East Bay (Santa Rosa County, Florida) facts for kids

East Bay (top right) is located near Pensacola, Florida.

East Bay is a large bay in the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It's a bit unusual because it connects to the open ocean through Pensacola Bay to its southwest. Two main rivers flow into East Bay: the Blackwater River and the East Bay River.

What is East Lagoon?

The eastern part of East Bay narrows into a shape that looks like a wide river. This area is called East Lagoon. It eventually becomes the actual East Bay River. The Lagoon starts where the bay meets two points of land: Axelson Point and Miller Point.

History of East Bay

People from Europe probably explored East Bay when they first settled Pensacola in the early 1500s.

The bay has been shown on most major maps of the area since that time. Over the years, East Bay has had a few different names. Some of these names include Oyster Cove and Galvez Bay. Today, we know it as East Bay.

In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan hit the area. The huge storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico rushed into East Bay. This caused flooding along the bay's shoreline.

This 1781 map shows East Bay and the East Lagoon, which is the river-like eastern side of the bay.