Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
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      Left to right from top: Palm Valley Bridge, Sunrise at Ponte Vedra Beach, Milam House, designed by Paul Rudolph, 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, Military Appreciation Day at The Players Championship, Great White Egret in a local estuary.
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Location in St. Johns County and the state of Florida
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| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | St. Johns |
| Area | |
| • Total | 33.8 sq mi (88 km2) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 29,495 |
| • Density | 858/sq mi (331/km2) |
| ZIP code |
32082
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| Area code(s) | 904, 324 |
Ponte Vedra Beach is a cool beach town in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. It's a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida. You can find it about 18 miles (29 km) southeast of downtown Jacksonville. It's also 26 miles (42 km) north of St. Augustine. Ponte Vedra Beach is part of the fun Jacksonville Beaches area. It sits on an island sometimes called San Pablo Island.
This area is famous for its awesome seaside resorts. These include the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, the Lodge and Club, and the Marriott at Sawgrass. Ponte Vedra Beach is located in St. Johns County, which is one of the richest counties in Florida. It's a popular vacation spot, especially known for golf. It's home to the PGA Tour and the big Players Championship. This tournament happens at TPC Sawgrass.
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History of Ponte Vedra Beach
For a long time, not many people lived here. This was true even when other beach towns started growing to the north in the late 1800s.
From Mineral City to Ponte Vedra
In 1914, people found valuable minerals in the area. A community called Mineral City grew up around the mining work. These minerals were mostly titanium, zircon, and rutile. They were dug out of the beach sands by the Buckman and Pritchard Mining Company.
The National Lead Company bought this mining company in 1921. They stopped mining because there wasn't as much demand for these minerals after World War I. In 1929, the company decided to turn the area into a resort. They wanted it to be like The Cloister in Sea Island, Georgia. Colonel Joseph C. Stehlin came to manage this new development.
The company wanted a fancier name than Mineral City for their resort. So, Colonel Stehlin and his wife, Elizabeth, went to the library in St. Augustine. They looked at old maps. They found a town called Pontevedra on the Atlantic coast of Spain. They thought it was at about the same latitude as Mineral City. (Actually, Pontevedra, Spain, is much farther north!) The name "Pontevedra" comes from a Roman bridge. This bridge was called "pontis vetera," meaning "old bridge." It crossed the Lérez River centuries ago. Colonel Stehlin suggested the name to his company, and Mineral City became Ponte Vedra.
The Ponte Vedra Club
In the early 1920s, the National Lead Company built a nine-hole golf course. It was designed by Herbert Bertram Strong, who helped start the PGA. They also built a 12-room clubhouse made of logs for their employees. After the company left, this land became the start of the Ponte Vedra Club.
A local developer named Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co. took over the Ponte Vedra Corporation in July 1934.
World War II and Ponte Vedra
During World War II, something interesting happened here. A German submarine, U-584, dropped off four people at Ponte Vedra. This was part of a secret plan called Operation Pastorius. The plan failed.
These four German spies had lived in the United States before. They came ashore on the night of June 16, 1942. They were carrying explosives and American money. After landing, they walked up the beach to Jacksonville Beach. From there, they took a city bus to Jacksonville. Then they traveled by train to other cities. Luckily, these invaders were caught before they could cause any harm.
Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass
In 1972, developers started building the Sawgrass area. It was a huge project, covering 1,100 acres (4.5 km²). In the mid-1970s, Deane Beman, who was in charge of the PGA golf tour, was looking for a permanent home for the Tournament Players Championship. Many places in northern Florida were being considered.
To help bring attention to the area, a developer named Paul Fletcher made an amazing offer. He offered 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land to Beman for just $1! Beman couldn't say no to this incredible deal. This land became the future home of The Players Championship and the main office for the PGA Tour. The Sawgrass Stadium Course has been the permanent home of The Players Championship since 1982.
Geography of Ponte Vedra Beach
Ponte Vedra Beach is located east of the Intracoastal Waterway. It's south of the Duval County line and north of Vilano Beach. The community of South Ponte Vedra Beach is often thought of as part of Ponte Vedra Beach. The whole Ponte Vedra area includes Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, South Ponte Vedra Beach, Sawgrass, and Palm Valley.
In June 2006, the U.S. Postal Service created a new ZIP code, 32081. This new area, south and southwest of the original 32082 area, is called Ponte Vedra (different from Ponte Vedra Beach).
Life in Ponte Vedra Beach
Ponte Vedra Beach is known for being a very well-off area in North Florida. The average household income here is $150,646. The average age of people living here is 41.8 years old. The area also has one of the best school districts in Florida.
In 2005, CNN and Money Magazine listed Ponte Vedra Beach as one of the "Best Places to Live." It was 50th on their list of 100 finalists. It was the first place in Florida to be named that year. As of April 1, 2024, the average house in Ponte Vedra Beach costs around $898,000.
Education
Public schools in Ponte Vedra Beach are managed by the St. Johns County School District. Ponte Vedra High School is the public high school here. It was built to help with too many students at Allen D. Nease High School. Alice B. Landrum Middle School is the main public middle school. For elementary school, students can go to Ponte Vedra Palm Valley-Rawlings Elementary School or Ocean Palms Elementary School.
Ponte Vedra also has private schools. Palmer Catholic Academy offers education from kindergarten to 8th grade. The Bolles School has one of its campuses in Ponte Vedra Beach. It teaches students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. After fifth grade, students transfer to their middle and high schools in Jacksonville, Florida.
The St Johns County Public Library System also has a branch library in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Notable People
Many interesting people have lived or currently live in Ponte Vedra. Here are some of them:
- Kim Alexis, actress and model
- Jason Altmire, U.S. Congressman
- Tony Boselli, professional football player
- Mark Brunell, professional football player and coach
- Ron DeSantis, 46th Governor of Florida
- David Duval, professional golfer
- Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner
- Fred Funk, professional golfer
- Jim Furyk, professional golfer
- Christian Laettner, professional basketball player
- John Legere, former CEO of T-Mobile
- Todd Martin, professional tennis player
- Craig McKinley, a top general in the National Guard
- Calvin Peete, professional golfer
- Fred Rogers, famous television personality from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
- Theodore Roosevelt Jr., a general and Medal of Honor winner
- Vijay Singh, professional golfer
- Tim Tebow, professional football & baseball player
- Bill Terry, baseball Hall of Fame member
- Bobby Thomson, professional baseball player, famous for the "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
- MaliVai Washington, professional tennis player
- Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize winner
