Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

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Ponte Vedra Beach on a December afternoon. During the summer months, the beach is often filled with local families as well as tourists.

Ponte Vedra Beach is an unincorporated seaside community 18 miles (29 km) southeast of downtown Jacksonville, Florida, near St. Augustine, Florida in St. Johns County, Florida. It is an upmarket tourist resort best known for its association with golf. It is the home of the ATP Tour, the PGA TOUR, and THE PLAYERS Championship^[1] is played at The Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass. The area is known for its resorts including the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club (a AAA five diamond resort), the Lodge and Club (four diamonds), and the Marriott at Sawgrass (three diamonds). It also lies in the fourth wealthiest county in Florida, ranking just behind the Palm Beach and Naples areas. Most of the beaches have limited public access, with the exception of Mickler's Landing and Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Tennis and surfing are other popular activities.

1 History
2 Nature preserve
3 Demographics
4 Notable Ponte Vedrans
5 Communications designators
6 References

[edit] History

[edit] European discovery

Ponte Vedra Beach may have been first sighted by Juan Ponce de Leon on his search for the Fountain of Youth in 1513. In point of fact, this claim may be made by practically any community on the east coast of Florida, since Leon's precise landfall is unknown, and the fountain quest is in any case only a legend.

[edit] Previous name

In 1916 the community was known as Mineral City, and titanium (ilmenite) extraction was significant, as well as that of zircon and rutile.^[2] These minerals were recovered from beach sands by the commercial firm of the National Lead Company, under the leadership of Henry Holland Buckman and George A. Pritchard. During the First World War titanium was a component of poison gas, and therefore a strategic mineral. The golf courses created for recreational purposes by their company became the root of the present golf industry.

[edit] Current name

The present name of the place appears to be in honor of the city of Pontevedra (Ponte Vedra), capital city of the province of the same name in the region (province) of Galicia in Spain. In the Galician language (one of the four official languages of Spain, which language in fact more nearly resembles the Portuguese language), ponte vedra means "old bridge" (think "veteran pont"). The Santa Maria, flagship of Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage of discovery, was built in that town.

[edit] Submarines and saboteurs

A fact little remembered in this day and age, even by those who live in Ponte Vedra, is that the community was the site of a German submarine landing during the failed Operation Pastorius. On the night of June 16, 1942, four German soldiers from a German submarine came ashore carrying explosives and American money.^[3]^[4] Five days earlier, another submarine came ashore in Amagansett, New York on Long Island The German spies were captured before they could do any damage. All were tried and six were executed.^[5]

[edit] Nature preserve

Ponte Vedra Beach is also the site of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, a large nature preserve that includes miles of protected beaches, wetlands, and near-pristine woods.

[edit] Demographics

Median household income in this "village" (city) is $79,608.^[6] The population (including surrounding areas) in 2005 was given as 35,400.^[6]

Ponte Vedra Beach was 50th on the list of 100 finalists for CNN and Money Magazine's 2005 List of the Best Places to Live. It was the first place in Florida to be named in that year and one of only four areas in the state to make the cut.^[6] By 2006 it had fallen off the radar.

[edit] Notable Ponte Vedrans

Famous athletes/celebrities from/residing in Ponte Vedra:

Ron Duguay, former hockey player and coach
Tim Tebow, University of Florida, quarterback
Ben Nowland, Auburn University, center
Fred Funk, professional golfer
Len Mattiace, professional golfer
David Duval, professional golfer
Terry Jaymes morning radio show host
Vijay Singh, professional golfer
Jim Furyk, professional golfer
Todd Martin, professional tennis player
Mark Brunell, quarterback, Washington Redskins
Connie Fletcher, actress, All My Children
Kim Alexis, supermodel
Nancy Soderberg Member of the former Clinton Administration
Donna Orender, President of the WNBA
Lizzie Danner, former child actress and future clothing magnate

[edit] Communications designators

Area Code: 904
Zip Code: 32082
In June 2006 the United States Postal Service designated an area to the south and southwest of the 32082 area as Ponte Vedra (sans the "Beach" extension) and assigned it Zip Code 32081.