Pensacola MSA has move up from #96 to #76 on America’s Best Cities List – the smallest city in the rankings, earning #24 for outdoors, #42 for labor force participation.
The smallest city in our ranking shines as bright as its Gulf of Mexico beaches. Historic lineage to New Orleans helps explain the vibe: Southern hospitality, ironwork balconies and storied bars.
Over the course of its 443-year history, Pensacola has been ruled by the British, the Spanish, the French, the Confederacy and the United States—hence its nickname of “The City of Five Flags.”
It has rigorously preserved its historic architecture, ranking #74 in our Sights & Landmarks subcategory and an impressive #48 for Culture.
Two new adaptive reuse boutique hotels, the former church Lily Hall and the Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel, are must-stays.
Of its 52 miles of sugar-white beaches, Pensacola Beach is the pearl, helping power the city to #24 in our Outdoors subcategory. Its pier is one of the longest in the Gulf and the nearby Gulf Islands National Seashore is the longest stretch of protected seashore in the U.S.
But people do work here. More than 500 companies in town specialize in aerospace and defense, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing or professional services (indicative of the city’s #42 Labor Force Participation ranking), with more remote talent arriving daily in pursuit of the beach and no state personal income tax.