St. Andrews (FL) (Images of America)

From one of the first mentions of St. Andrews by the British in 1771 to the present day, people have long been pulled to the community as an ideal place to live. Around 1880, many years after Native American tribes greeted the first European settlers to St. Andrews, the St. Andrews Bay Railroad, Land and Mining Company summed up this idyllic town in an advertisement for mailorder real estate with this description: “The loveliest location in all Florida . . . the fairest land the sun ever blessed with its genial kiss. There is but one Florida, and St. Andrews Bay is its brightest jewel.” Many settlers lured by advertising such as this came to visit and found they wanted to stay. After St. Andrews incorporated in 1908, the community began its transformation into the popular port it is today.