St. Augustine might feel like a small town, but this popular tourist destination hosts around 2 million annual visitors who come here to explore its Spanish Renaissance architecture, historical sites and walkable downtown. Colonized by the Spanish in 1565, St. Augustine’s the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States, and pride in these early origins is found in the city’s historical buildings, museums and parks, most of which are downtown. With a median age of 48, many people retire here, and younger residents often work in the local tourism industry or the nearby Northrop Grumman aircraft production facility, or they commute to Jacksonville, 40 miles away.
St. Augustine is known for the Spanish Renaissance architecture of Flagler College and the Casa Monica Resort and Spa, but most homes near the Historic District and Lincolnville are cottages, Queen Anne or Frame Vernacular with double front porches. Midcentury modern and ranch-style homes are more common in Anastasia Island neighborhoods, while West Augustine offers modest contemporary homes and midcentury bungalows. The median home price is $435,000, 26% higher than the national average, and buyers can expect to pay more for homes in the Historic District along the Matanzas River; a four-bedroom luxury riverfront home in the Historic District can cost up to $5.2 million, while a four-bedroom fixer-upper here can cost $400,000. Homes are less expensive to the north and west of the Historic District; a two-bedroom fixer-upper 2 miles north can cost $120,000.
Over half of St. Augustine’s residents are within a 10-minute walk of one of the city’s 28 urban parks. There are historical parks like Fort Mose Historic State Park and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a 450-year-old fort; kid-friendly parks like the Project SWING Playground and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park; and conservation areas like the 1,600-acre Anastasia State Park. Fish Island Preserve is the city’s newest park; originally the site of Florida’s first orange grove, the 59-acre preserve is now home to waterfront hiking trails and unspoiled salt marshes. Vilano Beach and St. Augustine Beach provide public beach access 5 miles away.
The two main highways through St. Augustine are Route 1 and Route A1A, a state scenic highway that crosses the Bridge of Lions over the Matanzas River; Interstate 95 is 5 miles west. The Historic District is pedestrian-friendly, but its narrow one-way streets make driving and parking here challenging. The Sunshine Bus Company, a public bus serving all of St. Johns County, has two routes through the city, and cycling is popular despite the lack of bike lanes. The Northeast Florida Regional Airport, 5 miles away, has flights to nearby Florida airports in Orlando and Jacksonville, as well as direct flights to U.S. cities like Newark and Portland, Maine; the Jacksonville International Airport is a 55-mile drive. The city’s 2040 Mobility Plan aims to reduce the city’s reliance on cars by adding more sidewalks, bike lanes and public transportation.
The pedestrian-only St. George Street is 11 blocks’ worth of local boutiques, art galleries, museums, restaurants and bars in the Historic District. The Uptown area, located on North San Marco Avenue just north of the Historic District, offers a large selection of antique and vintage stores. Many of the restaurants in these popular areas honor St. Augustine’s history and coastal location by featuring Spanish-inspired cuisine and fresh seafood. Residents can buy fresh veggies from the St. Augustine Amphitheater Farmers Market each Saturday or head to Route 1 for big-box retailers and grocery chains like Publix.
The area’s iconic museums, including the Lightner Museum and the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, offer memberships to residents, granting them free admission, invitations to special events and discounts in museum shops. The St. Augustine Art Association organizes frequent events, like the First Friday Art Walk, a monthly stroll around the art galleries in the Historic District, Uptown and Anastasia Island. Spring brings a different festival each weekend, including the St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival and the Florida Man Games.
Local kids can attend St. Johns County Public Schools, which earn an overall rating of A from Niche and rank as one of the best school districts in Florida. Starting in Grade 8, students can apply to over 28 high school Career Academies in subjects like design, architecture and biotechnology. Flagler College, located in the center of the Historic District, enrolls 2,100 students in majors like graphic design and data science; its main building is the original Ponce de Leon Hotel, a former luxury resort renowned for its Spanish Renaissance architecture.
Crime rates in St. Augustine are significantly lower than in most U.S. cities, with vandalism and theft most common south of King Street. The property crime rate is 8.5 crimes per 1,000 residents, compared to nearby Jacksonville’s 12.03 and the national average of 19.55. Violent crime is rare and occurs most frequently south of King and in the Historic District; St. Augustine’s rate of 2.94 violent crimes per 1,000 people is lower than Jacksonville’s 3.98 and the national average of 3.8.
Almost all of St. Augustine’s residents live in a floodplain, so flooding is common; “sunny day” tidal flooding, where areas flood during a high tide, typically occurs up to 16 times per year. Most of the city lies in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area; residents here must get special permits for new construction projects and are required to purchase flood insurance. Flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms can be particularly damaging; 2022’s Tropical Storm Nicole was the last storm to cause significant flooding, with neighborhoods on Anastasia Island taking the worst damage.
To reduce the flooding risk, St. Augustine has several ongoing capital improvement projects, including building a new stormwater pump and floodwall south of Lake Maria Sanchez in the Lincolnville area. A new flooding Vulnerability Assessment is underway and will provide updated suggestions for future projects.
