St. Johns, Florida

For other uses, see St. Johns, Florida (disambiguation).

St. Johns is an unincorporated community in northwest St. Johns County, Florida, United States and a suburb of Jacksonville. The population as of the 2000 census was 18,063, though considerable growth has taken place in the past ten years. As of 2016, the population is estimated to be approximately 86,400 people. It is located in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, and lies approximately halfway between downtown Jacksonville and downtown St. Augustine.

St. Johns is made up of the entire 32259 ZIP code, including the communities of Fruit Cove, Switzerland and Julington Creek. This ZIP code claimed a population of 36,917 at the 2010 census, for a land area of 57.66 square miles (149.3 square kilometers).

Geography

Based on the 2013 TIGER/Line Shapefiles from the U.S. Census Bureau, which approximates ZIP codes with ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, the Saint Johns mailing address applies to the area of St. Johns County north of County Road 210 and west of U.S. Route 1. The north boundary of the community and county is mostly Julington Creek and Durbin Creek, which also form the south edge of Jacksonville, while the west boundary lies along the St. Johns River, across from Fleming Island and Green Cove Springs. Nocatee is across US 1 to the east, and SilverLeaf Plantation and World Golf Village (St. Augustine mailing address) are to the south. The Atlantic Ocean lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) to the east of St. Johns. Saint Johns has a very low elevation, with the highest point being only 10 to 30 feet above sea level.

Saint Johns includes the census-designated place (CDP) of Fruit Cove, which contains the historically separate Julington Creek and Switzerland. Outside the Fruit Cove CDP are more recent developments, such as Aberdeen, Durbin Crossing, and Rivertown.

Schools

Saint Johns is served by the St. Johns County School District. Elementary schools include Cunningham Creek Elementary, Durbin Creek Elementary, Hickory Creek Elementary, and Julington Creek Elementary. Timberlin Creek Elementary is located south of CR 210, but serves the Cimarrone Golf Club neighborhood of Saint Johns. The two middle schools are Fruit Cove Middle School and Switzerland Point Middle School. High school attendance is decided by zone, with students living north and west of certain lines attending Creekside High School, and the rest attending Bartram Trail High School. There are three K-8 schools in the area: Liberty Pines Academy, Patriot Oaks Academy and Freedom Crossing Academy.

History

The area was formerly included in Jacksonville in United States Postal Service listings, despite the fact that it is located in St. Johns County. In 2005, the chamber of commerce decided on a new name to distinguish the community in a USPS poll. "Saint Johns" was chosen over four other alternatives: River Cove, St. Johns Cove, River Oaks, and Bartram. Several area activists and other residents, especially those in the historic communities of Fruit Cove and Switzerland, argued against any new name. However, the chamber council's "Anything but Jacksonville" effort cleared the way for Saint Johns' adoption by USPS computers.

Jacksonville, Fruit Cove, Switzerland and Sampson are still acceptable names for 32259, according to the postal service, but Saint Johns is the top or default name in post office databases. The USPS recommends not abbreviating the name as St. and to use the full name.