More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #444 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of St. Augustine Beach was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1937 on, and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. Augustine Beach is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #444 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of St. Augustine Beach’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so St. Augustine Beach’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1959.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about St. Augustine Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of St. Augustine Beach yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
St. Augustine Beach or Saint Augustine Beach is a city in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,803 at the 2020 US census, up from 6,176 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida metropolitan area.
St. Augustine Beach was established in 1959. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,176 to 6,803 (+10%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
St. Augustine Beach, 1930 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of St. Augustine Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1937Crescent Beach sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of St. Augustine Beach.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewCrawford Cottages, 1930s
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on St. Augustine Beach’s page.
In 1959, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 396 people here.
How does St. Augustine Beach rank for history?
St. Augustine Beach is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #444 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in St. Augustine Beach?
2% of St. Augustine Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1987.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1985
2009
2004
2004
