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==History==
As its name suggests, the First Coast was the first area of Florida [[European colonization of the Americas|colonized by Europeans]]. The tourism industry of the late 20th century marketed a popular identity that covered the whole arearegion; this nameterm was quickly adopted bywithin the community at large.<ref name=Lamme330331>Lamme & Oldakowski, pp. 330–331.</ref> TheIn concept of the First Coast was developed for1983 the [[Jacksonville]] Chamber of Commerce bycommissioned the William Cook Advertising Agency into 1983.develop Jacksonvillea alreadynew hadnickname other nicknames, but local officials wanted aand comprehensive marketing campaign for the entire [[Jacksonville metropolitan area|metropolitan area]] – [[Duval County, Florida|Duval]], [[Baker County, Florida|Baker]], [[Clay County, Florida|Clay]], [[Nassau County, Florida|Nassau]] and [[St. Johns County, Florida|St. Johns]] counties – to better promote the region without overshadowing the identities of the individual localities. The term "Florida's First Coast" was coined by William Cook staff members Kay Johnson, Bryan Cox, and Bill Jones, and was officially introduced in the "First Coast Anthem" at the 1983 [[Gator Bowl]].<ref name=Calnan>{{cite news |title= The birth of the 'First Coast'|author= Christopher Calnan|url= http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110602/bus_10891102.shtml |newspaper= [[The Florida Times-Union]] |date= November 6, 2002 |accessdate=January 4, 2015}}</ref>
The First Coast is similar to Florida's various other "Coast" regions such as the [[Space Coast]], [[Treasure Coast]], and the [[Gold Coast (Florida)|Gold Coast]] that emerged as a result of marketing campaigns.<ref name=Lamme330331/> The name refers to both to the factarea's thatgeographic thisstatus isas the "first coast" which many visitors reach when entering Florida, as well as to the region's history as the first place in the continental United States of European contact and settlement. <ref name=Lamme332333>Lamme & Oldakowski, pp. 332–333.</ref> [[Juan Ponce de León]] may have landed in this region during his first expedition in 1513,. and theThe early French colony of [[Fort Caroline]] was founded in present-day Jacksonville in 1563. Significantly, the First Coast includes [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]], the oldest continuously inhabited European-established city in the continental U.S., founded by the Spanish in 1565.<ref name=Calnan/>
A 2007 survey by geographers Ary J. Lamme and Raymond K. Oldakowski notes that the term "First Coast" has superseded two earlier geographical appellations for the region: "Florida's Crown" and "South Georgia", attested in earlier surveys. The former term refers to the area's northern location and the shape of the Georgia border, while the latter emphasizes that the local culture was considered more similar to that of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and the [[Southern United States|South]] in general than to the lower Florida peninsula. A conscious push to supplant potentially uncomplimentary connotations may have led to the decline of "South Georgia" in favor of "First Coast"; this coincides with a waning of terms such as "[[Old South]]" and "[[Dixie]]" in much of the state. The name "First Coast" reinforces the region's connection to the rest of Florida, an important perceptual tie-in for attracting residents, businesses, and tourists.<ref name=Lamme332333/>
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