I included this city in my tour because contrary to what most Americans believe, the cities in were once our original 13 colonies are not the oldest in United States. Those cities were founded by England, and our history books focus more on Jamestown and the arrival of the British. But excluding the cities founded by the Anasazi and other indigenous Americans who arrived 10,000 years before Columbus but are never included in our history books, St. Augustine is actually the first city ever built by Europeans in the United States. That’s why its architecture looks so different from the rest of the country. Having lived in Spain, I can tell you that the narrow, cobbled streets of its old quarter and the construction of the houses are identical to their counterparts in every little town I ever went to in Spain. 

The Spanish have influenced the entirety of the American West and Southwest. But the sold off their holdings to the new American government rather than fight the British and French for control of everything north of Mexico. We bought out the French to get rid of them, and fought a war with England to bounce them out once and for all. But St. Augustine is proof that the Spanish were here first. I’m sorry that I don’t have more links for St. Augustine, but there aren’t a lot of driving tours. Which is a shame because it’s a living shapshot of a piece of our history as a nation, largely preserved for the enjoyment of everyone who visits. There are more walking tours, which makes sense if you think about the historic nature of city. It a very walkable place, built for people who did everything on foot. I’m told it’s a wonderful place to live, though it looks a little “geriatric” for my tastes. I’m more the South Florida type.