The settlement grew to the west of St Andrews Cathedral, with the southern side of the Scores to the north and the Kinness Burn to the south.

This is in part because of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, founded in 1754, which until 2004 exercised legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the United States and Mexico).

Visitors travel to St Andrews in great numbers for several courses ranked amongst the finest in the world, as well as for the sandy beaches.

The first inhabitants who settled on the estuary fringes of the rivers Tay and Eden during the mesolithic (middle Stone Age) came from the plains in Northern Europe between 10,000 and 5,000 BCE.

[18] During the Iron Age/Early Middle ages, a fortified enclosure, potentially a hillfort, was established on East Balrymonth hill, a mile to the south of the town.

[19] In AD 877, king Causantín mac Cináeda (Constantine I) built a new church for the Culdees at St Andrews and later the same year was captured and executed (or perhaps killed in battle) after defending against Viking raiders.

[22] The establishment of the present town began around 1140 by Bishop Robert on an L-shaped hill, possibly on the site of the ruined St Andrews Castle.

[26] The Scottish Parliament met in the town in 1304, when King Edward I, in his capacity as overlord of Scotland, came to be received by Bishop William de Lamberton.

[28] In 1559, the town fell into decay after the violent Scottish Reformation and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms losing the status of ecclesiastical capital of Scotland.

[26] In 1951, The Masque of St. Andrews, which dramatised important events in the town's history, was staged in the Cathedral grounds as part of the Festival of Britain.

[34] Following the implementation of the Reform Act 1832 St Andrews Burgh merged with Anstruther for the purposes of electing one MP to the United Kingdom Parliament.

[37] The place of birth of the town's residents was 87.78% United Kingdom (including 61.80% from Scotland), 0.63% Republic of Ireland, 4.18% from other European Union countries, and 7.42% from elsewhere in the world.

In 2016, St Andrews was reported to be home to the "Most Expensive Street in Scotland", with average house prices in The Scores in excess of 2 million pounds.

The nearest official Met Office weather station for which data are available is at Leuchars, about 3+1⁄4 miles (5.2 kilometres) northwest of St Andrews town centre.

Sunshine, averaging in excess of 1,500 hours a year is amongst the highest for Scotland, and comparable to inland parts of Southern England.

Moffat & Williamson operates Route 92 (and 92A, 92B, 92C) on a lesser frequency from Balmullo via Leuchars station to St Andrews before looping the town.

[63] The church was initially built on land, close to the south-east gable of the cathedral, around 1144, and was dedicated in 1234 by Bishop David de Bernham.

[66] This was at one time Scotland's largest building, originated in the priory of Canons Regular founded by Bishop Robert Kennedy.

[67] The tall square tower, part of the church, was built to hold the relics of St Andrew and became known as the first cathedral in the town.

[67][68] Work on the cathedral was finally completed and consecrated in 1318 by Bishop William de Lamberton with Robert the Bruce (1306–29) present at the ceremony.

The work was commissioned by John Hamilton (archbishop of St Andrews) in a renaissance style which made the building a comfortable, palatial residence while still remaining well-fortified.

[73] Other defunct religious houses that existed in the medieval town, though less visible, have left traces, as for instance the leper hospital at St Nicholas farmhouse (The Steading) between Albany Park and the East Sands leisure centre.

[81] In October 2011, a scoring exercise drawn up by the council to decide the best location for the new Madras College was put before parents, staff and the local community to ask for their views.

[83] Following a decision from a group of senior councillors to analyse the other potential sites than push ahead with the controversial redevelopment, The new Building was finished in 2021.

[88] According to the earliest surviving document from 1552, the "playing at golf" on the links adjacent to the "water of eden" was granted permission by Archbishop Hamilton.

[90][26][91] Famous winners at St Andrews have included: Old Tom Morris (1861, 1862, 1867 and 1874), Bobby Jones (1927 and 1930 British Amateur), Jack Nicklaus (1970 and 1978) and Tiger Woods (2000 and 2005).

West Sands Beach in St Andrews, Scotland,[93][94][95][96] served as the set for the opening scene in the movie Chariots of Fire.

[105] The walk starts in the town centre near Madras College and runs roughly westward, through Cockshaugh Park to Law Mill.

[107] In the late 19th century, the lade was covered over and the area from Cockshaugh Park to Law Mill was landscaped and planted with trees.

The family-owned establishment features a variety of tropical and native fish species, alongside penguins, marmosets, meerkats, and seals, which have multiple daily feeding sessions.