Anyone know about Saint Augustine, Fl?

Question

History, tourism and such....

Some info from someone who has been there. Whats it like?

Answer 1

I live here! Lots of tourists, it is a tourist town. Horse and buggy rides. Lots of artists. Beautiful city, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There is an old fort, Castillo de san Marcos right in the middle of town. Beaches, beautiful white sandy beaches. Also another beach with lovely orange coquina shells. Historic downtown area. Parks. Bayfront. Lots of good restaurants and bars. Huge Flagler hotel which is now Flagler College. Come visit.
You can see many pictures of St. Augustine at
http://flickr.com/

Answer 2

Its a goregeous city. As with many Florida cities it is very clean and full of history. There are many historical sights to see. If you do nothing else, go to the Lighthouse which is hauted and was featured on Ghost Hunters.

Answer 3

Oldest city in the US. More here:

http://www.ci.st-augustine.fl.us

http://www.staugustine.com/visit

Answer 4

On August 28, the Feast Day of Saint Augustine, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles first sighted the coast of Florida. Twelve days later, on September 8, he stepped ashore, planted the Spanish flag into the sandy soil and, with soldiers and settlers who had traveled with him and Timicuans who greeted his arrival watching, Menendez founded a new city and named it St. Augustine. The year was 1565.

From that day until today, the City of St. Augustine has continued to survive and thrive, making it the longest continually inhabited European founded city in the United States, or more commonly called the "Nation’s Oldest City."

Today St. Augustine continues to thrive and prosper as it proudly proclaims over four centuries of history that includes Spanish and English, Greek and Minorcan, Native American and African American influences.

A visitor to St. Augustine may delve into the city’s history by visiting one of many museums depicting the way of life of early Spanish colonists, or may choose to simply enjoy the feel of history by strolling the narrow old world streets. Even if history is not a center of interest, visitors cannot help but appreciate the rich heritage that makes St. Augustine a unique getaway.

When visiting St. Augustine, the perfect first stop is the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Visitor Information Center. From this central facility, one may plan a day-long or a week-long stay as helpful guides will answer questions about museums, historical sites, transportation, guided tours, restaurants, shopping opportunities, recreation and lodging.

Things to See and Do

Old St. Augustine Village (www.old-staug-village.com) fills a block in the city's oldest historic district and contains original houses dating to 1565 and archeological sites. You can also learn a lot about life in America's oldest city at the hands-on Old Florida Museum (1.800.813.3208 or www.historicvillages.com). Spanish Quarter Village on St. George Street is an open-air living history museum depicting the city in 1740. 904.825.6830.

THERES MORE
St. Augustine is a city in St. Johns County, Florida, in the United States. It lies in a region of Florida known as The First Coast, which extends from Amelia Island in the north south to Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Palm Coast. According to the 2000 census, the city population was 11,592; in 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 12,157 [1]. It is the county seat of St. Johns CountyGR6. It is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the United States.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Points of interest
5 Sister cities
6 Notable Residents, Past And Present
7 See also
8 External links
8.1 Information
8.2 Images



[edit] History

Map of St. Augustine depicting Sir Francis Drake's attack on the city by Baptista Boazio, 1589St. Augustine was founded by the Spanish. The first Christian worship service held in a permanent settlement in the current United States was a Catholic Mass celebrated in St. Augustine. A few settlements were founded prior to St. Augustine but all failed, including the original Pensacola colony in West Florida (founded 1559) — which was wiped out by a hurricane a mere two years after its founding, and Fort Caroline in what is today Jacksonville, Florida in 1564. The city was founded by the Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on August 28, 1565, the feast day of Augustine of Hippo, and consequently named by him San Agustín. Martin de Arguelles was born here one year later in 1566, the first child of European ancestry to be born in what is now the mainland United States. This came 21 years before the English settlement at Roanoke Island, in Virginia Colony, and 42 years before the successful settlements of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Jamestown, Virginia.

In 1586 St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. In 1668 it was plundered by pirates and most of the inhabitants were killed. In 1702 and 1740 it was unsuccessfully attacked by British forces from their new colonies in the Carolinas and Georgia. The most serious of these came in the latter year, when James Oglethorpe of Georgia allied himself with Ahaya the Cowkeeper, chief of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe to lay siege to the city.


St. Augustine in 1760, while under Spanish controlIn 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War and gave Florida and St. Augustine to the British, an acquisition the British had been unable to take by force and keep due to the strong fort there. St. Augustine came under British rule and served as a Loyalist (pro-British) colony during the American Revolutionary War. A Treaty of Paris in 1783 gave the American colonies north of Florida their independence, and ceded Florida to Spain in recognition of Spanish success during the war.

Florida was under Spanish control again from 1784 to 1821. During this time, Spain was being invaded by Napoleon and was struggling to retain its colonies. Florida no longer held its past importance to Spain. The expanding United States, however, regarded Florida as vital to its interests. In 1821, the Adams-Onís Treaty peaceably turned the Spanish colonies in Florida and, with them, St. Augustine, over to the United States.


Public Square, St. Augustine, ca. 1858Florida was a United States territory until 1845 when it became a U.S. state. In 1861, the American Civil War began and Florida seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Days before Florida seceded, state troops took the fort at St. Augustine from a small Union garrison (January 7, 1861). However, federal troops loyal to the United States Government quickly reoccupied the city (March 11, 1862) and remained in control throughout the four-year-long war. In 1865, Florida rejoined the United States.

Spanish Colonial era buildings still existing in the city include the fortress Castillo de San Marcos. The fortress successfully repelled the British attacks of the 18th century, was occupied by Union troops during the American Civil War, and later served as a prison for the Native American leader Osceola. It is now the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

In the late 19th century the railroad came to town, and led by northeastern industrialist Henry Flagler, St. Augustine became a winter resort for the very wealthy. A number of mansions and palatial grand hotels of this era still exist, some converted to other use, such as housing parts of Flagler College and museums. Flagler went on to develop much more of Florida's east coast, including his Florida East Coast Railway which eventually reached Key West in 1912.

The city is a popular tourist attraction, for the rich Spanish Colonial Revival Style architectural heritage as well as elite 19th century architecture. In 1938 the theme park Marineland opened just south of St. Augustine, becoming one of Florida's first themed parks and setting the stage for the development of this industry in the following decades.


Location of St. Augustine, Florida
[edit] Geography
St. Augustine is located at 29° 53′39″N, 81° 18′48″W (29.894264, -81.313208)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.8 km² (10.7 mi²). 21.7 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 6.1 km² (2.4 mi²) of it (21.99%) is water.

Access to the Atlantic Ocean is via the St. Augustine Inlet of the Matanzas River.


[edit] Demographics

View from Cathedral SquareAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 11,592 people, 4,963 households, and 2,600 families residing in the city. The population density was 534.7/km² (1,384.6/mi²). There were 5,642 housing units at an average density of 260.3/km² (673.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.21% White, 15.07% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.11% of the population.

There were 4,963 households out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the city the population was spread out with 16.1% under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,358, and the median income for a family was $41,892. Males had a median income of $27,099 versus $25,121 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,225. About 9.8% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.


[edit] Points of interest

Flagler College
Lightner Museum and City HallAlligator Farm
Anastasia State Park
Bridge of Lions
Casa Monica Hotel
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Cathedral of St. Augustine
City Gates
Flagler College, part of which is the former Ponce de Leon Hotel
Fort Matanzas National Monument
Florida School for the Deaf and Blind
Fort Mose Historic State Park
Fountain of Youth
Gonzalez-Alvarez House (Oldest House)
Grace United Methodist Church
Lightner Museum, in the former Hotel Alcazar
Colonial Spanish Quarter Living History Museum
Old St. Johns County Jail
Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse
Potters Wax Museum
Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum
St. George Street
Trinity Episcopal Church
World Golf Hall of Fame & IMAX Theater at World Golf Village
Zorayda Castle

[edit] Sister cities
- Avilés (Spain)

[edit] Notable Residents, Past And Present
Prince Achille Murat, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte
Jim Albrecht, World Series Of Poker Tournament Director, Commentator and Film Consultant
Richard Boone, actor
Ray Charles, pianist
Ponce De Leon, European explorer who discovered Florida
Henry Flagler, industrialist
Lindy Infante, professional football coach
Scott Lagasse Jr., NASCAR racer
Johnny Mize, baseball player
Chief Osceola, Seminole Indian Chief (held prisoner at Fort Marion, now Castillo de San Marcos)
Tom Petty, rock musician
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, novelist
Steve Spurrier, College/Pro Football coach
Stetson Kennedy, Author