make a difference in the community.

The University of West Florida (UWF), part of the state’s university system, occupies a sprawling, wooded campus just north of Interstate 10. With less than 8,000 students, the University has the feel of a small college with class sizes averaging less than 25. Through its colleges of arts and social sciences, business, education, and science and technology, the University contributes to the highly trained and qualified workforce found locally. 

In addition to UWF, the County is served by Alabama’s Troy State University which maintains a large presence in the local area with more than 3,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Additionally, Pensacola Christian College serves about 3,700 students annually and emphasizes religious and academic subjects.

Pensacola Junior College provides college credit courses to more than 32,000 students each year. With its five campuses, PJC offers traditional liberal arts courses, nursing, dental and health training, legal, environmental sciences, agriculture, and horticulture courses. Additionally, PJC provides local businesses, industries, and government with a wide variety of professional and continuing education programs, many tailored to the individual needs of the organization.

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