The [[City of Pensacola]] has expanded its [[Pensacola city limits|city limits]] through '''annexation''' on multiple occasions since the original area of 9.75 square miles was laid out by [[Andrew Jackson]] in [[1822]].
A [[1937]] state law applicable only to Pensacola made large-scale annexation possible only by approval of two-thirds of city voters and two-thirds of voters within the territory to be annexed.<ref>"Let's Build Better City." ''Pensacola News''. April 26, 1943.</ref> This was long considered an insurmountable obstacle to expanding the city limits. In the 1940s, proponents of annexation tried to convince residents in unincorporated areas that joining the city would lower their insurance costs. Also, at that time, homesteads valued up to $5,000 were exempt from city property taxes. Nevertheless, a [[November 19]], [[1949]] referendum to annex [[East Pensacola Heights]] resulted in a 3-to-1 defeat.
Furthermore, in [[1949]], a push was made to incorporate the [[Brownsville]] suburb, which had at the time 8,000-10,000 residents, into its own municipality: the "[[City of West Pensacola]]." The proposed boundaries were [[Avery Street]] to the north, the [[Pensacola city limits]] to the east, [[Bayou Chico]] to the south, and the [[Frisco Railroad]] tracks to the west.<ref>"Bill to Create West Pensacola City Planned." ''Pensacola News'', April 1, 1949.</ref> State Senator [[Philip D. Beall, Jr.]] introduced a bill on [[May 20]] calling for an election to incorporate the area, but it was vetoed by Governor [[Wikipedia:Fuller Warren|Fuller Warren]] on [[June 10]].<ref>"Governor Vetoes West Pensacola, Eight Other Bills." ''Pensacola News'', June 11, 1949.</ref>
==List of annexation petitions & referenda==
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|Three parcels near [[Sacred Heart Hospital]]
|9.165 acres
|
| bgcolor="#c2e8b9" colspan="2" | petition
|-
|[[August 27]], [[1987]]
|Area between [[College Boulevard]] and [[Airport Boulevard]]
|2.784 acres
|
| bgcolor="#c2e8b9" colspan="2" | petition
| bgcolor="#c2e8b9" colspan="2" | Requested by [[Baptist Hospital]]
|}
==Notes & references==
{{refbegin}}
*Cecil Foister. "Annexation Defeat Reason Cloudy." ''Pensacola News'', November 29, 1967.
{{refend}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:City of Pensacola]]