Palm Coast

Welcome to Palm Coast

Halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, the waterfront city of Palm Coast is the perfect hamlet by the shore, a place of peace where everyone is laid-back and friendly.

Formerly tree-covered swampland, the 22,000 acres would eventually become Florida’s first and largest master-planned community designed and built by the prestigious developers and builders, Levitt & Sons. Levitt is considered by some to be the father of modern American suburbia, and Palm Coast continues to reap the rewards of a man with a vision of acre upon acre of golf courses, country clubs, oceanfront hotels, marinas, coupled with unbelievable sunrises and magnificent vistas.

Most of the architecture of the Palm Coast region is Mediterranean Revival and Mission Revival, with European and international influences from architects like Addison Mizner. Mizner is credited with creating the Florida Style we most often see today, which incorporates tiled roofs, interior courtyards, and Gothic, arched windows. Long gone are the traditional white-washed, shuttered New England colonials, saltboxes, and the rows of townhouses of New York and Philadelphia. Mizner simply denied the status quo and went on to build some 40-plus unique mansions in his time.

Alas, most of his mansions have been destroyed or altered and remodeled so as not to be recognized in the original design. The ones that do remain are hidden behind gates and rows of shrubbery, affording the owners a private retreat but denying a view of the buildings for their historical significance and beauty. Mizner was determined to make sure that Florida’s Palm Coast didn’t look anything like the northern states. Instead, he built houses and buildings with influences from his travels to places like Venice and Seville.

The 70 miles of intracoastal waterways and canals in Palm Coast provide plenty of reasons to get outside, as do the 19 miles of pristine beaches. Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach practically beg for a picnic in the sand, while sea kayaking, boating, snorkeling, or playing beach games like volleyball, cornhole, or bocce are a great way to spend time with families and friends. It’s an almost guaranteed good time and can make for a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

There are also several sponsored eco-tours where the lessons of nature are explored, and you’ll walk away better for the experience. Embracing the lifestyle and character of living under the big blue skies, the hot sun, and unexpected encounters with beach-dwelling menaces like seagulls, jellyfish, and crabs is of utmost importance to fully admire and take in all of the activities the city of Palm Coast offers.

Every year, there are community events and festivities like the Fabulous Fourth Festival, Creekside Music & Arts Festival, and the Salt Air Farmer's Market, which happens every Wednesday year-round. The beaches in and around Palm Coast are so amazingly beautiful with their white quartz sand, it’s nearly impossible not to get in and swim or float in the crystal clear water.

Historic ruins and sub-tropical forests make for great excursions into the woodsy outdoors, whether it’s on a mountain bike (the Mala Compra MTB Trail system and the Graham Swamp Mountain Bike Trail are popular biking spots for locals), a long hike through the refreshing greenery, or a bird watching expedition on the parks and public lands lands surrounding Palm Coast.

Palm Coast is known for being a prime Florida vacation spot, with the town’s population currently hovering around 90 thousand permanent residents until the tourist season, when it rises significantly, with some 572,400 visitors in 2020. Since the pandemic, Palm Coast real estate has seen a resurgence in people (mostly retirees and millennials) showing interest in relocating home base to Florida, and since there are so many remote job opportunities available (as well as a strong local economy), there is no reason to live somewhere just because your office is there.

Transplants from other northern states often move to Florida simply because they’re tired of cold winters. Moving to Florida is worth it for all of its many amenities, one of which is the lack of income taxes for its full-time residents.

Palm Coast students attend schools in the Flagler County School District, the first Florida school districts to be given the Distinguished District Award from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). There are several hospitals in Palm Coast and nearby Jacksonville, an approximately one hour’s drive from Palm Coast.