Jacksonville is a city in
Calhoun CountyCalhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of John C. Calhoun, famous member of the United States Senate from South Carolina. As of 2000 the population was 112,249. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 8,404. It is included in the
Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area is the most populated metropolitan area in Northeast Alabama next to Huntsville. At the 2000 census, it had a population of 112,249...
.
Founded in 1833 on land purchased from Creek Indian Chief Ladiga. First called Drayton, it was renamed to honor President Andrew Jackson in 1834. There are a few Civil War monuments in town, including a statue of Major John Pelham in the city cemetery. Jacksonville served as the county seat for Calhoun County until 1899 when it moved to
AnnistonAnniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741...
.
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians, Jacksonville is located at 33°48'56.758" North, 85°45'37.681" West (33.815766, -85.760467).
According to the U.S.
Jacksonville is a city in
Calhoun CountyCalhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of John C. Calhoun, famous member of the United States Senate from South Carolina. As of 2000 the population was 112,249. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 8,404. It is included in the
Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area is the most populated metropolitan area in Northeast Alabama next to Huntsville. At the 2000 census, it had a population of 112,249...
.
History
Founded in 1833 on land purchased from Creek Indian Chief Ladiga. First called Drayton, it was renamed to honor President Andrew Jackson in 1834. There are a few Civil War monuments in town, including a statue of Major John Pelham in the city cemetery. Jacksonville served as the county seat for Calhoun County until 1899 when it moved to
AnnistonAnniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741...
.
Geography
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians, Jacksonville is located at 33°48'56.758" North, 85°45'37.681" West (33.815766, -85.760467).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21.4 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 8,404 people, 3,274 households, and 1,735 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,018.5 people per square mile (393.3/km²). There were 3,605 housing units at an average density of 436.9/sq mi (168.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.20%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 20.18%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.35%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.29%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.07%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.77% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.87% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 3,274 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.6% under the age of 18, 31.4% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,726, and the median income for a family was $48,137. Males had a median income of $32,351 versus $22,534 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $16,035. About 13.0% of families and 24.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Jacksonville is the home of
Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville State University is a public university serving Northeast Alabama on a campus with 58 buildings in Jacksonville, Alabama which is in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama. Founded in 1883, as Jacksonville State Normal School, in 1930 the name changed to Jacksonville State...
, a public, coeducational university with an enrollment of approximately 9,000 students. It offers degrees in business, communication, education, family sciences, liberal arts and sciences, nursing and technology in addition to continuing education programs. The university's campus is located a few blocks north of the square.
Jacksonville is also home to two public schools (Jacksonville High School(http://www.jacksonville-hs.org/) and Kitty Stone Elementary School) and a Christian school called Jacksonville Christian Academy (JCA)http://www.JCAThunder.net The public schools are run by the Jacksonville City Schools system.
Restaurants & Entertainment
Jacksonville is a center for the college bar activity in Northeast Alabama. Brother's Bar hosted Allman Bros. (unannounced) performances in the 1970s and is a popular venue for local musicians. Pelham's (formerly Fuller's, Gaterz, and the Galley Tavern) is another establishment JSU students often frequent. Pelham's is located on the southwest corner of the city square in the middle of town. Brother's Bar is just south of the square.
Other restaurant-style bars are scattered across town: Struts, Cooter Browns, and Jeffersons. You can order alcohol at all three. In addition to several fast-food chain restaurants, there are also a few local establishments of different tastes including Cecil's Place and the Rocket BBQ. Cuban, Mexican, Scandinavian, Italian, and Chinese restaurants are also available. In early 2007, Java Jolt, a coffee house, opened as well. A new Tuscan restaurant opened in 2008.
A regular entertainment event in Jacksonville is the "Mama Tompkins Singing," hosted by the Tompkins family in rememberance of the matronly mother of James Tompkins. The event has gone on for several years, and is now fully supported by the city itself, attracting many citizens from Jacksonville, Piedmont, and Anniston. The entire Tompkins family is very musically oriented and many sections of the family as well as a few guests perform gospel and folk songs as a free concert. CDs by some of the performers are also sold there, and donations are welcome.
Media
Newspaper
Magazine
- House to House Heart to Heart
House to House Heart to Heart is a bi-monthly American magazine. HTH is a customizable, 8 page, color, Christian magazine that works exclusively with Churches of Christ. The publication is printed every 2 months for a total of 6 issues a year and is directly mailed into homes. Each issue...
- Bi-monthly Christian magazine working with Churches of Christ.
Television
AM Radio
FM Radio
- WLJS 91.9 - College radio, limited NPR station.
Notable Residents
- Harvey Jackson III
Harvey Hardaway Jackson III is the Professor of History at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. He is the author of a number of works on Alabama and Georgia history.-Early life and career:...
, notable Alabama historian.
- Rick Bragg
Rick Bragg is an American journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1996 for his work at The New York Times.-Early life:...
, won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1996 while working for The New York Times.
- Allen Shelton
Allen Shelton is an American five-string banjo player known for being a member of Jim & Jesse's Virginia Boys since the 1960s. His picking style is described as "bouncy".-Biography:...
, notable author. professor at Buffalo State College. A southern exile in Buffalo, NY
- Victor Martin, PhD (Electrical Engineering). Retired Lt. Col (USAF). Alabama State Science Fair winner, 1963 (Physics).
- Michael Skinner
Michael Skinner or Mike Skinner can refer to:*The Streets , the performing name of a British rapper/musician named Mike Skinner*Mike Skinner , an American NASCAR competitor, inaugural NASCAR Truck Series champion...
, decorated war hero.
- Christopher Duke, tennis player
- Thomas Boozer - The first human to survive heart-lung machine assisted open-heart surgery (circa 1960).
External links