I am living in Pensacola, in the western part of The Panhandle. This area has great beaches, and the small city of Pensacola has both, good & bad. The good is that it has all the places people go to shop, from several Walmarts, 2 malls, all the retail companies, etc. The airport is easy to get in & out of, and people seem friendly enough.
The bad part is that parts of the city look rundown, has high crime & drugs. The east side seems nice and clean, but the west seems so dirty, poor, and crime ridden as to not want to drive through for fear of getting shot.
The area is very conservative, with about 80% republicans. There is a church on every corner, yet more sinners than could possibly fill the seats. Yet, people are quick to tell you how wrong others are, except themselves. They seem to want to push their rightiousness onto others. Therefore, this is not the most liberal places to live, so if you are more laid back, this might not be the perfect place to live.
However, if spending the day at the beach, listeniong to Jimmy Buffett, watching the sunset, and having a cool drink after a hard week of work with below national wages appeals to you, then you could fit it here. Just try to keep sane by not getting too upset about politics.
