Along the east coast of Florida is a city called St. Augustine, full of sights, sounds and a vast array of history.
Photo by Excel23
Here are 14 Fun Facts about St. Augustine, Florida
1. St. Augustine was the first city in America. Therefore making it the oldest city in the United States, founded by the Spanish in 1565.
2. The legendary spring, the Fountain of Youth, made famous by explorer Ponce de Leon, is in St. Augustine and located on what is now known as the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
3. Located in St. Johns County, St. Augustine is approximately 9.43 square miles.
4. St. Augustine has its own marvelous white and black striped lighthouse with the St. Augustine Lighthouse.
5. Each year at Christmastime, St. Augustine hosts a Night of Lights making it one of the best holiday light displays in the country with almost 2 million lights.
6. St. Augustine has its own Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum with oddities, useless facts and interesting sights.
7. St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park was founded in St. Augustine in 1893 and is still in operation today.
Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida
8. St. Augustine has three forts that guard it. Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Mantanzas, and Fort Mose were all built to protect the city. The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.
9. The World Golf Hall of Fame calls St. Augustine home.
10. St. Augustine can boast that it has the narrowest street in the U.S. Treasury Street is only 7 feet wide!
11. St. Augustine is the oldest port in the continental United States.
12. Marineland, a dolphin encounter exhibit, has been in existence for 75 years allowing visitors to swim, feed, and interact with dolphins along the beaches of St. Augustine.
13. More than 13,000 people call St. Augustine home.
Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse. Photo by User:Shreeg88
14. The oldest wooden schoolhouse is located in St. Augustine built in 1716.
Learn more about St. Augustine, Florida with these books:
Walking St. Augustine: An Illustrated Guide and Pocket History to America’s Oldest City
Hidden History of St. Augustine
99 Epic Things to Do – St. Augustine, Florida
This is a guest post by Morgan Large, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas.
Morgan loves to explore the world. She’s traveled across the United States and to 11 countries. St. Augustine is one of Morgan’s favorite places to visit.
Originally from Ohio, Morgan currently lives in Arkansas with her Australian Shepherd, Oxley.
At the University of Arkansas, Morgan’s studies are focused in agricultural communications. Her blog, RazorBuck: A Midwestern girl living in a Southern world highlights her adventures in photography, cooking and travel.
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