US-17 is known as the Coastal Highway because for much of its length it travels a route close to the Atlantic Coast. It begins in Winchester, Virginia, and has its southern end in Punta Gorda, Florida.
For most of its distance in Florida, it does not run along the coast. It travels diagonally across the state from the Georgia state line on the St. Marys River and meanders about 325 miles to Punta Gorda in Southwest Florida.