With 22 miles of beaches, Jacksonville, on Florida's northeast coast, is a city of diverse neighborhoods with a first-rate arts and culture scene, excellent food and a wide variety of attractions, parks and nature reserves for the whole family. The consolidation of the city and the county considerably increased the official population of Jacksonville and expanded its boundaries, placing most of the population of Duval County within the new municipal boundaries; Jacksonville grew to 900 square miles (2,300 km). Daniel and Claude Yates began to gain more support during this period, both from inner-city blacks, who wanted greater participation in government following the approval of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which provided federal oversight and enforcement of their right to vote, and from suburban whites, who wanted more services and more control over the city center. Lower taxes, increased economic development, community unification, improved public spending, and effective administration by a more central authority were cited as reasons for a new, consolidated government. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 874.3 square miles (2,264 km), making Jacksonville the largest city by land area in the neighboring United States; of this, 86.66% (757.7 square miles or 1,962 km) is land and 13.34% (116.7 square miles or 302 km) is water.
Jacksonville completely surrounds the city of Baldwin. Nassau County is located to the north, Baker County to the west, and Clay and St. Johns, to the south. Jacksonville has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean with Jacksonville beaches. The city developed on both sides of the St.
The Trout, a major tributary of the St. Johns, it's completely inside of Jacksonville. The Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean proved to be fundamental to the growth of the city and its industry. Jacksonville has an important deepwater port, helping to make it a leading port in the U.S.
Department of State for importing cars, as well as the state's main transportation and distribution center. The strength of the city's economy lies in its wide diversification. While the area once had many thriving dairies, such as Gustafson's Farm and Skinner Dairy, this aspect of the economy has declined over time. The area's economy is balanced between distribution, financial services, biomedical technology, consumer goods, information services, manufacturing, insurance and other industries.
The Cecil Commerce Center is located in the former Cecil Field Naval Air Base, which closed its doors in 1999 following the decision to realign and close the base (BRAC) in 1993. With a total area of 22,939 acres (92.83 km), it was the largest military base in the Jacksonville area. The plot contains more than 3% of Duval County's total land area (17,000 acres (69 km)). The center, divided into industrial and commercial zones, offers medium to large plots for development; it has excellent transportation and utility infrastructure, including the third longest runway in Florida. The USS Jacksonville, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine, is a United States Navy ship that bears the name of the city.
The ship's nickname is The Bold One and Pearl Harbor is its home port. The Florida Air National Guard is based at Jacksonville International Airport. The Jacksonville Coast Guard sector is on the St. Johns, next to the Mayport Naval Base. The Jacksonville sector controls operations from Kings Bay, Georgia, south to Cape Canaveral.
The CGC Kingfisher, CGC Maria Bray and CGC Hammer are stationed in the Sector. The Mayport station shares a location with the Jacksonville sector and includes 25-foot (7.6 m) response boats and 47-foot (14 m) motor lifeboats. Some television series or television movies that have been shot partially or completely in Jacksonville include Inherit the Wind (198), Orpheus Descending (1990), Saved by the Light (199), The Babysitter's Seduction (199), First Time Felon (199), Safe Harbor (200), Recount (200), American Idol (200) and Ash vs Evil Dead (201). The Jacksonville Jazz Festival has been held for more than 40 years. It takes place over the three-day Memorial Day weekend and includes the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition.
During the 1960s, Classics IV was Jacksonville's most successful pop rock band. Southern rock was defined by the Allman Brothers Band, which formed in 1969 in Jacksonville. Lynyrd Skynyrd achieved an almost cult status and inspired Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet and. The 1980s were a quiet decade for musical talent in Jacksonville.
In 1968, Jacksonville and Duval County consolidated their governments in the Jacksonville Consolidation. This suppressed the creation of an independent executive or legislative branch in the county and replaced these positions with those of the mayor of Jacksonville and the city council of Jacksonville, respectively. For this reason, voters who live outside the Jacksonville city limits, but within Duval County, can vote in elections for these offices and run for them. In 1995, John Delaney, a resident of Neptune Beach, in Duval County, was elected mayor of the city of Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is organized under the city's statutes and provides a strong form of municipal government with mayors and councils. The mayor of Jacksonville is elected to four-year terms and serves as the head of the government's executive branch. The Jacksonville City Council is comprised of nineteen members, fourteen representing single-member constituencies with roughly equal populations, and five are elected to fill seats generals. The mayor oversees most of the city's departments, although some are independent or nearly independent.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, led by an elected sheriff, is responsible for law enforcement; public schools are overseen by Duval County public schools, and several services are provided by largely independent authorities. The mayor has the power to veto all resolutions and ordinances passed by the city council and also has the power to hire and fire the heads of various departments in the city. The Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) is the nearly independent agency responsible for public housing and subsidized in Jacksonville. The Mayor and City Council of Jacksonville established JHA in 1994 to create a community service-oriented public housing agency with innovative ideas and a different attitude.
The primary goal was to provide safe, clean, and affordable housing to eligible low- and moderate-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The secondary objective was to provide effective social services, work with residents to improve their quality of life, promote employment and self-sufficiency, and help residents get out of assisted living. To that end, JHA works with HabiJax to help low and moderate-income families escape the public housing cycle and become successful and productive homeowners and taxpayers. However, the cities of Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Neptune Beach each retained responsibility for their own police surveillance and fire protection.
Starting in 1953, tolls were charged on the Hart, Mathews, Fuller Warren and Main Street bridges to pay for bridge construction, renovations, and many other road projects. As Jacksonville grew, toll booths created bottlenecks and caused delays and accidents during peak hours. In 1988, Jacksonville voters decided to eliminate toll collection and replace revenues with a ½ cent increase in local sales tax. In 1989, the toll booths were removed.
Jacksonville is home to two major freight railroads. CSX Transportation owns a large building on the riverbank in the center of the city, which is an important part of the skyline. Florida East Coast Railway also calls home to Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Port Terminal Railroad is also headquartered in Jacksonville.
Norfolk Southern's Valdosta district also serves Jacksonville. The other 20 maritime facilities not managed by the Port Authority carry around 10 million tons of additional cargo in and out of the island. In terms of total tonnage, the Port of Jacksonville is ranked 40th nationally; within Florida, it ranks third behind Tampa and Port Everglades. People's Gas is Jacksonville's natural gas provider.
Comcast is Jacksonville's local cable provider. AT&T (formerly BellSouth) is Jacksonville's local phone provider, and its U-Verse service offers TV, Internet and VoIP phone services to customers served via fiber to the facility or fiber to the node through a VRAD. The city has a successful recycling program with separate collections of garbage, yard waste and recycling. The collection is provided by several private companies under contract with the City of Jacksonville.
Among the major players in Jacksonville's healthcare industry are St. Vincent's HealthCare, Baptist Health and UF Health Jacksonville for local residents. In addition, both Nemours Children's Clinic and Mayo Clinic Jacksonville attract patients at the regional level. The overall cost of living in Jacksonville is 6% lower than the national average, making it a great city for residents looking for affordability without compromising on amenities.
Jacksonville, the largest city in Florida, has more than 100 unique neighborhoods, each with its own personality and charm. The Jacksonville Blues Festival and Jazz Festival attract large crowds of music lovers and artists from around the world. With more than 1.3 million people living in the metropolitan area, Jacksonville is a bustling destination with plenty of opportunities to explore. Jacksonville, like most large cities in the United States, suffered many negative effects of rapid urban expansion after World War II.
A handful of important literary works and authors are related to Jacksonville and the surrounding area. Jacksonville was also a key supply point for hogs and cattle sent from Florida to feed Confederate forces. At the time of contact with the Europeans, all the Mokama peoples of present-day Jacksonville were part of the powerful chiefdom known as Saturiwa, centered around the mouth of St. Jacksonville is full of delicious dining options, from Cajun seafood and Italian food to French specialties and Mediterranean cuisine.
It is linked to Theater Jacksonville and Players by the Sea, both not-for-profit theater companies, and attracts prominent national and local live theater shows. The Jacksonville Skyway is an automated people transportation system that connects the Florida State College campus to downtown Jacksonville, the Northbank Central Business District, the convention center and Southbank headquarters. The Jacksonville library system includes the main library and 20 branches, ranging in size, from the 54,000 square foot (5000 m²) Western Regional Library to smaller neighborhood libraries, such as Westbrook and Eastside. The importance of the river in Jacksonville's history and commerce cannot be underestimated, as it is a crucial waterway for transportation, commerce, and tourism.
Jacksonville is home to a major league sports team, the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). However, the people of Jacksonville demonstrated their resilience and determination by rebuilding the city since their ashes.
