Know anything about Saint Augustine, FL

[TigerVols]

So I good friend is moving from Santa Fe to Saint Augustine, FL.

I'm dreading it for her. Should I be?

 

[FileNotFound]

St. Augustine is a delightful, quirky little town with access to great beaches and a decent-sized city about a half-hour to the north. It's way less tourist-ridden than other parts of Florida and has a great deal of charm. There are many worse places in Florida for a person to land.

 

[da man]

It's the oldest continuously inhabited European-f0unded city in the U.S.

 

[Slacker]

And there's a Buc-ee's right down the road in Daytona Beach!

 

[Sam Mills 51]

And there's a Buc-ee's right down the road in Daytona Beach!

Speaking of Daytona Beach, I can only hope that St. Augustine is better than Volusia County. Except for a couple of really great neighbors, that was eight months of my life that I'd love to have back.

 

[Slacker]

Speaking of Daytona Beach, I can only hope that St. Augustine is better than Volusia County. Except for a couple of really great neighbors, that was eight months of my life that I'd love to have back.

I've been to Daytona Beach only for a vacation.
What's up with Volusia County, and what's a "Volusia," anyway?
Native American historical name is my only guess there.

 

[Songbird]

Yeah, the Illini team with Augustine and Williams should have beaten Chapel Hill in the title game.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

I've been to Daytona Beach only for a vacation.
What's up with Volusia County, and what's a "Volusia," anyway?
Native American historical name is my only guess there.

There was a plantation named "Velusha" or "Volucia" (probably the latter, given that it's the most Spanish-sounding) on the site of a longstanding Mayaca village on the St. Johns River, about three miles south of Lake George. When the Florida legislature divided up old Orange County at the end of 1854, that portion of it was named after Volusia, its most populous village, which had about 600 people. It still has about 600 people. There are 5 different versions of the story explaining the roots of the name, all of which are equally likely.

 

[playthrough]

My old home. Lived there for three years about a decade ago, we had a house in the historic district, just outside of the entrance to the Fountain of Youth. Lotta great memories, our second child was born there and the first one went to an elementary school in the heart of the old town, I used to take her every day on a tandem bike. The little tourist trolleys used to go right by our house too.

The good:
-- Old Town is great. Never got old hosting friends and family and taking them around.
-- "Nights of Lights" in the Old Town from after Thanksgiving through early January is amazing, and some nights it can even be pleasantly chilly. Or not, of course.
-- Publix! We had five in about a 15-mile radius, and one opened right across the bridge in Vilano Beach when we lived there.
-- Every holiday is a special occasion, plenty of parades and July 4 at the old fort is awesome.
-- Plenty of places to booze it up. Decent restaurant scene with some great hole-in-the-wall seafood joints.

The bad:
-- We lived in a Zone 1 hurricane area. Wasn't there for a big one but our street flooded very easily after summer squalls.
-- Plenty of weekend traffic with just a couple roads in and out. Just part of the deal.
-- Florida real estate fluctuations. We sold our house for a decent little profit after just three years, but when I heard what those buyers sold it for a couple years later, I almost pashed out. We could never buy it back now, but in a few years who knows?
-- Then again, we almost couldn't sell it because of hurricane insurance. Expensive and for us it was hard to transfer though we got it done.
-- It's still Florida and Florida Man is real. The guy next door just got out of prison when we moved in and was a weirdo. And no kids at all on our street. Ultimately, my wife was screaming to go back north so we did.

 

[daytonadan1983]

I love going to St Augustine. Perfect day trip.

Now for all you fine folk commenting on Daytona .... Well, with my username, I'll just say that there are many great things about the area and things that aren't so great and leave it at that....