St. Augustine Welcome Sign - St. Augustine, Florida
Posted by: 
macleod1
N 29° 53.250 W 081° 19.417
17R E 468752 N 3306363
This sign is located along Old Dixie Highway which locally is referred to as either US 1 or Phillips Highway.
Waymark Code: WM48MH
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/22/2008
Views: 45
The sign welcomes visitors into this historic city with 24 of its organizations proudly displaying their logo medallions. This is where the Old Dixie Highway or now US 1 now leads visitors into the downtown historic areas.
Before the interstates arrived in Florida, the majority of travelers bound for south Florida passed between nearby coquina gates to begin the long drive down to the tropics. It was a signpost, a landmark designed to alert drivers that they were entering someplace special, someplace exotic and that their vacation had officially begun. Once past the gates, US One splits in two, with Business One veering off towards the old historic district and the main highway following the banks of the San Sebastian River and the railroad tracks.
Business One follows the original path of the King's Road (now San Marco Avenue) up to the old city gates at the foot of the Castillo de San Marco. The main highway is the new US One/Dixie Highway (known locally as Ponce de Leon Boulevard), which came into use after the US highway designations were adopted. Somewhere along the line, the Chamber of Commerce erected an artificial waterfall and a Spanish-style wall at the divide that reiterates a welcome to "strangers", as tourists in the early twentieth century were called. From here, the road snakes it's way southeast along a row of new motels, gas stations and fast food restaurants.
Website:http://www.geocities.com/xpatriot_1999/One/St_Augustine.html
Americana: Sign (hopefully neon)
Significant Interest: Road Sign
Milestone or Marker: Beginning or Ending
Web Site Address: [Web Link]
Physical Address: Not listed
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