Gulf Breeze is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Santa Rosa County, Florida Santa Rosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population was 188,000. The county seat is Milton, which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities withi ...

. It is located between Downtown

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

and

Pensacola Beach Pensacola Beach is an unincorporated community located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is situated south of Pensacola (and Gulf Breeze connected via bridges spanning to the Fairpoint ...

, and is part of the

Pensacola Metropolitan Area The Pensacola metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on Pensacola, Florida. It is also known as the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) used for statistical purposes by ...

. The population was 6,340 at the 2020 census, up from 5,763 at the 2010 census. Gulf Breeze is the nearest city to

, and provides utility services to the island, and most of South Santa Rosa County covering over 33 square miles. The

census designated places A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

of Oriole Beach, Tiger Point, and Midway are considered to be a part of unincorporated Gulf Breeze by Santa Rosa County, and carry Gulf Breeze mailing addresses.

History

The area now known as Gulf Breeze was originally settled in the mid-18th Century by the British. Gulf Breeze's original name was Town Point. Live Oaks from the Gulf Breeze area were used for shipbuilding and blacksmiths set up ship repair shops in the town. A

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

camp and hospital was set up in the Deer Point area of Gulf Breeze during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In the late 1800s, a dry dock for ship repair was built on Deadman's Island (now a nature preserve). The island was originally was a major ship quarantine area used by Pensacola. Deadman's island got its name from Deadman anchors. Deadman's Island later was host to a glue factory and fertilizer plant. The five year period between 1928 and 1933 saw large road development in Gulf Breeze. The first bridge between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze was built by Johnson, Drake & Piper. Gulf Breeze's first paved road was U.S. Highway 98, completed in 1933. A wooden swing bridge was established between Pensacola Beach and Gulf Breeze in 1931. The swing bridge was replaced by a concrete toll bridge in 1946, which was converted into

Bob Sikes Robert Lee Fulton Sikes (June 3, 1906September 28, 1994) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented the Florida Panhandle in the United States House of Representatives from 1941 to 1979, with a brief break in 1944 and 194 ...

fishing pier in 1973. The name Gulf Breeze comes from the Gulf Breeze Cottages and Store, where the area's first post office was established in 1936. The city was incorporated on August 10, 1961 as a result of the expansion of

Pensacola Bay Bridge The Pensacola Bay Bridge, also known locally as the "Chappie" Bridge, runs between downtown Pensacola, Florida, and Gulf Breeze, Florida. It carries six lanes of U.S. Highway 98 across Pensacola Bay. History The bridge, which is dedicated to ...

. Gulf Breeze became famous after the 1987

Gulf Breeze UFO Incident The Gulf Breeze UFO incident was a series of claimed UFO sightings in Gulf Breeze, Florida, United States, during late 1987 and early 1988. Beginning in November 1987, the ''Gulf Breeze Sentinel'' newspaper published a number of photos suppli ...

and the Gulf Breeze Six desertions.

Geography

The city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Growth of the city itself is geographically restricted, surrounded by major water bodies on three sides; the eastern portion of Gulf Breeze is occupied by the Naval Live Oaks Reservation. As a result, new growth takes place east of the city limits along U.S. Highway 98.

Climate

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,302 people, 2,983 households, and 1,809 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,763 people, 2,185 households, and 1,758 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,665 people, 2,377 households, and 1,678 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,553 housing units at an average density of . In 2000, there were 2,377 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.83. In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $52,522, and the median income for a family was $61,661. Males had a median income of $44,408 versus $28,159 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $34,688. About 3.8% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Points of interest

In 1828 the

U.S. government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...

purchased the land encompassing the Naval Live Oaks Reservation for experimenting with acorns for the cultivation of live oaks to produce wooden ships. Before the

, the wood of the

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

was the primary material of choice for shipbuilders, thus the protection and cultivation of the trees for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

was considered vital for defense in those turbulent times. Currently, the land comprises over in

Gulf Islands National Seashore Gulf Islands National Seashore is an American National seashore that offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. In 2023, it was the fifth-mos ...

and is supervised by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. To the south of Highway 98 is a visitor center for the Gulf Islands National Seashore and several public beach areas.

Gulf Breeze Library

The Gulf Breeze Library, opened in 1971, is part of the Santa Rosa County Library System.

Education

Gulf Breeze Academic Plaza

The Gulf Breeze Academic Plaza is a complex of 14 buildings clustered around US Highway 98 in Gulf Breeze, Florida. The GBAP consists of Gulf Breeze Elementary School, Gulf Breeze Middle School, and Gulf Breeze High School. Also included in the complex is Dolphin Field at Gulf Breeze Stadium (football, soccer, lacrosse, track and field), Dolphin Stadium (baseball), and Gulf Breeze Softball Stadium (softball). GulfBreezeHS

* Gulf Breeze High School *Gulf Breeze Middle School *Gulf Breeze Elementary School

Infrastructure

Gulf Breeze is served by route 61 of

Escambia County Area Transit Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) is the transit agency that serves the greater Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida Escambia County is the westernmost and oldest County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 ...

Notable people

Bob Armstrong Joseph Melton James (October 3, 1939 – August 27, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. In the course of his career, which spanned five decades, Armstrong held numerous championsh ...

(1939–2020), professional wrestler (longtime resident) *

Doug Baldwin Douglas Dewayne Baldwin Jr. (born September 21, 1988) is an American former professional American football, football player who spent his entire eight-season career as a wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (N ...

(born 1988),

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player *

Ashley Brown Ashley Brown (born February 3, 1982) is an American singer and actress who is best known for playing the titular character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of ''Mary Poppins''. Early life Brown was born February 3, 19 ...

(born 1982), singer and actress *

Ben Lively Edward Bennett Lively (born March 5, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, and Cincinnati ...

(born 1992),

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher for the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

* Jason McKie (born 1980), American football player *

Frank Spellman Frank Isaac Spellman (September 17, 1922 – January 12, 2017) was an American machinist and photographer and a middleweight Olympic champion weightlifter. He won a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics, and a bronze medal and a silver medal at the W ...

(1922–2017), Olympic champion weightlifter * Abigail Spencer (born 1981), actress; born and raised in Gulf Breeze *

Adrian Street Adrian Street (5 December 1940 – 24 July 2023) was a Welsh Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and author nicknamed "Exotic" who came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. During his career, Street was best known for his Androgyny, a ...

(born 1940), professional wrestler (longtime resident)

References

External links

Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida Cities in Santa Rosa County, Florida Cities in Pensacola metropolitan area Cities in Florida 1875 establishments in Florida Populated places established in 1875