Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida. As of 2018, the population was estimated to be 52,713. Pensacola is the principal city of the Pensacola Metropolitan Area, which had an estimated 494,883 residents. Pensacola is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Gulf Coast region, the largest between New Orleans and Tampa.