Atlantic Boulevard
Dublin Core
Title
Atlantic Boulevard
Alternative Title
Coastal Highway
Dixie Highway
State Road 1
Atlantic Coastal Highway (78) [Jacksonville to St. Augustine]
Ocean Shore Boulevard (140) [St. Augustine to Daytona Beach]
State Road A1A/SR-A1A
Highway A1A/Hwy A1A
Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway
Contributor
Dixie Highway Association
Florida Department of Transportation
Date Created
1911-1927
Date Modified
1945
2024
Type
The original purpose of this highway was to serve as a way to deliver agriculture north or south and assist visitors coming as part of the growing Florida tourism industry.
Description
As early as 1903 there was talk of building a coastal highway for automobiles from Jacksonville to Miami. As automobiles became more popular, the ease of travel that they offered created a demand for improved roads. Shortly after 1900, Carl Fisher, founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, plus other automobile enthusiasts met to create the Dixie Highway Association. Their plan was to encourage the building of a network of roads from Canada to Miami. A1A was built, beginning around 1911, using brick, to open Florida to tourism, and when it began, the highway was the first paved road on the Florida East Coast and was incorporated into the Dixie Highway network.
Opening in 1926-1927, as Atlantic Boulevard, it was frequently referred to instead as the Coastal Highway, but also, State Road 1, becoming the primary route to the south, delivering goods to the northern states and offering tourists the luxury of a warm winter vacation in the Sunshine State. By 1929 the Coastal Highway extended from Maine to Miami and was all but complete. By the 1930s, A1A had different local names and highway numbers dependent on whether you drove the stretch north or south of St. Augustine.
In 1945, the highway (SR-1) was renamed, A1A in order to curb confusion with the nearby US-1. In 2024, the road name was changed to Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. The Florida Legislature unanimously passed this name change into law and was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2024.
Opening in 1926-1927, as Atlantic Boulevard, it was frequently referred to instead as the Coastal Highway, but also, State Road 1, becoming the primary route to the south, delivering goods to the northern states and offering tourists the luxury of a warm winter vacation in the Sunshine State. By 1929 the Coastal Highway extended from Maine to Miami and was all but complete. By the 1930s, A1A had different local names and highway numbers dependent on whether you drove the stretch north or south of St. Augustine.
In 1945, the highway (SR-1) was renamed, A1A in order to curb confusion with the nearby US-1. In 2024, the road name was changed to Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. The Florida Legislature unanimously passed this name change into law and was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2024.
Has Part
A1A was once part of the Dixie Highway, which was a network of interconnected roadways that connected the Midwestern United States to Miami, Florida.
Rights Holder
Florida Department of Transportation
Relation
HWY A1A runs through Anastasia Island.
Anastasia State Park is bordered to the west by HWY A1A.
Capo's Bathhouse used to be accessed from Bay Street.
Castillo de San Marcos is on the San Marcos Avenue stretch of this road.
HWY A1A runs through Crescent Beach.
Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille is on Avenida Menendez.
Huguenot Cemetery is on San Marco Avenue.
Avenida Menendez intersect with the eastern terminus of Hypolita Street.
Highway A1A splits the Marineland property.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche/Mission Nombre de Dios is bordered by the San Marco Avenue stretch of road.
HWY A1A runs through North Beach and is the northern edge of Vilano Beach.
O.C. Whites is on Avenida Menendez.
The Old City Gates would have merged St. George Street and the S. Castillo Drive section of this road before St. George Street stopped at Orange Street and the Old City Gates became a tourist landmark.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is on the San Marcos Avenue stretch of this road.
Highway A1A merges with San Marco/Castillo Drive/Avenida Menendez for several miles through town.
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is bordered by HWY A1A on the eastern side.
HWY A1A runs through Summer Haven.
The Visitor Information Center and the Old Spanish Trail Zero Marker are both on San Marco Avenue where the San Marco Hotel had been.
Source
The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:
Map (c.1929): Ponce de Leon Celebration First Week in April: St. Augustine, Florida. City Commission of St. Augustine on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Printed by The Record Company, [1929].
Photograph 1 (1946): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.
Photograph 2 (1995): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.
Photograph 3 (2025): Kozlowski, Beata. "Florida Scenic Highway A1A Sign North and South." July 1, 2025.
Photograph 4 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "A1A South." July 25, 2025.
Photograph 5 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "A1A North." October 24, 2025.
The following articles and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014.
Kim’s Guide to Florida. Anna Maria, FL: Ethel Byrum Kimball, 1937.
Kleinberg, Eliot. “Florida History: A1A Is Arguably the Most Romantic Road in Florida.” The Palm Beach Post, July 30, 2020. https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/history/2020/07/30/florida-history-a1a-is-arguably-most-romantic-road-in-florida/112604154/.
Overdeep, Meghan. “Florida Historic A1A Officially Named After Beloved Music Legend.” Southern Living, September 6, 2024. https://www.southernliving.com/florida-a1a-jimmy-buffett-8707956.
Ponce de Leon Celebration First Week in April: St. Augustine, Florida. City Commission of St. Augustine on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Printed by The Record Company, [1929].
Real Estate Reporter. “The Story of Florida’s Famous HWY A1A & Its Impact on Volusia County.” Grizzard Real Estate, August 31, 2018. https://blog.eragrizzard.com/hometalk/the-story-of-floridas-famous-hwy-a1a-its-impact-on-volusia-county.
Map (c.1929): Ponce de Leon Celebration First Week in April: St. Augustine, Florida. City Commission of St. Augustine on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Printed by The Record Company, [1929].
Photograph 1 (1946): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.
Photograph 2 (1995): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.
Photograph 3 (2025): Kozlowski, Beata. "Florida Scenic Highway A1A Sign North and South." July 1, 2025.
Photograph 4 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "A1A South." July 25, 2025.
Photograph 5 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "A1A North." October 24, 2025.
The following articles and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014.
Kim’s Guide to Florida. Anna Maria, FL: Ethel Byrum Kimball, 1937.
Kleinberg, Eliot. “Florida History: A1A Is Arguably the Most Romantic Road in Florida.” The Palm Beach Post, July 30, 2020. https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/history/2020/07/30/florida-history-a1a-is-arguably-most-romantic-road-in-florida/112604154/.
Overdeep, Meghan. “Florida Historic A1A Officially Named After Beloved Music Legend.” Southern Living, September 6, 2024. https://www.southernliving.com/florida-a1a-jimmy-buffett-8707956.
Ponce de Leon Celebration First Week in April: St. Augustine, Florida. City Commission of St. Augustine on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Printed by The Record Company, [1929].
Real Estate Reporter. “The Story of Florida’s Famous HWY A1A & Its Impact on Volusia County.” Grizzard Real Estate, August 31, 2018. https://blog.eragrizzard.com/hometalk/the-story-of-floridas-famous-hwy-a1a-its-impact-on-volusia-county.
Rights
Flagler College’s Rare Books, Floridiana & Institutional Repository are neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.
Is Referenced By
The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this historic site as a location:
Forbidden Area
Stepping Off a Cliff
Sugar Cage
Forbidden Area
Stepping Off a Cliff
Sugar Cage
Date Submitted
This record was last updated on October 31, 2025.
Collection
Citation
“Atlantic Boulevard,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed June 13, 2026, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/340.