St Augustine is often referred to as the oldest city in the U.S. Prior to its "discovery" by Europeans, Calusa and Timucuan Indians populated the area. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed here on September 8, 1565 and claimed the territory in the name of King Phillip II of Spain. He called the site St. Augustine because Augustine was the patron
saint of his hometown in Spain.
The Spanish controlled the territory for nearly 200 years, despite continual hardship due to storms, floods, fires, pirate attack and foreign aggression on behalf of the French and English. However, as part of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Spain gave up its Florida holdings to England in exchange for Cuba.
The British occupied the city for only 20 years, and it was handed back to the Spanish when Britain was forced to recognize American Independence.
The second Spanish colonial period saw a wave of immigration. But while Spanish influence began to wane, the northern American states began to become more established and powerful. Florida was finally ceded to the U.S. in 1821.
Other than its strategic role in the Seminole wars of the 1830's and as a minor military outpost during the Civil War, St Augustine was quiet until the 1880's.
Henry Flagler, co-owner of Standard Oil with John D Rockefeller started the tourist boom in the city when he built two luxury hotels and improved the railroad here in the late 1880's. From then on, the city became a destination for the rich, eager to enjoy its warm climate and witness its long history. Today more than two million people visit the city each year.
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