Northeast Florida covers the Atlantic coast from the Georgia border south to Daytona Beach, taking in the St. Johns River basin and the flat, pine-forested interior. It is a region of genuine contrasts: Jacksonville, the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, anchors the north; while St. Augustine, 50 kilometres to the south, is the oldest European settlement in the country, founded by the Spanish in 1565.
The Atlantic coastline here is long and largely undeveloped compared to South Florida. Jacksonville's beaches — Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach — are relaxed and unpretentious. Further south, the Ponte Vedra coast is known for golf. The barrier islands north of Jacksonville, now protected as the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, contain some of the most pristine estuary and maritime forest on the East Coast, along with Kingsley Plantation and Fort Caroline National Memorial.
Inland, the St. Johns River flows northward (one of the few major American rivers that does) and connects a string of towns and natural areas. Lake City sits at the crossroads of I-10 and I-75 and makes a useful base for the spring-fed rivers and forests to the west, including the Ichetucknee River and the Osceola National Forest.
