St. Augustine is the county seat of St. Johns County on Florida's northeast coast, about 40 miles south of Jacksonville. The city's historic core — anchored by the Castillo de San Marcos, St. George Street, and Flagler College — is a major tourist draw, but the broader St. Augustine area has become a serious residential market driven by the exceptional reputation of St. Johns County Schools, consistently ranked the top school district in Florida. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee, and World Golf Village communities in northern St. Johns County attract high-income families, while St. Augustine proper offers a more eclectic mix of historic bungalows, beach cottages in the Vilano Beach and St. Augustine Beach areas, and newer developments along US-1 south of town. The economy blends tourism and hospitality with healthcare (Flagler Hospital), education, and a growing remote-worker population. I-95 connects St. Augustine to Jacksonville to the north and Daytona Beach to the south, and the daily commute to Jacksonville's Southside business district takes about 45 minutes. The cost of living has risen sharply as St. Johns County's reputation has spread, but it remains below Northeast coastal cities. Flooding is a consideration — the city's low elevation and proximity to the Matanzas River and Intracoastal Waterway make some areas vulnerable during heavy rain and hurricanes.