The St. Augustine area doesn’t have the traffic, high rises and hurricanes you may find in the rest of the state of Florida. St. Johns County Schools are the #1 schools in all of Florida. St. Augustine has been selected by SmartMoney Magazine as one of the top 10 places to retire. So, go ahead and visit Tampa, Orlando, and Miami, but settle in St. Augustine. You will be glad you did.
Pros and Cons of moving to St Augustine
Florida is a large and very diverse state as is other large states CA, TX and NY. Therefore we can’t possibly answer that question because each region of the state; NE, NW, Central, SE and SW have completely different characteristics and attributes, therefore this website has chosen to focus on ST. Johns County, the NE part of Florida. Please review the FACTS section for the “Pros” to moving to Florida. Here are the cons- St. Johns’ County doesn’t have Snow, Sleet and Ice and below zero temperatures!
Education
Education is the heartbeat of every community. Florida is focused on education and no more so than in St. Johns County, the number one school district in the State of Florida.
St. Johns County School District: The St. Johns County School District will inspire good character and a passion for lifelong learning in all students, creating educated and caring contributors to the world.
Flagler College: Flagler College is consistently ranked and mentioned as a top tier college.
St Johns River State College: Since 1958, SJR State has built a solid reputation as a full-service college dedicated to meeting the educational and workforce training needs of its Northeast Florida district. With campuses in Orange Park, Palatka and St. Augustine, SJR State is truly the community’s college, enriching a diverse population of students ranging in age from 16 to 60.
SJR State continues its comprehensive educational role by expanding its services and programs while continuing its focus on the Associate in Arts (transfer) degree and more than 30 Associate in Science degrees and certificates. The College recently expanded its mission to include two baccalaureate degrees.
Recreation
St. Johns County Recreation & Parks Department offers an abundance of choices for outdoor activities). There are 30 parks that offer, swimming and aquatics, picnic grounds, canoeing, hiking and biking trails, boat ramps, lighted tennis and paddle tennis courts, community centers, municipal golf course, and more. There are also adult athletic programs, including softball, volleyball, and basketball. Other senior programs are planned.
Golfers will find this area of northeast Florida to be ideal. It is the home of the PGA Tour as well as the World Golf Hall of Fame and boasts more than 50 courses. Among them are layouts designed by Donald Ross, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Jerry Pate, and Robert Trent Jones and other outstanding architects. There are famous courses like the TPC at Sawgrass, The King and The Bear, and numerous other championship layouts. There are exquisite clubs, resort courses, and numerous semi-private and public courses. Ponte Vedra Beach’s tennis facilities for both players and fans rank among the finest found anywhere in the world! The best players in the world come to the ATP Tour International Headquarters to sharpen their games, and the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club has been named as the third best tennis resort in America. The St. Augustine area is geared for more casual players and offers 24 lighted courts in various area.
There is an abundance of water sports with a 42-mile stretch of sand beach shoreline, with state parks and public recreation areas. There is also a wide variety of both inland and offshore fishing.
For sports fans, there is The Tournament Players Championship of golf at Sawgrass in May (www.golfflorida.com) big-time college football at the Gator Bowl or The Jacksonville Jaguars professional football team at Jaguar Stadium in Jacksonville (jaguars.com). And famous Daytona International Speedway is just an hour and 15 minutes from St. Augustine. (daytonainternationalspeedway.com).
200+ Restaurants in St. Augustine Area
St. Augustine offers eateries from cafes and pubs to four-star dining, and many boutiques and gift shops. There are established neighborhoods in the downtown area, with a number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. On the edge of town there is The Saint Johns Town Center, and in town is a mile-long St. Augustine Outlet Center.
Retirement
Florida has several advantages for those looking to relocate full-time or part-time for retirement. A low cost of living and no State taxes are just part of the attraction. St. Augustine is consistently cited as one of the best places to call home when retiring.
Culture
- St Augustine is a great center for the arts. It hosts many live music events and is home to theater and film organizations. The area has a very wide and varied music scene. http://www.oldcity.com
- St. Augustine Amphitheater- is a venue for outdoor concerts with the some of the best bands touring every year and other large gatherings on A1A in St Augustine, Florida, United States. The Amphitheatre seats 3,493 persons, and is managed by the St. Johns County Recreation & Parks department.
- The EMMA Concert Association offers a rich variety of performances at Flagler Auditorium. It features talents such as Charleston Ballet Theater, Budapest Strings, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, pianist Oleg Marshev, and violinist Corey Cerovesk. http://www.emmaconcerts.com/
- The Limelight Theatre offers year-round professional quality live stage productions in an intimate setting of just 110 seats. http://limelight-theatre.org
- There are a great many historic sites and museums in the area. Among them are Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a stately old stone fort, the Spanish Quarter Village, which is a living history museum, Fountain of Youth Discovery Park, and Lightner Museum — a Victorian collectibles museum.
- Cultural events and happenings are now hosted on the St. Johns County Cultural Calendar.
EMPLOYMENT/COST OF LIVING
- The unemployment rate in St. Johns County, FL, is 4.60%, with job growth of 4.29%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 44.00%.
- St. Johns County, FL, sales tax rate is 6.00%. Income tax is 0.00%.
- The income per capita is $36,639, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $64,346.
Weather
The weather is a true motivator for relocating to the Sunshine State. No snow to shovel and plenty of beach days create the perfect lifestyle. Northeast Florida and the St. Augustine area provides a comfortable climate that refreshes the mind and body.
Of course, mention the state of Florida, and the potential for hurricanes is always a possibility. What do hurricanes mean for the St. Augustine area? The area is not hurricane-proof but it is has the lowest probability of a land-falling hurricane anywhere on the East Coast or the Gulf Coast of the United States. Northeast Florida’s unique geographic location as the westernmost city on the Eastern Seaboard plays a part in the formula of the recurvature effect. As storms curve north and east, they have a very high tendency to stay offshore. Northeast Florida has historically been “protected” from a direct hit by a hurricane. In the past century, no hurricane Category 3 or higher has made landfall on the First Coast.