Jacksonville is a city located in Duval County, Florida, USA. It is the county seat of Duval County . As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 777,704. It is the principal city of the First Coast region of Florida.
Geographically, it has the greatest land area of any city in the contiguous 48 states of the United States. Its population is also the largest among Florida cities and 12th amongst cities in the United States, surpassing Indianapolis in 2006. Jacksonville also has the distinction of being the largest city in the South outside of Texas. The Jacksonville metropolitan area reached over one million residents in 1996.
The governments of Jacksonville and Duval County are consolidated. It is commonly believed that all areas of Duval County are also part of Jacksonville--in other words, that the boundaries of Jacksonville and Duval County are coextensive. However, this is not quite accurate. The communities of Baldwin, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, while existing within Duval County, lie outside of the city limits of Jacksonville. In addition, these communities have their own municipal governments as well.
The total area of Jacksonville is 874.3 square miles (2,264.5 km2), 757.7 square miles excluding water (1,962.4 km2). Jacksonville was originally named Cowford because the St. Johns River is narrow there, allowing cattlemen to ford (herd cows across the river). The city was renamed in 1822 for the first territorial governor of Florida and the future 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson. Jacksonville is sometimes abbreviated as Jax, an abbreviation that natives have used since at least the 1950s. The abbreviation has also referred to Jacksonville International Airport since its opening in the mid-1960s, where it is used on luggage tags attached to baggage entering the airport.
Jacksonville is located at 30°19'10" North, 81°39'36" West (30.319406, -81.659999).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2,264.5 km2 (874.3 mi2). 1,962.4 km2 (757.7 mi2) of it is land and 302.1 km2 (116.7 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 13.34% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 735,617 people, 284,499 households, and 190,614 families residing in the city. The population density is 374.9/km2 (970.9/mi2). There are 308,826 housing units at an average density of 157.4/km2 (407.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 64.48% White, 29.03% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.78% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.33% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 4.16% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 284,499 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% are married couples living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% are non-families. 26.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.53 and the average family size is 3.07.
In the city, the population is spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,316, and the median income for a family is $47,243. Males have a median income of $32,547 versus $25,886 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,337. 12.2% of the population and 9.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.7% of those under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Jacksonville is the home of several companies, the most notable being:
See also: Famous businesses native to Jacksonville, Florida
The history of Jacksonville begins with the evidence of habitation from over 6,000 years ago by the Timucua; their largest town in the area was Ossachite, which stood in what is now downtown. In 1562, the French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault charted the St. Johns River, the first European expedition to the area. Ren Goulaine de Laudonnire established the first European settlement at Fort Caroline two years later; it was taken by the Spanish in 1565 and ultimately abandoned in 1569. The first permanent settlement was founded as "Cow Ford" in 1791. Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, and Cow Ford soon acquired the name "Jacksonville" after territorial governor and future US President Andrew Jackson. US settlers led by Isaiah D. Hart drew up a charter for a town government in the early 1830s; it was approved by the Florida Legislative Council on February 9, 1832.
Jacksonville was blockaded by the Union during the Civil War. It changed hands several times, although never with a battle. The closest civil war site is Olustee. Though no battles were fought in Jacksonville, the city was nonetheless left in a position of considerable disrepair after the war.
During Reconstruction and afterward, Jacksonville and nearby St. Augustine became popular winter resorts for the rich and famous. Visitors arrived by steamboat and later by railroad. This ended eventually as the rail lines were extended even farther south to Miami and Palm Beach. Tourism, and the city as a whole, was dealt another blow by major yellow fever outbreaks in 1886 and 1888. In the absence of scientific knowledge concerning the causes of yellow fever, nearly half of the city's panicked residents fled despite the imposition of quarantines.
As if to further exacerbate the problem, on May 2, 1901, hot ash from a shantyhouse's chimney landed on the drying moss at Cleaveland's Fiber Factory. At half past noon most of the Cleaveland workers were at lunch, but by the time they returned the entire city block was engulfed in flames. The fire destroyed the business district and rendered 10,000 residents homeless in the course of eight hours. The fire is known as the "Great Fire of 1901". Famed New York architect Henry Klutho helped rebuild the city after the devastation. Another fire in 1963 devastated the historic Hotel Roosevelt.
Despite this, the motion picture industry took a liking to Jacksonville in the early 1900s. This was spurred by the warm climate, excellent rail access, and the lack of tourists (most visited Miami by this time) meant prices and labor were cheap. The city earned the title of the "Winter Film Capital of the World". By the early 1910s, Jacksonville hosted over 30 studios employing over 1000 actors. However, an unfavorable political climate forced the industry out of Jacksonville to California, where it largely still operates today.
During World War II, Naval Air Station Jacksonville ("NAS Jax") on the westside, the first navy installation in the city, was used as a major training center. Over 20,000 pilots and aircrewmen were being trained there. After the war, the Navy's Blue Angels were originally established at NAS Jax, but soon after moved to NAS Pensacola. Today, NAS Jax is the third largest navy installation in the country and employs over 23,000 civilian and active-duty personnel.
Jacksonville has a history of racial segregation and violence. This reached its zenith with an event known as "Ax Handle Saturday". On August 27, 1960, a group of white men (who allegedly were also members of the Ku Klux Klan) armed with baseball bats and ax handles attacked civil rights protesters conducting sit-ins at segregated downtown restaurants. The violence spread, and the white mob started attacking all African-Americans in sight. Witnesses stated that the police did not make an attempt to stop the violence. Over the next thirty years, as in most of the South, Jacksonville experienced improvements in racial relations. This was most marked in the municipal elections of 1995, when--in a major upset that made national news--Nat Glover, a veteran of the local police force, was elected Sheriff of Duval County. Glover proved to be extremely popular and was re-elected in 1999. In 2003, he was defeated in his attempt to become Jackonville's first African-American mayor.
Source:
JacksonvilleUSA.com
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