St. Augustine, Florida
Who founded the oldest permanent European settlement in the U.S.?
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As European settlers came to what is now the United States of America looking for freedom, wealth, and more, one famous explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon came looking for the Fountain of Youth. 
Legend told of a Fountain of Youth that would make you young again if you drank its waters or bathed in it. Juan Ponce de Leon traveled from Spain to find it. 
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon landed in what is now Florida. He claimed it for Spain and named it La Florida. 
The French later built a fort there named Fort Carolina. 
In 1565, the Spanish king, King Phillip II, learned about the French living on Spanish lands. He sent Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to Florida to establish St. Augustine and attack Fort Caroline. Except for 20 years when the British ruled it, Florida was under Spanish control until 1821. Then it became a part of the United States. 
You can still visit St. Augustine in Florida today. It is the oldest permanent European settlement in the United States. |
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