Moving to St. Augustine: Neighborhoods and Moving-Day Tips

St. Augustine at a glance

St. Augustine is the county seat of St. Johns County, about 30 miles north of our Palm Coast base. Founded in 1565, it’s the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the continental United States, and the historic core still has the street layout to prove it.

For movers, the city splits into a few very different areas: the historic downtown, the older neighborhoods just north of it, the beach communities across the Intracoastal, and the newer subdivisions west of I-95. Our St. Augustine movers page has a quick-reference box for each.

Historic downtown and Lincolnville

Many downtown and Lincolnville homes are well over a century old. That brings charm and some moving-day realities:

• Streets are narrow and parking is limited. A full-size truck often can’t stop right in front of the house, so plan for a longer carry. Ask the City of St. Augustine whether your street needs anything special for a loading truck, and tell us what they say.
• Stairs and doorways are small. Older staircases can be steep and tight. Measure the doorways and the turn at the top of the stairs before you buy a large sofa or king bed for the new place.
• Weekdays are easier. Downtown fills with visitors on weekends and during events. A weekday morning start usually means less traffic and easier parking.
• Protect old floors and trim. We lay floor runners and pad door frames, which matters even more in historic homes.

Uptown, San Marco and North City

North of the Castillo, neighborhoods along San Marco Avenue and in North City have mostly older homes with a bit more room to park than the core of downtown. Truck access is usually simpler, but mature trees and low limbs can still decide where the truck goes. A photo of the street in front of the house helps us plan.

Anastasia Island, St. Augustine Beach and Vilano Beach

Across the water are the beach communities: Davis Shores and the rest of Anastasia Island, the city of St. Augustine Beach, and Vilano Beach to the north.

• Bridges: Anastasia Island is reached over the Bridge of Lions or the SR 312 bridge, and Vilano Beach over the Vilano bridge on A1A. The Bridge of Lions is a drawbridge, so we build in a little time for openings.
• Raised homes: many beach houses sit on pilings with a long run of exterior stairs. Tell us how many flights there are at each end.
• Condos: reserve the elevator early and ask the association whether movers need to send a certificate of insurance (COI). We can provide one on request.
• Sand and salt air: we pad-wrap furniture and protect floors from sand on the way in.

World Golf Village, the SR 16 corridor and the west side

West of I-95 you’ll find newer, larger homes in gated and master-planned neighborhoods around World Golf Village and along SR 16. Truck access is easy, but gates are not optional: many communities want the crew list, truck details and a COI several days ahead. Get the gate procedure from your HOA early and forward it to us.

On the south side, St. Augustine Shores and the neighborhoods off US 1 south have many single-story homes and retirees. A lot of our work there is downsizing. See our senior moving page.

When to move: Nights of Lights, spring break and summer

St. Augustine’s busiest stretches are Nights of Lights (roughly mid-November through January), spring break and summer beach weekends. Downtown traffic during Nights of Lights evenings can be heavy, so we like to finish downtown moves early in the day during the season. If your dates are flexible, ask us which days are easiest.

Moving during hurricane season (June 1 to November 30)? Keep a backup date in mind and read our hurricane-season moving tips.

New to St. Johns County: a short checklist

• Look up your evacuation zone with St. Johns County Emergency Management.
• If you buy a home you live in, ask the St. Johns County Property Appraiser about the homestead exemption. The application deadline is March 1.
• Update your driver license, vehicle registration and voter registration. Florida asks new residents to get a Florida license within 30 days.
• Ask your HOA or condo association for its written move rules before you book a date.

Moving from Palm Coast, Flagler Beach or Ponte Vedra

St. Augustine is about 35–45 minutes from Palm Coast by I-95, US 1 or A1A, so most moves between Palm Coast and St. Augustine are loaded and unloaded the same day. We also move people between St. Augustine and Flagler Beach, Bunnell and Ponte Vedra, where gated golf communities like Sawgrass and Marsh Landing and the neighborhoods of Nocatee each have their own HOA rules.

Tell us where you’re moving from and to, and send a room-by-room inventory list if you’d like a more accurate quote. Our St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra pages have more local detail.

Moving into World Golf Village?

World Golf Village has its own mix of gated neighborhoods, condos and golf-course homes. See our World Golf Village movers guide.