Exploring North Hill

District Guides, Maps and History

Discover North Hill with our Interactive Map

Find one of our beautiful historic homes in our online map and learn more about the history behind each.

Adventure North Hill on Foot

Planning on taking a stroll around Pensacola’s Historic North Hill? Bring our walking tour guide along with the power of Google Earth.

History of North Hill

By the end of the 18th century, the rise on the northern outskirts of Pensacola that came to be known as North Hill had secured a prominent place in early American history.

A Foundation in History

In 1781, under the command of General Bernardo de Galvez, the Spanish army defeated the English at Fort George, helping to turn the tide of the American Revolution. The battle raged up the crest of the hill rising to the north of the growing waterfront settlement, a site now distinguished as Fort George Memorial Park. A section of the fort, reconstructed on its original foundation, marks a historic spot within the present-day boundaries of the North Hill Preservation District.

During the following decades, only a few inhabitants of Pensacola migrated from the downtown area to the environs of Fort George. However, by the end of the 19th century, the increasing population of the thriving port city began to view the wooded slope to the north as ideally suited for the expansion of a new residential neighborhood.

Stately Homes, Inside and Out

As lumbering and related industries ushered in the “lumber boom” era, Northwest Florida’s great forests of yellow pine provided homebuilders with choice material for the construction of stately houses in the North Hill Preservation District. These treasured and protected home interiors display a lavish use of quality wood throughout the paneling, ceiling beams, graceful stairways, and ornate trim.

North Hill Today

A number of the old homes are proudly occupied by descendants of the original builders. Others, which had once fallen into a state of disrepair, have been lovingly restored to their original beauty by caring and dedicated homeowners.

A Living Historic District

Today there are over 300 beautiful homes in the District, built primarily between1895 and 1940. Architectural styles vary widely throughout North Hill, and a walk through the neighborhood will reveal many examples of the following:

For residents and visitors alike, North Hill is a treasure trove of architectural beauty and diversity worth exploring!