St. Augustine

As the oldest city in the United States of America, St Augustine has played varied and prominent historic roles. It was in this area that Juan Ponce de Leon, in search for the legendary Fountain of Youth, landed on April 3, 1513, and took possession of the region for Spain. The first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was established in 1565 by Pedro Menendez de Aviles.

Its coastal location made the town both strategic and vulnerable. St Augustine was sacked by pirates in both the 16th and 17th centuries. Military importance soon came to the forefront, and England extended its holdings southward down the coast. Spain responded by starting to build Castillo de San Marcos in 1672.

By the time St Augustine was ceded to England in 1763, it had served as the seat of government for 30 missions, as well as for all Spanish Georgia. British loyalists from adjacent states sought refuge here during the Revolutionary War.