Santa Rosa Island (Florida)
Santa Rosa Island is a 40-mile (64 km) barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles (50 km) east of the Alabama state border. The communities of Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, and Okaloosa Island are located on the island. On the northern side of the island, are Pensacola Bay on the west and Choctawhatchee Bay on the east, joined through Santa Rosa Sound.
Santa Rosa Island, looking east, with characteristic sea oats.
The Gulf of Mexico: the shining light in the back is from the sun's light being reflected off windblown particles of white sand from the beach.
George Catlin - White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola - 1985.66.354 - Smithsonian American Art Museum
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 in the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738. It has been described as "famous" for its ultra-white sand beaches.
A lifeguard stand on Pensacola Beach.
The sand color is exceptionally white, as seen in this 1957 photo.
Pensacola Beach in 2022
Fire Station #13.
