Florida Panhandle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Florida Panhandle is the region of the state of Florida which includes the westernmost 16 counties in the state. It is a narrow strip lying between Alabama and Georgia to the north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Culturally and in terms of history and climate, the region is more closely tied to the Deep South than to peninsular Florida.
Shortly after the Civil War, residents of Florida's peninsula seriously considered ceding the state's entire western arm to Alabama for a million dollars. Alabama's leaders decided that the land was 'a sand bank and gopher region', and, as a result, the Panhandle remained a part of Florida. The region is a major source of revenue for the state today.
The following counties lie in the Panhandle:
Cities in the Panhandle include Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Panama City. The beach towns, many of which play host to college students during spring break, in the Panhandle are sometimes known by the informal moniker – the Redneck Riviera. The quartz sand on the beaches of the Panhandle is so white that some traders reportedly sold it as sugar in World War II.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- Florida, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004, pg. 20
