The north Florida region, along the Atlantic coast, stretches for more than 100 miles and includes St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beaches, Ponte Vedra Beach and surrounding areas to the Georgia state line.  For many northern visitors it is the gateway to Florida as they travel down I-95.  In a double play of  words Duval county and Jacksonville calls its beach area the "First Coast," because this area is a major point of entry into Florida and Duval county claims the first European settlement dating back to 1562.

It is the mild winters with a touch of the four seasons and the economical living that has led many to move into north Florida.  No region in Florida is more diverse or interesting.  As you explore  north Florida you will discover the oldest city in the USA, St. Augustine, to a modern metropolitan city, Jacksonville. 

A quick drive will take you from busy, urban Jacksonville to sleepy Live Oak, to historic Fernandina Beach or St. Augustine, to the beaches.  The one thread common to all this diversity are Florida's two natural beauties-- the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Johns River.  The Atlantic Ocean can be enjoyed from a done high above the beach on Amelia Island, or Fernandina Beach or Ponte Vedra Beach or Jacksonville Beach as well.  While the St. Johns River flows quietly through country side or bustling city, from St. Augustine to downtown Jacksonville.

From south to north along the Atlantic Coast the counties and their most popular cities includes St. Johns county with St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach, Duval county with Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach, and Nassau county with Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island.  Inland counties and cities include Suwannee county with Live Oak, Clay county with Orange Park, Columbia county with with Lake City and Alachua County with Gainesville.

St. Johns county is the center of Florida's "History Coast."  St. Augustine is the largest city in the county.  There is no city in the United States with more history than St. Augustine.  History in this city dates back for 500 years.  Ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer, landed on April 2, 1513 on what would later become Ponte Vedra Beach.  This area was first colonized by the Spanish, then the French and finally the English and all this colonization started in the 15th century.

Duval county in 1967 consolidated with the city of Jacksonville making Jacksonville 774 square miles and the largest city in the United States in terms of land mass.  Jacksonville claims to the oldest European recorded settlement in the USA.  Another point of interest, Jacksonville has the largest deepwater port in the South Atlantic and is a leading port in the U.S. for automobile imports.

Nassau county is at the northeast corner of Florida.  The first cross-Florida rail way started in Amelia Island and ended in the Gulf of Mexico.   Fifty blocks of  downtown Fernandina Beach are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Today, Nassau county is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled coastal spots in Florida.