Welcome to downtown San Augustine! San Augustine is a Texas Main Street City, rich in history. Founded in 1832 and known to be the first city laid out by the American plan, it is home to many of the “Texas firsts”. To name a few would be the establishment of the first university, the home of the first governor, and several of the first churches. Not only is San Augustine home to several of the “Texas firsts”, but it is also home to several historical points of interest. Some of these include the Augus Theater, the Lewis Hotel, several of the oldest Greek Revival Homes in the state of Texas, and the Texas State Historic Site Mission Dolores. It is because of this that San Augustine can be described as a historic destination city!

At the heart of this historic destination city is the downtown district. With the streets lined with retail stores, restaurants, and more, there is plenty to do in downtown San Augustine! Each downtown business has something that sets them apart – whether it’s the San Augustine Drug Store’s famous Grapefruit Highball, Texas Star Retail’s speedy dry-cleaning services, Heart of Texas Grill’s Taco Tuesday specials, Heart Strings' beautiful floral arrangements, or the Hardware Store’s delicious coffee and fried pies. The list goes on! At the center of our downtown district is the San Augustine County Courthouse and the Jail Museum. Economically, the surrounding stores, restaurants, and professional offices all benefit from the courthouse traffic.

Another wonderful benefit is that the downtown district was drawn to include the buildings within the already established National Register Commercial Historic District. This is a major advantage when applying for grants and has many other benefits for the business developer. Alongside this, San Augustine Main Street has a Front Façade and Back Alley Grant Program to assist building owners in improving the front facades all while preserving the historical character of the buildings. Several downtown businesses have already taken advantage of this program. 

There are still spaces available downtown for both lease and rent. For more information, please contact Liz Jones with the City of San Augustine Main Street. Again, welcome to downtown San Augustine!