First Coast facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
First Coast
Northeast Florida
|
|
|---|---|
      Left to right from top: United States Post Office, Custom House, and Courthouse in Fernandina Beach, Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, James Weldon Johnson Park in Jacksonville, Downtown Jacksonville skyline, Jacksonville Beach Pier, the Matanzas River in Palm Coast.
|
|
Northeast Florida counties
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| Largest city |  Jacksonville |
| Cities | Fernandina Beach Jacksonville Beach Palatka Palm Coast St. Augustine Yulee |
| Counties | Baker Clay Duval Flagler Nassau Putnam St. Johns |
The First Coast is a special area in Florida, a state in the United States. It's right on the Atlantic Ocean in the northern part of Florida. People also call this area Northeast Florida.
It includes several counties around the big city of Jacksonville, like Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns, Flagler, and Putnam. The name 'First Coast' was created in the 1980s to help promote the area for tourism and business. Now, everyone in Florida knows this name!
Contents
History of the First Coast
The First Coast got its name because it was one of the very first places in Florida where Europeans settled. Even though it has a long history, the name 'First Coast' itself was made up much later, in the 1900s, to help attract visitors.
How the Name Began
In 1983, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce wanted a new name for the whole Jacksonville region. This area includes Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. They hired an advertising company to come up with a catchy name.
Staff members Kay Johnson, Bryan Cox, and Bill Jones created the name "Florida's First Coast." It was first announced at the 1983 Gator Bowl, a big football game.
Why "First Coast"?
The name "First Coast" is like other Florida regions such as the Space Coast or Gold Coast. These names were also created for marketing. The name "First Coast" means two things:
- It's often the first part of Florida visitors see when driving south.
- It was the first place in the continental U.S. where Europeans made contact and settled.
For example, Juan Ponce de León might have landed here in 1513. The French built Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville in 1564. Most importantly, the First Coast includes St. Augustine. This city was founded by the Spanish in 1565 and is the oldest city in the continental U.S. where people have lived continuously.
Old Names and New Popularity
Before "First Coast," people sometimes called this area "Florida's Crown" or "South Georgia." "Florida's Crown" referred to its northern location. "South Georgia" meant its culture was more like Georgia than southern Florida.
The name "First Coast" became very popular in the 1980s. In 1990, a new high school in Duval County was even named First Coast High School. By 2002, almost 800 businesses and groups used "First Coast" in their names. Local news channels WTLV and WJXX even call their news "First Coast News."
A study in 2007 showed that 18% of Floridians knew about the First Coast. This makes it one of the most well-known regions in Florida. The name has spread to areas like Flagler Beach and Palatka. However, by 2013, St. Johns County started calling itself the "Historic Coast."
Northeast Florida Region
The name "Northeast Florida" refers to mostly the same area as the First Coast. A 2007 study found that "Northeast Florida" was one of six common regional names in the state. People in Nassau and Duval counties use this term the most.
The state's economic development agency, Enterprise Florida, uses "Northeast Florida" as one of its eight economic regions. This definition includes the five counties around Jacksonville (Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns). It also includes Putnam and Flagler counties. Other groups, like the Florida Department of Transportation, also use this definition.
