Editing Hastings, Florida (section)

==History==
[[Henry Morrison Flagler]] built tourist hotels at St. Augustine in the late 19th century, including the [[Ponce de León Hotel]]. He needed a local source of fresh vegetables for his guests, so he persuaded Thomas Horace Hastings, his cousin, to develop a farm.<ref>{{cite news |last=Foster |first=C.F. |date=April 4, 2021 |title=Book review: A salute to Hastings, firmly planted in Florida history |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/books/2021/04/04/book-review-salute-hastings-firmly-planted-florida-history/4810998001/ |work=[[The Florida Times-Union]] |location=[[Jacksonville, Florida]] |access-date=January 29, 2024}}</ref> A small community evolved into a town, which was named for its founder in 1890.<ref>{{cite news |last=Quatrano |first=Nancy |date=May 17, 2020 |title=Hastings celebrating 130th anniversary |url=https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/local/2020/05/17/around-hastings-hastings-celebrating-130th-anniversary/1189689007/ |work=[[The St. Augustine Record]] |location=[[St. Augustine, Florida]] |access-date=January 29, 2024}}</ref> Hastings is known as the "Potato Capital of Florida" with {{convert|21000|acre|km2}} of potato farms, but also produces cabbage, onions, eggplant and ornamental horticulture.

Hastings in 1910 was a thriving town that was a stop on the [[Florida East Coast Railway]]. The population of approximately 1,200 supported several general stores, a bakery, drug stores, meat markets, an ice plant and cold storage.  
In addition to farming, two companies manufactured barrels and a grist mill ground grain. 
There was a bank and a hotel, three doctors and a dentist. The town had water and sewer utilities, telephone and telegraph service. The local public school was good.<ref name=DRB>Wilson, Gil: [http://www.drbronsontours.com/bronsonhistorypageamericanstaugustineprogressive.html "The Progressive Era to World War II"] Dr. Bronson's St. Augustine History</ref> Today the former FEC line is part of the Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail, and a trailhead can be found in the community within the Cora C. Harrison Preserve.<ref>{{cite web |title=Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail |url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/palatka-to-st-augustine-state-trail/ |website=Trail Link |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>

On November 7, 2017, the voters of Hastings elected to dissolve the city with an 82% majority vote. St. Johns County officially took control of the area on March 1, 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.staugustine.com/news/20180301/the-community-stays-town-of-hastings-hands-over-keys-to-st-johns-county|title='The community stays': Town of Hastings hands over the keys to St. Johns County|last=Martin|first=Jake|work=The St. Augustine Record|access-date=March 1, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

The United States Census Bureau designated Hastings as a [[census-designated place]] in the 2020 census.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020"/>