A to F Street – St. Augustine Beach living at its Best
The streets A st. B st., C st., E st. and F st. are the classic beach cottage retro life neighbourhoods of St. Augustine. Families in the 1950 to 70s build summer homes and permanent homes. Of course most have been redone, but think of any nostalgia beach movie you see and this is that area. It is the closest you get to a Hawaii on the Atlantic. Literally chickens run while in the streets and Shaggy Rogers suffer dudes are everywhere along side neighbor kids playing ball in the street.
When I lived on the “Golden mile” in St. Augustine, I was doing yoga on the beach, collecting shells, fishing, swimming reading on the beach thinking about life as I looked at the starts. Everyday was different. I understand now why Ancient Greek culture thrived.
A to F street are non HOA houses. You have a yard, you can do whatever you want. It is freedom. You will pay between 150k and 350k for this. A nice small 3 bedroom 2 or 1 bath is about 225k. The cost of adding another bath is about 7k.
More history of the island
St. Augustine is a historic city; it is the oldest, continually settled European settlement in existence today for the continental United States. Settled by the Spanish, St. Augustine has seen its share of conflicts between the Spanish and the French, the Spanish and the Native Americans, and the Spanish and the British. The ruling party of St. Augustine exchanged hands several times before becoming a part of the United States. Located in St. Augustine is Anastasia Island.
Anastasia Island is part of St. Augustine, located in Northern Florida along the coast. The intra-coastal waterway of the Matanzas River borders part of the Island, and the River is what separates the island from St. Augustine. On the other side of the island is the Atlantic Ocean. At fifteen miles long and three miles wide, Anastasia Island is home to residential communities, pristine nature preserves, businesses and attractions such as the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Anastasia State Park, the Lighthouse and the Fort Matanzas National Monument.
The famed explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was the first to be attributed to landing on Anastasia Island and this was in 1514, several years before St. Augustine and Anastasia Island become a Spanish settlement in 1566. The first settlement in 1566 was actually on Anastasia Island but it was moved to St. Augustine shortly thereafter. Anastasia Island remained an important part of the settlement and a watchtower was built on the island. This beacon, as they called it, was the first of its kind, a lighthouse and it was the first in the United States. Eventually, it was replaced with a modern lighthouse, which still stands on the island.
It was not until almost 1927 that the Bridge of Lions was constructed, which connected Anastasia Island with St. Augustine. To this day, it is still the only way to drive onto or off the island. Today, Anastasia Island has several residential communities and has plenty to offer in the way of shopping, dining, and entertainment, as well as countless beaches to enjoy the warm, mild Florida weather on.
In the St. Augustine beach area of Anastasia Island, to East of A1A, you will find streets A through F, which extend up to the beach, crossing 5th street to 2nd Avenue and past A1A Beach Blvd. If you are looking for some of the best beach living on Anastasia Island, consider finding a house on A Street to F Street. The streets end only a short walk away from the beach, meaning that resident can be from their front door to the surf in a manner of minutes.
Even if you lived further down the street, towards the interior of the island, where A Street begins at A1A and streets B-F begin where they intersect Coquina Blvd, you will still be only blocks away from the beach. It will never take you more than just a few minutes to reach the beach. The area is very pedestrian and bicycle friendly, and many residents prefer to get around the island that way. The Trolleys and the Red Trains are other ways to get around, taking you along the island with their frequent stops at hotels, shops and restaurants.
Anastasia Island State Park is just to the north, where there is much to see and do. This recreation area sits on a salt march and has a hammock forest so the terrain and wildlife is quite diverse. This is also the site of the coquina stone was quarried from; coquina being an unusual material made from compressed shells, which was used to create the Castillo de San Marcos. Activities include camping, picnics, kayaking, fishing, hiking, swimming, surfing, wildlife viewing and sailboarding. You can rent canoes, pedal boats, catamarans and windsurfing equipment at Anastasia Watersports and explore Salt Run for yourself.
Nestled among the homes on A-F streets are numerous boutiques, shops, restaurants and Bed and Breakfasts. The area manages to be both lively with friendly people and quiet all at the same time, perfect for families or those that want to be near the beach. Houses at the beach end of the streets often have private beach access trails, giving them even quicker access to the beautiful, clean sands of the beach.
If you want to be where the action is, near the beach, then you want to live on A – F Streets on Anastasia Island. The houses range in size and value but what is certain is that you will find a house that you will that will put you right in the heart of Anastasia Island and yet still only minutes away from St. Augustine.
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