Interesting Facts

St. Augustine, aptly nicknamed "The Ancient City," claims the title of the oldest city in the United States. In 1565 a European colony was established and named St. Augustin. This settlement pre-dated the Jamestown, Virginia settlement by 42 years and the Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts settlement by 55 years
Don Pedro Menendez, St. Augustine's founder, named the city after a patron saint whose feast day corresponded with his own coming ashore on the banks of the New World to claim the Atlantic coastal area for Spain on September 8, 1565.
Tourism is the number one industry in St. Augustine. In fact, the city welcomes approximately 2 million visitors each year to explore St. Augustine's breathtaking beaches, rich historical heritage and family friendly atmosphere.
The heart of this town rests in the quaint pedestrian-only district known as St. George Street. Brick streets pave the way for guests to discover unique shops, outstanding eateries and historic buildings that hearken to days gone by allowing out-of-towners a glimpse into the city's past.
Henry Flagler, a founding partner of The Standard Oil Company, took an avid interest in the city of St. Augustine in the late 1800s and early 1900s, hoping to develop the area into a resort for northerners to enjoy year round. Plush hotels such as the Ponce de Leon, Alcazar and Casa Monica hosted visitors arriving via the Florida East Coast Railway, also founded by Mr. Flagler. Although Flagler's aggressive development ultimately kept moving further south, the city of St. Augustine has continued to host guests from all over the world with a charm and hospitality all its own.
St. Augustine's premier historical structure, a 17th-century fort named Castillo de San Marcos, played an important part in preserving the city from multiple attacks throughout its lifetime. Attacks from the English prompted the Spanish construction of the unyielding structure, which took 23 years to build but has functioned as the city's staunch defender and has never fallen to enemy attack.
In the late 1700s St. Augustine had grown to be a town of both social and administrative importance, and by the mid 1800s it had earned the title of capital city of Eastern Florida. After serving for a time as Florida's capital, St. Augustine lost the title to Tallahassee when the state decided to unify both Western and Eastern portions of Florida under one capital city.
In 1959 the city of St. Augustine and the state of Florida began partnering in a concerted effort to preserve the history of the country's oldest city. The effort continues today as colonial structures are painstakingly restored to their original appearance so that guests worldwide may experience firsthand the sights and sounds of colonial America.
Ponce de Leon, the explorer who first discovered Florida, was searching for the fabled Fountain of Youth. He thought he had found it in the lush vegetation and abundant resources of the Florida coast. Today, the history and fancy of this storied fountain can be found in none other than St. Augustine itself by visiting the Fountain of Youth Discovery Park.
The "Ancient City" is the only urban area in the United States in which the roadway patterns and architectural style of the historic district replicate the city's Spanish origins.