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The Perks Of Living In Florida
If you’re thinking of, or planning on, moving to Florida, you’re likely already attracted to the sandy beaches, the sunny weather, the delicious foods, the outdoor living, and the lack of state income tax. Let’s explore the perks of living in North Florida, starting with savings.
- The Lack of State Income Tax – You know what this means, more money in your pocket monthly to save or spend, whichever you prefer.
- Summer Weather, Almost Year Round – In North Florida, seasons are mild and warm, allowing residents to enjoy the great outdoors and explore all the state has in store.
- The Beaches – Though the pristine beaches of Florida can speak for themselves, it is good to know that Florida beaches are among the most beautiful in the world.
- Indoors and Out – There is so much to do in Florida, inside and out: water sports, theme parks, nature hikes, biking, cultural experiences, art festivals, and the list goes on!
- What's Your Sport? – Florida is a mecca for sports fans with three professional football teams, two professional baseball teams, two professional hockey teams, and two professional basketball teams, plus a plethora of college and minor league teams as well as spring training venues.
- Foods and Drinks For Even the Pickiest Eaters – With thriving farms and multiple climate zones, fresh produce abounds, along with fresh seafood of all kinds from the ocean, gulf, rivers, and lakes. International influences offer the promise of uniquely Florida fare as well as craft beer, local wines, Cuban coffee, and more.
- Cultural Diversity – Florida, with its distinct allure, may be the most diverse melting pot in America. Attracting people of all ages, religions, and backgrounds, Florida is quite definitively a great place to live.
- Locals Get Discounts on Attractions – Florida residents get discounts throughout the year at theme parks, resorts, and more! From Disney World to Palm Beach, local-only discounts abound!
- The Ultimate Staycation – When you call Florida home, you can vacation anytime. Attractions, beaches, theme parks, and all that Florida has to offer are nearby – at most only a few hours away – making it unlikely you’ll ever run out of new, exciting places to explore.
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Map of St. Johns County
Historic St. Augustine
Historic St. Augustine's rich history and cultural diversity have helped shape a dynamic city valued by both tourists and locals as a treasured escape. Today, more than 50 historic points of interest are nestled in our nation's oldest city amidst boutiques, cafes, restaurants, hotels, and bed & breakfast inns. The downtown area offers a glimpse of what life must have been like many years ago, with homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places standing alongside more recently built structures embodying the same Old Florida Style. On the outskirts are shopping malls and retail centers, including the St. Augustine Premium Outlets. The unique mix of old and new beckons visitors to return to St. Augustine time and again, often for good!
Anastasia Island
Across the Intracoastal Waterway is the beautiful Anastasia Island, a barrier island lined with wide, sandy beaches loved by sun-seekers. The well-known St. Augustine Beach is located four miles south of downtown St. Augustine in the city of St. Augustine Beach. This area is home to the St. Johns County Ocean Pier and Pavilion which has a splash fountain and playground.
Popular activities include swimming, surfing, beach volleyball, miniature golf, bicycling, and tennis. A variety of accommodations, more than 150 restaurants and lounges, and a myriad of surf shops line A1A Beach Boulevard. Marsh Creek Country Club, a popular Anastasia Island development, offers luxurious homes around an 18-hole champion golf course.
Vilano Beach
Vilano Beach, one of the most popular locations in the county for surfing, skimboarding, jet skiing, and fishing, is located two miles north of historic St. Augustine just over the Usina Bridge, also known as the Vilano Bridge and is surrounded by water on nearly every side. A nature walk passes the saltwater marsh and beneath the Vilano Bridge, joining the residential area and Town Center Pavilions, one of which features a children's splash fountain. There are several hotels and motels within walking distance of the beach as well as several eclectic restaurants with ocean-side seating and Intracoastal views sprinkled along Coastal highway A1A.
Ponte Vedra Beach
Ponte Vedra Beach, just 20 minutes north of St. Augustine, features top-rated golf and tennis resorts and exclusive neighborhoods. Some of the most prestigious golf tournaments are headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, including the PGA Tour's flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship. If golf and tennis don't pique your interests, you're sure to find something that does at Ponte Vedra's 138-acre Davis Park, complete with fishing ponds stocked for children's catch and release, dog parks, play ground and playing fields for soccer, football, softball, and baseball. Visit PonteVedraNaturally.com to find out more about Ponte Vedra.
Nocatee
Nocatee is a master-planned, unincorporated town, offering its residents a unique balance of work and play in a walkable, livable community for all ages. One of the fastest-growing communities in the United States, it is located 3 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 85% of the community is in St. Johns County, and the remaining 15% is in Duval County.
Northwest St. Johns
Northwest St. Johns is only 30 minutes from St. Augustine to the north or Jacksonville to the south. Country living meets convenience in this picturesque community, where choice residential possibilities run along scenic State Roads 16, 13, and the St. Johns River.
Popular areas for outdoor family fun include Mills Field Recreational Park, Julington Creek Plantation Park, and RiverTown Park. Residents also enjoy boating, sailing, and canoeing in the northwest, an area famous for its bass freshwater fishing. The communities of RiverTown, Fruit Cove, Switzerland, and Julington Creek are a few of the communities that make up the rapidly growing area called St. Johns, known for its numerous golf courses and riverside mansions.
Palencia
Palencia, a master-planned golfing community located off U. S. Highway 1 North, spans 1,450 acres with more than 2 miles of land bordering the tidal marshes of the Intracoastal Waterway and Marshal Creek.
World Golf Village
The World Golf Village is a resort-style community enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, featuring the World Golf Hall of Fame and the IMAX Theater, as well as unparalleled accommodations and amenities. St. Johns Golf and Country Club and South Hampton are among the golf course communities along County Road 210.
South St. Johns
This area is St. Johns County's agricultural center. A drive south along State Road 207 will take you into southwest St. Johns County, primarily agricultural land comprised of the small residential area of Vermont Heights; just west of I-95; the unincorporated area of Elkton at County Road 13; and the community of Hastings 18 miles southwest of St. Augustine.
Hastings
Hastings dates back to the late 1800s when Henry Flagler needed a source of fresh vegetables for his St. Augustine hotels. He persuaded Thomas Horace Hastings (a relative of his architect) to develop the farmlands, and to this day Hastings is known as the "Potato Capital of Florida."
Other crops include cabbage, onions, eggplant, sod, and ornamental horticulture. In this part of our county, you can still experience the Old Florida main street, bustling farmsteads, and historic St. Ambrose Parish.
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Several of St. Johns County's annual events are loved and come highly anticipated, made popular by their design to bring the community together. There are more than 150 special events in our county each year from weekly farmers' markets to concerts at the pier, in the Plaza, and at the St. Augustine Amphitheater to major annual events like THE PLAYERS Championship.
To learn more about what to do in Ponte Vedra, check out Ponte Vedra Naturally.
To find out more about special events in St. Johns County, go online to www.floridashistoriccoast.com
For more details on other events happening in St. Johns County, check out Visit St. Augustine.
To purchase a St. Augustine parking pass, visit ParkNow. You can get a discount on parking with the Park Now card, and you should download the ParkStAug app. Register a local address to get the discount there, as well.
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CLICK HERE for information on beach access, parking passes to park on the beach, and more.
In addition to the wide selection of wonderful restaurants, boutiques, shopping centers, and historic sites that are popular with both visitors and residents, there is plenty to do in St. Johns County just by going outside. Popular outdoor recreational activities include boating, sailing, canoeing, fishing nature walks, bicycling, riding, and golfing. And of course, numerous beaches beckon sun and surf lovers year-round:
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St. Augustine Beach
St. Augustine Beach is located four miles south of downtown St. Augustine on A1A Beach Boulevard in the City of St. Augustine Beach. Anastasia Island is home to many attractive beaches in Anastasia.
St. Augustine Beach has everything you need for the ideal beach vacation – sunny accommodations, tropical seaside restaurants, a beachfront park with an impressive fishing pier, a large beachside pavilion, a splash park, and a sand volleyball court. Time spent in St. Augustine Beach can be as active or as laid-back as you like. The wide expanse of shoreline and hard-packed sand makes St. Augustine Beach the perfect place for a bicycle ride. Waves here attract skim boarders, boogie boarders, surfers, paddle boarders, and kiteboarders. You’ll find a wide assortment of surf sports equipment for purchase or rental.
Anastasia State Park
Anastasia State Park is at the St. Augustine Inlet, 1 mile east of Historic St. Augustine, directly north of St. Augustine Beach on Highway A1A.
More than 1,600 acres of unspoiled beaches, tidal marshes, maritime hammocks, and ancient sand dunes make this a captivating destination for visitors. Anastasia State Park is a haven for visitors and for wildlife. Abundant wading birds hunt for food along Salt Run, including colorful roseate spoonbills. Osprey and eagles rule the skies, and painted buntings and warblers often flit about the hammock forests. Visitors can observe wildlife along the beach from a canoe or kayak, or on the Ancient Dunes Nature Trail.
As an extra bonus, the park’s 139 campsites are just a short stroll from the beach.
Crescent Beach
Crescent Beach is 3 miles south of St. Augustine Beach on Highway A1A. Frank B. Butler County Park is 2 miles south of St. Augustine Beach on Highway A1A.
This crescent-shaped shoreline surrounds beachgoers with a beautiful stretch of quiet and family-friendly shoreline. With its sweeping coastline carving out a huge “C” where it meets the Atlantic Ocean (the crescent shape, of course, giving the area its name), Crescent Beach is tucked between the traditional tourist attractions of St. Augustine and Matanzas Inlet to the south. But for visiting beachgoers, Crescent Beach is slightly off the proverbial beaten path.
Locals love Crescent Beach because it is wide, has convenient parking, and isn't as congested as many beaches tend to be. Because it is on the southern end of Florida’s Historic Coast, it maintains an “old Florida” vibe as a quieter beach with white sand and is located in a mostly residential area. The few restaurants and taverns seem to pop out of the horizon at Cubbedge Road intersecting with Florida State Road A1A. The uninitiated could easily drive through Crescent Beach without knowing it. It’s absolutely a “family-friendly” beach.
Highway A1A Matanzas Beach
Highway A1A Matanzas Beach is at the southern tip of Anastasia Island, at the Matanzas Inlet, 7.5 miles south of St. Augustine Beach on Highway A1A.
Matanzas Inlet is located just minutes south of St. Augustine. It is a popular salty paradise to enjoy favorite activities like boating, fishing, surfing and shelling. Adventure abounds at Matanzas Inlet with sandy nooks and surf side fun. You will encounter friendly locals with fascinating stories to tell about the recent history of the area and how certain tropical storms have transformed the scenery over the years. There are miles of lush hiking trails to explore at Matanzas Inlet. Convenient rentals are also available for kayaks and jet skis for an aquatic adventure on the Matanzas River.
Vilano Beach
Vilano Beach is nearly surrounded by water and contains lovely beaches in Surfeside park. 1/2 mile north of the Vilano vehicle access ramp on Highway 101, Usina Beach is 7 miles north of Vilano Beach on Highway A1A.
For more than two centuries, Vilano Beach has been the beach that locals go to. It’s a choice spot north of St. Augustine popular for its casual atmosphere, quiet ambiance, and natural surroundings. To get to Vilano Beach, you must take the scenic route. And by that, we mean Coastal AIA, a designated All-American Road. This Byway supports a variety of wildlife including birds, the gopher tortoise, and other endangered species. The Vilano Beach Pier is located nearby on the river side of the Matanzas inlet, and it is one of the best vantage points to watch the sunset over downtown St. Augustine.
Ponte Vedra Beach
Ponte Vedra area beaches are found in Guana Tolomato Matanzas Beach and St. Augustine on Highway A1A.
The community of Ponte Vedra Beach in the northeast corner of St. Johns County, is of particular interest for golfing, beach walking, and fishing. Vacationers looking for a beachy getaway flock to the area that occupies a long strip of land running along A1A Scenic Highway. Bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway on the West and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, this coastal community offers boating, fishing, and waterfront dining on both bodies of water. Boat rentals and charters in Ponte Vedra Beach make for a fisherman's paradise, whether fishing on the Intracoastal, on the beach, or on the ocean. To learn more about what to do in Ponte Vedra, check out Ponte Vedra Naturally.
Mickler's Landing
Mickler's Landing is at the south end of Ponte Vedra on Highway A1A
A county park, Mickler’s Landing (pronounced “mike-lers”) Beachfront Park, is located at the south end of Ponte Vedra Beach on Highway A1A/Ponte Vedra Blvd. The park boasts parking, restrooms, showers, handicapped accessible dune walkover, grills, and horseback riding. This beach is also a great spot to hunt for shark teeth too.
Multiple Ponte Vedra Beach Access points are marked along Ponte Vedra Blvd. For more information, visit: http://www.sjcfl.us/Beaches/Access.aspx
South Ponte Vedra Beach Recreation Area
South Ponte Vedra Beach Recreation Area is 2.25 miles south of the GTMNERR on Highway A1A.
Located just two miles south of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve on Highway A1A, the South Ponte Vedra Beach Recreation area is a beautiful spot to enjoy a picnic or do some beachcombing.
The parking lot at 2993 S. Ponte Vedra Blvd. is across A1A from the South Ponte Vedra Fire Station.
Beach access points for the Ponte Vedra Beach area can be found on this interactive map.
There are limited facilities at this beach:
- Off-beach parking
- Picnic tables
- Grills
- Walkover with stairs to the beach
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Did you know?
St. Johns County has been named the one of the Healthiest County in the State of Florida and has 5 major providers:
The St. Johns County School District has been ranked among the best schools in the state! Plus, the local schools offer Advanced Placement Courses, the International Baccalaureate Program, the Advanced International Certificate of Education Program career and technical education programs, and transferrable credit hours toward AA and AS degrees. https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us