8,078
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
history
The current limits are bounded ''roughly'' to the north by [[Creighton Road]], to the west by [[Davis Highway]] south to [[Texar Drive]] then southwest to [[Navy Boulevard]], and to the south and east by [[Pensacola Bay|Pensacola]] and [[Escambia Bay]]s; however, these boundaries are extensively [[Wikipedia:Gerrymandering|gerrymandered]].
==History==
[[Andrew Jackson]] set forth the initial city limits in [[1821]]:
:''In order to remove all doubts on the subject of the limits of the said town of Pensacola, and its dependencies, as well as to place under the immediate control of the Mayor and Council, all the fountains and springs from which the inhabitants are supplied with water, it is ordained, the the incorporated limits of said town shall be as follows: bounded to the south and east by [[Pensacola Bay|the harbor]], to the west by the Western Lagoon, or [[Bayou Chico]], and to the north by a line running due east from Galves Spring to where such line will intersect the Eastern or [[Bayou Texar|Texas Lagoon]].''
The northern line Jackson specified ran from the eastern arm of Bayou Chico (near what is now called [[Maggie's Ditch]]) northeast to Bayou Texar, at an angle to the natural progression of the street grid. Consequently, the Jackson line bisects many parcels, causing those parcels to be only partially within the City limits, and partially outside.
==Expansion==
{{main|Annexations City of Pensacolaannexations}}The city limits as established by [[Andrew Jackson]] in [['s 1821]] limits covered an area of 9.75 square miles. This was increased to 17.2555 square miles in [[1953]].<ref>http://www.cityshowcase.com/pensacola/</ref> Other areas have been annexed since then, most recently in a [[November 8]], [[1988]] '''[[City of Pensacola annexation referendum, 1988|referendum]]''' to annex the area including [[Cordova Mall]] and [[Washington High School]].<ref>"City eyes annexation of areas." ''Pensacola News Journal'', May 17, 2005.</ref>
There is a movement to annex more unincorporated urban areas of Pensacola to better represent the actual metropolitan area. In its 2006 "Ballsy Plan" issue, the ''[[Independent News]]'' proposed expanding the city limits north to [[Olive Road]] as far west as [[U.S. 29]], then south along [[W Street]] to [[Fairfield Drive]], which would serve as the western boundary. The publication claimed this expansion would elevate Pensacola to the twelfth-largest city in Florida (from the fortieth), making it more attractive to prospective residents and businesses, and would add millions in property tax revenue to the city's annual budget.<ref>[http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=2953 "Ballsy Plan III."] ''Independent News'', June 1, 2006.</ref>
