Palm Valley is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in St. Johns County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. The population was 19,860 at the 2000 census.

History

Long before the first Spanish settlers arrived, there was an Indian village in what is known as Palm Valley today. Several Indian mounds have been uncovered revealing points, pottery and human skeletons. Early Franciscan missionaries constructed a mission in the area called The Nativity of Our Lady of Tolomato. By 1703, Don Diego Espinoza had settled in what is today the Palm Valley area. His vast ranch and the surrounding territory was known as Diego Plains. In the 1730s, the ranch was fortified to protect its inhabitants from Indian attack. By 1739, Great Britain and Spain were at war and trouble was brewing for the Diego Plains settlers. British general

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

was commissioned to harass the Spanish settlements south of the colony of Georgia, so the Spanish governor fortified the Diego farmhouse which was already being called Fort San Diego. After Oglethorpe’s failure to capture St. Augustine, the Spanish military abandoned Fort San Diego, but other inhabitants moved into the area, living off the land and the cattle. In 1908, a canal was dug through Diego Plains connecting the San Pablo River to the north with the Tolomato River near St. Augustine to the south. This intracoastal canal made access to the valley much easier for the residents that had settled in this area. In addition to raising cattle, they farmed, logged, and sold palm fronds to religious groups. The many palm trees growing in the region led some of the settlers to decide on the name Palm Valley for their community.

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

turned some of the valley residents to another source of income – moonshine. The abundant water supply and deep woods areas in the valley were ideal for the concealment of illegal whiskey distilling. The moonshine industry thrived even after the Volstead Act was repealed in 1933, but the rising price of sugar finally brought the illegal whiskey industry to an end. Palm Valley remained a quiet area of the Beaches, between A1A and U.S. 1. There were many farms where produce and livestock were raised. The development of the Beaches has also affected Palm Valley. Today most farms in the valley have disappeared, opening the land for luxurious residences overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

Geography

Palm Valley is located at (30.206580, -81.387256). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (4.21%) is water. The

Palm Valley Bridge The Palm Valley Bridge spans the Intracoastal Waterway in the Palm Valley area near Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It is located on County Road 210 in St. Johns County. In 2002, the old two-lane drawbridge was replaced with a fixed, clear span, f ...

is a recent addition to the neighborhood.

Neighborhoods

There are approximately six formal neighborhoods with Palm Valleys limited area. These include Palm Valley Landing, Plantation Oaks, Seaside, Odom's Mill, Dolphin's cove, and part of Sawgrass between

A1A State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road throug ...

and the intracoastal. Sawgrass is the most notable neighborhood out of these, Palm Valley contains the TPC side of Sawgrass that hosts

The Players Club ''The Players Club'' is a 1998 American comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. Johns ...

golf tournament annually.

Topography

According to the

, Palm Valley has a total area of around 14 square miles (36.2 km²). From this, 95.71% (13.4 square miles) is land and 4.29% (.6 square miles) is water. Much of the water in Palm Valley is due to small rivers and ponds, as the intracoastal does not count as part of the total area or total water. Palm Valley is a smaller town placed to the east of the intracoastal and to the west of

. It is north of Palm Valley Blvd and south of Butler Blvd. Farther west past the intracoastal lies Nocatee. East of

lies Ponte Vedra Beaches. North of Butler Blvd lies

Jacksonville Beaches The Jacksonville Beaches, or Jax Beaches known locally as "The Beaches", are a group of towns and communities on the northern half of an unnamed barrier island on the US state of Florida's First Coast, all of which are excluded cities or parts of ...

. Farther South of Palm Valley Blvd lies St Augustine Beaches.

Climate

According t
Weather Spark
Palm Valley has a hot season for around 3.8 months, from May 30th to September 22nd. The cool season lasts for around 3 months, from December 3rd to March 3rd. The wetter season lasts 4 months, from June 2nd to October 2nd. While the drier season lasts for the other 8 months of the year. Palm Valley has extreme seasonal variation in perceived humidity. The humid period lasts for about 6.5 months, from April 26th to November 11th. The most humid day of the year, August 5th, has humid conditions 100% of the day.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 19,860 people, 8,188 households, and 5,584 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 8,648 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.84%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.25%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.17% Native American, 1.29%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.52% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.90% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.80% of the population. There were 8,188 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.93. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $68,200, and the median income for a family was $87,847 (these figures had risen to $84,276 and $112,317 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $58,152 versus $34,738 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $42,747. About 2.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the

St. Johns County School District St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) is the public school district for St. Johns County, Florida. It is the sole school district in the county. History *1866 – St. Joseph Academy was founded and is the oldest Catholic high school in Flor ...

. Most of the community is zoned to PV-PV/Rawlings Elementary School, while a portion is zoned to Ocean Palms Elementary School. All residents are zoned to Alice B. Landrum Middle School, and

Ponte Vedra High School Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) is a public high school in the St. Johns County School District, located in Nocatee census-designated place, - Compare with school zone maps. northeast St. Johns County, Florida. The high school was constructed to ...

. St. Johns County Public Library maintains the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch in the CDP.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in St. Johns County, Florida Census-designated places in the Jacksonville metropolitan area Populated places established in 1703 Census-designated places in Florida 1703 establishments in the Spanish Empire