Encyclopedia
Jacksonville is the most populous
city in the state of
Florida and the
thirteenth most populous city in the
United States. It is the county seat of
Duval County. Since 1968, the city has shared a consolidated government with the county, making it the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States and the eleventh largest in the world. As of 2005, the city proper has an estimated population of 782,623 with a
metropolitan population of more than 1.3 million.
Jacksonville is located in the
First Coast region of northeast Florida. The city is situated on the banks of the
St. Johns River, which flows north and empties into the
Atlantic Ocean about 20 miles east of downtown. The settlement that became Jacksonville was founded in 1791 as
Cowford due to its location at a narrow point in the river where cattle were once driven across. The city was renamed in 1822 for
Andrew Jackson, the first
military governor of the Florida Territory and eventual seventh
President of the United States.
History
The history of Jacksonville spans hundreds of years, and has been influenced by the area's unique geography and location. The first settlement in the area, called Ossachite, was made over 6,000 years ago by the
Timucua Indians in the vicinity of modern-day downtown Jacksonville.
European explorers first arrived in 1562, when
French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault charted the
St. Johns River.
René Goulaine de Laudonnière established the first European settlement at
Fort Caroline two years later.
The first permanent European settlement was founded as Cowford in 1791.
Florida became a territory of the
United States in 1821, and the following year Cowford acquired the name Jacksonville, after the first military governor of the Florida Territory and eventual seventh
President of the United States,
Andrew Jackson. The Florida Legislative Council approved a charter for a town government on February 9, 1832.
During the
American Civil War, Jacksonville was a key supply point for hogs and cattle leaving Florida and aiding the
Confederate cause. The city was blockaded by the Union, changing hands several times. Though no battles were fought in Jacksonville, the city was left in a considerable state of disarray after the war.
During
Reconstruction and the
Gilded Age, Jacksonville and nearby St. Augustine became popular winter resorts for the rich and famous. Visitors arrived by
steamboat and later by
railroad. The city's tourism, however, was dealt major blows in the late 1800s by
yellow fever outbreaks and the extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad to south Florida.
On May 2 1901, downtown Jacksonville was ravaged by a fire that was started at a fiber factory. Known as the "
Great Fire of 1901", it was one of the worst disasters in Florida history, destroying the business district and rendering 10,000 residents homeless in the course of eight hours. Famed New York architect Henry J. Klutho was a primary figure in the reconstruction of the city. More than 13,000 buildings were constructed between 1901 and 1912.
In the 1910s, New York-based moviemakers were attracted to Jacksonville's warm climate, exotic locations, excellent rail access, and cheap labor. Over the course of the decade, more than 30 silent film studios were established, earning Jacksonville the title "Winter Film Capital of the World". The city's conservative political climate and the emergence of
Hollywood as a major film production center quickly ended the city's film industry. Several converted movie studio sites remain in Arlington.
During this time, Jacksonville also became a banking and insurance center, with companies such as Barnett National, Atlantic National, Florida National, Prudential, Gulf Life, Afro-American Insurance, Independent Life and American Heritage Life thriving in the business district. The
U.S. Navy also became a major employer and economic force during the 1940s, with the installation of three major naval bases in the city. Jacksonville, like most large cities in the United States, suffered from negative effects of rapid
urban sprawl after
World War II. Voters elected to consolidate the city and county governments in 1968, making Jacksonville the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States.
Jacksonville has long struggled with its violent crime rate; it has been Florida's murder capital for 12 of the last 17 years. Murders peaked at 174 in 1991.
Geography and climate
Geography
Jacksonville is located at . According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2,264.5 km² . 1,962.4 km² of it is land and 302.1 km² of it is water.
Climate
Jacksonville has a humid subtropical climate, with mild weather during winters and hot weather during summers. High temperatures average 64 to 91 °F throughout the year. High heat indices are not uncommon for the summer months in the Jacksonville area. High Temperatures can reach mid to high 90s with heat index ranges of 105-115 °F. The highest temperature ever recorded in Jacksonville was 105 °F on July 21, 1942. It is common for daily thunderstorms to erupt during a standard summer afternoon. These are caused by the heating of the land and water, combined with extremely high humidity.
Conversely, the area can experience freezes and hard freezes during the night at winter's peak. Occasionally, very cold weather can occur, although it is usually short lived. The coldest temperature recorded in Jacksonville was 7 °F on January 21, 1985, a day that most locations in the eastern half of the US remember as the coldest day ever. Very seldom, the area will see snow, though when this happens the snow will usually melt before it touches the ground.
Jacksonville has suffered less damage from
hurricanes than other east coast cities; while the city has only received one direct hit from a hurricane since 1871, Jacksonville has experienced hurricane or near-hurricane conditions more than a dozen times due to storms passing through the state from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The strongest effect on Jacksonville was from
Hurricane Dora in 1964, the only recorded storm to hit the First Coast with sustained hurricane force winds. The eye crossed St. Augustine, with winds that had just barely diminished to 110 mph, making it a strong Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
Rainfall averages around 52 inches a year, with the wettest months being June through September.
People and culture
Demographics
City of Jacksonville
Population by year
|
1870 - 1,000
1890 - 17,000
1900 - 28,000
1910 - 58,000
1920 - 92,000
1930 - 130,000
1940 - 173,000
1950 - 205,000
1960 - 201,000
1970 - 504,000
1980 - 541,000
1990 - 623,000
2000 - 735,617
2005 - 782,623
|
As of the
census estimates of 2005, there were 782,623 people, 284,499 households, and 190,614 families residing in the city. The
population density was 374.9/km² . There were 308,826 housing units at an average density of 157.4/km² . The racial makeup of the city was 64.48%
White, 34.03%
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 were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Jacksonville has, as named by the
census the 10th largest Arab population in the
United States.
There were 284,499 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,316, and the median income for a family was $47,243. Males had a median income of $32,547 versus $25,886 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,337. About 9.4% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
Jacksonville has a diverse religious population. There are 265,158 Evangelical Protestants and 89,649 Mainline Protestants who attend a total of 794 churches. Several of these are
megachurches. There are 162,329
Roman Catholics who attend 51 Catholic churches within the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine. The greater metropolitan area also has a
Jewish population of 7,300, over 3,000 members of various
Eastern Orthodox church jurisdictions in 8 parishes or missions, and 18,050 of other religious affiliations. There are also small but active
New Age and Neo-Pagan communities.
Annual cultural events and fairs
Jacksonville is home to a number of annual cultural events. The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is held every April and is the second-largest jazz festival in the nation. Other popular music festivals include Come Together Day, a massive hip hop event, The Spring Music Fest, a free concert sponsored by the city that features some of today's most popular artists, Planetfest, featuring a variety of modern rock artists, and Springing the Blues, a free outdoor blues festival held in Jacksonville Beach.
The Jacksonville Film Festival is held every May and features a variety of independent films, documentaries, and shorts screening at seven historic venues in the city. Past attendees of the festival have included director
John Landis and
Academy Award nominees
Bill Murray and
Graham Greene, both of whom were awarded the Tortuga Verde Lifetime Achievement Award.
Every July 4th is the Freedom, Fanfare & Fireworks celebration, one of the nation's largest fireworks displays, held at Metropolitan Park. The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair is held every November at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds & Exposition Center, featuring an array of carnival rides, live entertainment, agriculture and livestock.
Other annual cultural events include the Great Atlantic Seafood and Music Festival in March, the Blessing of the Fleet Parade of Boats and the Jacksonville International Boat Show in April, the World of Nations Celebration in May, and the Jacksonville Light Parade in November.
Museums and art collections
The Museum of Science and History is found on Jacksonville's South Riverwalk, and features three stories of hands-on science and local history exhibits, including the Alexander Brest Planetarium.
The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art opened its 60,000 square foot facility in 2003, located adjacent to the Main Library downtown. Tracing its roots back to the formation of Jacksonville's Fine Arts Society in 1924, the museum features eclectic permanent and traveling exhibitions.
The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens holds a large collection of European and American paintings, as well as a world-renowned collection of early
Meissen porcelain. The museum is surrounded by three acres of formal English and Italian style gardens, and is located on the bank of the St. Johns River.
There are also several historical properties and items of interest in the city, including the Klutho Building, the Old Morocco Temple Building, the Palm and Cycad Arboretum, and the
Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center.
Libraries
The
Jacksonville Public Library had its beginnings when May Moore and Florence Murphy started the "Jacksonville Library and Literary Association" in 1878. The Association was populated by various prominent Jacksonville residents and sought to create a free public library and reading room for the city.
Over the course of the next 127 years, the system has grown from that one room library to become one of the largest in the state. Now featuring twenty branches - from the 54,000 sq.ft. West Regional Library to smaller neighborhood libraries like Westbrook and Eastside - the Library annually receives nearly 4 million visitors and circulates over 6 million items. Nearly 500,000 library cards are held by area residents.
On November 12, 2005, the new 300,000 sq.ft. Main Library opened to the public. The largest public library in the state, this opening was an historic event for the library system and the City of Jacksonville. It marks the completion of an unprecedented period of growth for the system under the .
It adds to the city's architectural and cultural landscape and provides a wonderful gathering place downtown for the entire community. The new Main Library offers specialized reading rooms, public access to hundreds of computers and extensive collection of books and other materials, public displays of art, and special collections ranging from the African-American Collection to the recently opened Holocaust Collection.
Media
The Florida Times-Union, based in Jacksonville, Florida [i], USA, is the major daily newspaper [i] ...
is the major daily newspaper in Jacksonville. Another daily newspaper is
The Daily Record. Popular magazines include
Folio Weekly,
Jacksonville Free Press,
Jacksonville Business Journal,
The Jacksonville Advocate,
The Florida Star,
Saint Augustine Catholic and
Jacksonville Magazine.
Jacksonville is served by
television stations affiliated with major American networks including
WTLV ,
WJXX ,
WTEV ,
WAWS , WJCT ,and
WCWJ .
WJXT is a former longtime
CBS affiliate that turned independent in 2002.
Jacksonville's Radio market is dominated by two large ownership groups: Cox Radio and Clear Channel. The dominant AM radio station is WOKV 690, which is also the flagship station for the Jacksonville Jaguars. There are two popular radio stations in regard to contemporary hits, 97.9 KISS FM and WAPE 95.1. WJBT 92.7 is a
hip-hop/
R&B station, WPLA 107.3 is a modern rock and
alternative music station, WFYV 104.5 - Rock 105 Jacksonville Classic rock, WQIK 99.1 is a country station as well as WGNE-FM 99.9 and WROO 93.3, WBGB 106.5 plays
contemporary Christian music, WHJX 105.7 is a
soul station, WFJO 92.5 plays music in
Spanish like
salsa, merengue, and
reggaeton, and WJCT 89.9 is the local
public radio station and
NPR affiliate. See Radio Stations in Jacksonville, Florida for more radio stations in Jacksonville.
Parks and outdoor attractions
Jacksonville operates the largest urban park system in the United States, providing services at more than 337 locations on more than 80,000 acres located throughout the city. Jacksonville gathers significant natural beauty from the St. Johns River and Atlantic Ocean. The Jacksonville Beaches area is a center of recreation and nightlife, and the many parks around the city have received international recognition. The city center includes the Jacksonville Landing shopping center and the Riverwalk. Downtown Jacksonville has a memorable skyline with the tallest building being the Bank of America Building, constructed in 1990 with a height of 617 ft . Other notable structures include the Modis Building , originally built in 1972-74 by the Independent Life and Accident Insurance Company with its distinctive flared base, and the Riverplace Tower, which is the tallest precast, post-tensioned concrete structure in the world.
The
Jacksonville Zoological Gardens boast the second largest animal collection in the state. The zoo features
elephants,
lions,
jaguars , a multitude of reptile houses, free flight aviaries, and many other animals.
Performing arts
The
Florida Theatre, opened in 1927, is located in downtown Jacksonville and is one of only four remaining high-style movie palaces built in Florida during the
Mediterranean Revival architectural boom of the 1920s.
The Times-Union Center For The Performing Arts is comprised of three distinct halls: the Jim & Jan Moran Theater, the Jacoby Symphony Hall, and the Terry Theater. It was originally erected as the Civic Auditorium in 1962 and underwent a major renovation and construction in 1996. It is also the home of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1949.
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is a 16,000-seat performance venue that attracts national entertainment, and also houses the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. It replaced the outdated Jacksonville Coliseum that was built in 1960 and demolished on June 26, 2003.
Jacksonville is also home to The Teal Sound Drum and Bugle corps. A junior drum and bugle corps that competes in
Drum Corps International Division II competition.
Sports
Jacksonville is home to a number of professional sports teams, the most famous of which is the
Jacksonville Jaguars of the
National Football League. There is an ABA expansion team, the
Jacksonville Jam, scheduled to start playing in November of 2006. There is a Women's Football League team, the Jacksonville Dixie Blues. The
Jacksonville Suns is a
minor league baseball affiliate of the
Los Angeles Dodgers. The
ice hockey team is the Jacksonville Barracudas. In 2007, Jacksonville will become home to a
National Indoor Football League expansion franchise,Jacksonville Stallions, and also a professional soccer team, the Jacksonville Northsiders FC who will set up play in the United Soccer League . In
rugby league, the Jacksonville Axemen play in the American National Rugby League.
Jacksonville was named as the site for
Super Bowl XXXIX, becoming the third city in the state of Florida to host the event. Jacksonville was notably smaller than the previous hosts and lacked adequate hotel space for such an event, so the city chartered several cruise ships to act as "floating hotels" in the St. John's River. The game was held on February 6, 2005 and featured halftime entertainment by former
Beatle Sir
Paul McCartney.
The Jacksonville area also boasts many excellent golf courses. In
Ponte Vedra lies the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, one of the most famous golf courses in the world and home to the annual PGA TPC tournament
Professional tennis is in town each year when the
WTA holds the
Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island Plantation near Fernandina Beach, just north of Jacksonville. Other sports events include the annual Kingfish Tournament held in July, the
Florida-
Georgia football game, commonly known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" held every October, the ACC Championship football and baseball, and the
Gator Bowl held in early January.
University of North Florida,
Jacksonville University and Edward Waters College also field athletic teams in a number of sports. On March 2006, Jacksonville held the first round of the
NCAA 68th Annual Division I Basketball Championship with
Jacksonville University as host.
Film and television
In the early 1900s,
New York-based moviemakers were attracted to Jacksonville's warm climate, exotic locations, excellent rail access, and cheaper labor, earning the city the title of "The Winter Film Capital of the World". Over 30 movie studios were opened and thousands of silent films produced between 1908 and the 1920s, when most studios relocated to
Hollywood, California.
Since that time, Jacksonville has been chosen by a number of film and television studios for on-location shooting. Notable motion pictures that have been partially or completely shot in Jacksonville since the silent film era include
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 black-and-white science fiction film [i] directed by Jack Arnold [i] ...
,
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking ,
Brenda Starr ,
G.I. Jane ,
The Devil's Advocate ,
Ride ,
Why Do Fools Fall In Love ,
Forces of Nature ,
Tigerland ,
Sunshine State ,
Basic ,
The Manchurian Candidate ,
Lonely Hearts ,
Monster House was a Discovery Channel [i] television program [i] that documented the themed remodeli ...
, and
Moving McAllister is a 2007 [i] comedy [i] starring Mila Kunis [i], Jon Heder [i] ...
.
Notable television series or made-for-television films that have been partially or completely shot in Jacksonville include
Intimate Strangers ,
Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence [i] and Robert Edwin Lee [i]. ...
,
Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer ,
A Girl of the Limberlost ,
Orpheus Descending ,
Pointman ,
Saved by the Light ,
The Babysitter's Seduction ,
Sudden Terror: The Hijacking of School Bus #17 ,
First Time Felon ,
Gold Coast ,
Safe Harbor ,
The Conquest of America , and
Super Bowl XXXIX .
Famous native individuals and groups
...
singer and guitarist, "The King Of Ragtime Guitar"
...
"Father of the IBM PC", led development of
IBM personal computer
...
rapcore band, spawned fame of singer
Fred DurstEconomy
Jacksonville's location on the
St. Johns River and the
Atlantic Ocean proved providential in the growth of the city and its industry. The largest city in the state, it is also the largest deepwater port in the south and a leading port in the U.S. for
automobile imports, as well as the leading
transportation and distribution hub in the state. However, the strength of the city's economy lies in its broad diversification. The area's economy is balanced among distribution, financial services, biomedical technology, consumer goods, information services, manufacturing, and other industries.
Jacksonville is a rail, air, and
highway focal point and a busy port of entry, with Jacksonville International Airport, ship repair
yards and extensive freight-handling facilities.
Lumber,
phosphate,
paper 
