Pace, Florida

Pace, Florida
Unincorporated Area
Pace Welcome Sign
Location in Santa Rosa County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30.5992°N 87.1614°W / 30.5992; -87.1614
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Santa Rosa
Area
• Total	24.52 sq mi (63.50 km2)
• Land	24.23 sq mi (62.75 km2)
• Water	0.29 sq mi (0.75 km2)
Elevation	66 ft (20 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,684
• Density	1,018.78/sq mi (393.36/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	32571
Area code	850
FIPS code	12-53725
GNIS feature ID	0288352

Pace is an unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County, Florida. It is the second largest community in Santa Rosa County, and is a part of the Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pace has experienced exponential growth, and has evolved from a small, rural community to a thriving bedroom community of Pensacola with growing residential and commercial options. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,684. From 2000 to 2010, the Pace CDP population growth percentage was 171.1%, and from 2010 to 2020, the population growth percentage was 22.8%.

Geography

Pace is located in the Western Florida Panhandle, just north of Escambia Bay in Santa Rosa County. Pace comprises the 32571 ZIP code, and is located northeast of Pensacola, and west of Milton. Pace is located approximately 25 minutes driving distance away from Downtown Pensacola. According to the United States Census Bureau, Pace has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24 km²), all land.

History

Pace was first recognized in the 1912 United States Census. It was located just north of the Floridatown. Pace is named after James G. Pace, who owned large lumber, paper and turpentine productions that operated in the Pace area. On March 12, 1919, Black veteran Bud Johnson was lynched as part of the Red Summer of 1919. Throughout the 20th century, Pace remained a small, rural community. However, beginning in 1980, Pace began to experience rapid growth and began to evolve from a small, rural community to a fast-growing bedroom community of Pensacola. Commercial growth has also been strong: chain restaurants, chain retailers, and Big-box retailers such as Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart, and Target have moved into the Pace area. Floridatown and Pea Ridge are now considered to be neighborhoods within Pace. Pace continues to experience strong population growth, and the growth trend is expected to continue despite remaining an unincorporated community.

Education

Schools in Pace are administered by the Santa Rosa County School District. Schools in the Pace area perform well, with all schools receiving an A or B rating according to the Florida Department of Education.

High schools

• Pace High School
• Lead Academy * Private Christian School

Middle schools

• Avalon Middle School
• Thomas L. Sims Middle School
• Lead Academy * Private Christian School
• Wallace K-8 School

Elementary schools

• Bennett C. Russell Elementary School
• Pea Ridge Elementary School
• S.S. Dixon Primary School
• S.S. Dixon Intermediate School
• Lead Academy * Private Christian School
• Wallace K-8 School

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1970	1,776		—
1980	5,006		181.9%
1990	6,277		25.4%
2000	7,393		17.8%
2010	20,093		171.8%
2020	24,684		22.8%
source:

Based on the 2020 census there were 24,684 people, and 8,152 households in the CDP. The population density was 1,018.74 inhabitants per square mile (393.34/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.70% White, 3.90% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.10% Asian, and 4.8% from two or more races. The average household size was 2.8.

The age distribution was 6.5% under the age of 5, 24% under the age of 18, and 16.3% who were 65 or older. Females made up 50.3% of the population, whereas males made up 49.7%.

The median household income (in 2019 dollars), from 2015-2019 was $70,292. 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line.