The Oldest City in the US: St. Augustine, Florida

A long time ago, before theme parks and Florida man headlines, there was San Agustín, the first European city in the continental US.

Founded in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés at a time when Spain, France and England were all arguing (violently) for power in “La Florida”, which included basically everything from today’s Florida up into parts of Georgia.

St. Augustine was built to protect Spain’s treasure fleets sailing up the Gulf Stream and to cement its claim to this part of the “New World”. After several wooden forts fell apart, Spain built a permanent stone one, the Castillo de San Marcos, from a rare material called coquina (a limestone of broken shells). 

And here’s the wild part: that fort never fell in battle, it only ever changed hands with political negotiation. Today it is a US National Monument.