Jacksonville, Florida
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 [
1] with a
metropolitan population of more than 1.3 million.[
2]
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.
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 Floridian 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.
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 12 of the last for the past 17 years
[http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/09/State/Florida_briefly.shtml].
Geography
Jacksonville is located at (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 (13.34%) is water.
Climate
|
A summer afternoon thunderstorm over the Jacksonville skyline |
Jacksonville has a
humid subtropical climate, with mild weather during winters and hot weather during summers. High temperatures average 64 to 91 °F (18-33 °C) 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 (43 °C) 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 (-14 °C) on January 21, 1985, a day that most locations in the eastern half of the US remember as the coldest day ever. Very rarely, 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, but the city has experienced hurricane or near-hurricane conditions more than a dozen times since 1871.
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.
|
Jacksonville, Florida, ca. 1910 |
Demographics
City of Jacksonville
Population by year
[3] | 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 (970.9/mi²). There were 308,826 housing units at an average density of 157.4/km² (407.6/mi²). 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. Jacksonville also has the largest African-American population of any city in Florida at an estimated 240,000.
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. [
4] 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. [
5]
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 (MOSH) 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 (JMOMA) 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
|
Jacksonville Public Library. |
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 (located on Chaffee Road in the western part of the city) to smaller neighborhood libraries like Westbrook and Eastside (located in the central part of the city) - 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
Better Jacksonville Plan. 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, Jacksonville's newspaper. |
The Florida Times-Union 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 (
NBC),
WJXX (
ABC),
WTEV (
CBS),
WAWS (
FOX/
My Network TV), and
WCWJ (
CW).
PBS has two members stations in Jacksonville,
WUFT, a Gainesville station available locally on cable, and
WJCT. Some households also get
WXGA, a PBS affiliate based in
Waycross,
Georgia, and an affiliate of
Georgia Public Braodcasting which is based in
Atlanta.
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 (in terms of ratings) is
WOKV 690, which is also the flagship station for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The most popular
radio station in regard to contemporary hits is
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 a 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 (320 km²) located throughout the city. [
6] 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 (188 m). Other notable structures include the Modis Building (once the defining building in the Jacksonville skyline), 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 (with a new exhibit, Range of the Jaguar, hosted by the owners of the
Jacksonville Jaguars, Delores and Wayne Weaver), a multitude of reptile houses, free flight aviaries, and many other animals.
Performing arts
The beautiful
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.
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. With the exception of
Green Bay (which looks at all of
Wisconsin, including
Milwaukee, as its market), Jacksonville is the smallest market in the NFL. 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 (USL). 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 (
Miami and
Tampa being the others) 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 (
THE PLAYERS Championship) tournament(considered by the Media as Golf's unofficial 5th Major. Nearby St. Augustine is home to the
World Golf Village and
World Golf Hall of Fame.
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 (1954),
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988),
Brenda Starr (1989),
G.I. Jane (1997),
The Devil's Advocate (1997),
Ride (1998),
Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1998),
Forces of Nature (1999),
Tigerland (2000),
Sunshine State (2002),
Basic (2003),
The Manchurian Candidate (2004),
Lonely Hearts (2006),
Monster House (2006), and
Moving McAllister (2006).
Notable television series or made-for-television films that have been partially or completely shot in Jacksonville include
Intimate Strangers (1986),
Inherit the Wind (1988),
Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer (1989),
A Girl of the Limberlost (1990),
Orpheus Descending (1990),
Pointman (1995),
Saved by the Light (1995),
The Babysitter's Seduction (1996),
Sudden Terror: The Hijacking of School Bus #17 (1996),
First Time Felon (1997),
Gold Coast (1997),
Safe Harbor (1999),
The Conquest of America (2005), and
Super Bowl XXXIX (2005).
Famous native individuals and groups
|
James Weldon Johnson, a leading African American activist, was born in Jacksonville in 1871. |
*
James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) early
civil rights activist and
Harlem Renaissance author
*
John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) musical composer, brother of James Weldon
*
Merian C. Cooper (1893-1973) writer and director of landmark 1933
Hollywood film
King Kong*
Arthur "Blind" Blake (1893-1933) influential
blues singer and guitarist, "The King Of Ragtime Guitar"
*
John Archibald Wheeler (born 1911) innovative
theoretical physicist*
Alan Stephenson Boyd (born 1922) the first
United States Secretary of Transportation*
Pat Boone (born 1934) popular 1950s singer and teen idol
*
Philip Don Estridge (1937-1985) "Father of the IBM PC", led development of
IBM personal computer
*
Gary U.S. Bonds (born 1939) popular R&B singer and songwriter
*
Norman E. Thagard (born 1943)
NASA astronaut, first American to launch on Russian craft
*
Michael Persinger (born 1945) Neuroscientist, psychologist, and noted philanthropist.
*
Ray Mercer (born 1961) professional boxer, 1991
WBO heavyweight champion
*
Sable (Rena Mero) (born 1967)
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestler
*
Martin López-Zubero (born 1969) Spanish-American backstroke swimmer
*
Lynyrd Skynyrd (formed 1970) popular 1970s Southern rock band
*
Leanza Cornett (born 1971)
Miss America 1993
*
David Duval (born 1971) professional golfer, winner of 2001
Open Championship*
.38 Special (formed 1975) rock band
*
Ma$e (born 1978) hip hop rapper
*
Yoanna House (born 1980) fashion model, winner of
America's Next Top Model Cycle 2
*
Justin Stroud (born 1986) hip hop rapper
*
Limp Bizkit (formed 1994) rapcore band, spawned fame of singer
Fred Durst*
Yellowcard (formed 1997) pop punk band
*
Shinedown (formed 2001) hard-rock band
*
Inspection 12 (formed 1994) pop punk band
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, and
wood pulp are the principal exports;
automobiles and
coffee are among imports. The city also has a large and diverse
manufacturing base. According to Forbes.com Jacksonville, Florida ranked in the top ten U.S. cities to relocate to find a job, beating out giants such as New York and Atlanta.
Jacksonville is home of several corporations and organizations:
*Bubba Burger
*Colomer USA, manufacturer of
Revlon Professional cosmetics and hair care products is located in Jacksonville due to its historical links with the city
*
CSX Transportation*
Fidelity National Financial*Gate Petroleum
*Dandee Foods
*MPS Group (Modis)
*Vystar Financial Group
*Stein Mart
*
TNT Logistics*
Vistakon (makers of Acuvue contact lenses)
*
Winn-Dixie (the parent of
Save Rite)
See also: Famous businesses native to Jacksonville, FloridaAs the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States, Jacksonville is informally divided into three major sections;
Southside, which refers to everything between the St. Johns River and the
Intercoastal Waterway;
Northside, which is generally considered to be everything north of the St. Johns and east of New Kings Road; and
Westside, which consists of everything west of the St. Johns River and south of New Kings Rd. (There is also a distinct part of the city known as "Eastside" which those unfamiliar with Jacksonville's overall geography sometimes mistakenly regard as one of the major divisions of town, rather than the localized neighborhood which it is. Additionally, with the rapid growth in the eastern parts of Duval County, the Intercoastal/Beaches area has emerged as a major section as well, but is not generally included in a Jacksonville list, since the Beaches communities lie outside of the Jacksonville city limits.) Each of these sections is divided into many neighborhoods.
Metropolitan Jacksonville
Cities outside of Jacksonville proper, yet in the surrounding
Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area include
Atlantic Beach,
Jacksonville Beach,
Neptune Beach, and
Baldwin, all within
Duval County. Additionally, in
Nassau County are
Callahan,
Fernandina Beach,
Hilliard, and
Yulee.
St. Johns County contains the suburbs of
Fruit Cove,
Switzerland,
Ponte Vedra Beach,
Hastings, and
St. Augustine. And
Green Cove Springs,
Keystone Heights,
Middleburg,
Orange Park, and
Penney Farms are all found in in
Clay County. Even farther outlying, but still included within the "First Coast" region (thus, sometimes considered part of Jacksonville's metropolitan area), are and
Glen St. Mary and
Macclenny in
Baker County.
Government
History
After
World War II, the government of the City of Jacksonville began to increase spending to fund new building projects in the boom that occurred after the war. Mayor Haydon Burns' "Jacksonville Story" resulted in the construction of a new city hall, civic auditorium, public library and other projects that created a dynamic sense of civic pride. However, the development of
suburbs and a subsequent wave of "
white flight" left Jacksonville with a much poorer population than before. Much of the city's tax base dissipated, leading to problems with funding education, sanitation, and traffic control within the city limits. In addition, residents in unincorporated suburbs had difficulty obtaining municipal services such as sewage and building code enforcement. In
1958, a study recommended that the City of Jacksonville begin annexing outlying communities in order to create the needed tax base to improve services throughout the county. Voters outside the city limits rejected annexation plans in six referendums between 1960 and 1965.
In the mid
1960s, corruption scandals began to arise among many of the city's officials, who were mainly elected through the traditional
good ol' boy network. After a
grand jury was convened to investigate, several officials were indicted and more were forced to resign. Consolidation, led by Sheriff Dale Carson, began to win more support during this period, from both inner city blacks (who wanted more involvement in government) and whites in the suburbs (who wanted more services and more control over the central city). The simultaneous disaccredation of all fifteen of Duval County's public high schools in 1964 added momentum to the proposals for government reform. Lower taxes, increased economic development, unification of the community, better public spending and effective administration by a more central authority were all cited as reasons for a new consolidated government.
A consolidation referendum was held in
1967, and voters approved the plan. On
October 1,
1968, the governments merged to create the
Consolidated City of Jacksonville.
|
The St. James Building, the seat of city government in Jacksonville. |
Structure
The most noteworthy feature of Jacksonville government is its consolidated nature. The Duval County-Jacksonville consolidation eliminated any type of separate county
executive or
legislature, and supplanted these positions with the Mayor of Jacksonville and the City Council of the City of Jacksonville, respectively. Because of this, voters who live
outside of the city limits of Jacksonville, but
inside of Duval County, are allowed not only to vote in elections for these positions, but to run for them as well. In fact, in
1995, Jacksonville elected
John Delaney, a resident of Neptune Beach, as mayor.
Jacksonville uses the
Mayor-Council form of city government, also called the Strong-Mayor form, in which a mayor serves as the city's Chief Executive and Administrative officer. The mayor holds veto power over all resolutions and ordinances made by the city council, and also has the power to hire and fire the head of various city departments.
The city council has nineteen members, fourteen of whom are elected from single-member districts, and five who are ostensibly elected at-large. However, although these five additional council members are
elected at-large, they are required to meet an unusual residency requirement. In the early 1990s, because these five "at-large" members were generally all elected from the same area, voters approved a change in the city government which divided the city up into five districts unrelated to any other districts, solely for the purpose of electing these at-large council members. Thus, at-large council members are elected
from each of these five districts
by the voters of the county as a whole.
Some government services remained—as they had been prior to consolidation—independent of both city and county authority. In accordance with Florida law, the school board continues to exist with nearly complete autonomy. Jacksonville also has several quasi-independent government agencies which only nominally answer to the consolidated authority, including, electric authority, port authority, and airport authority. Fire, police, health and welfare, recreation, public works, and housing and urban development were all combined under the new government.
Four municipalities within Duval County voted not to join the consolidated government. These were the communities of Baldwin, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, which consist of only 6% of the total population within the county. The four separate communities provide their own services, while maintaining the right to contract the consolidated government to provide services for them. In December of 2005, the city council of Baldwin voted to eliminate the Baldwin Police Department. If this move is consummated as planned in 2006, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will assume policing responsibilities for the one-square mile town, located in the far western portion of Duval County.
Education
Jacksonville, along with the standard district schools, is home to two
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme ("IB") high schools. They are
Stanton College Preparatory School and
Paxon School for Advanced Studies. Jacksonville also has a notable magnet high school devoted to the performing and expressive arts,
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
See also: List of high schools in JacksonvilleJacksonville is home to
Jacksonville University, the
University of North Florida,
Florida Community College at Jacksonville,
Edward Waters College,
Florida Coastal School of Law,
Trinity Baptist College,
Jones College,
Florida Technical College,
Logos Christian College, and
Brewer Christian College.
Former mayor
John Delaney has been president of the University of North Florida since leaving office in
July 2003, parlaying his widespread popularity in the city into a position of leadership in the
state university system.
Transportation
 |
A 1992 map of three of the bridges. |
Interstate Highways
10 and
95 intersect in Jacksonville. Interstate Highway
10 ends at this intersection (the other end being in
Santa Monica, California). The eastern terminus of
US-90 is in nearby
Jacksonville Beach near the
Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, several other roads as well a major local expressway,
J. Turner Butler Boulevard (SR 202) also connects Jacksonville to the beaches. Public transportation is provided by the
Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The city has the
Jacksonville Skyway monorail, which travels through the central business district and is fairly cheap to use. However, there are very few Skyway stations and as such, traffic is quite light. The Skyway has been criticized in that it goes from "nowhere to nowhere" along its limited route, which encompasses only downtown and is of no use to most commuters.
Interstate 95 has a
bypass route, with
I-295, which bypasses the city to the west, and SR-9A, bypassing the city to the east. I-295 and SR-9A circumscribe the most populated portion of Jacksonville, and will form a complete beltway once 9A is completed in 2006.
Jacksonville is also home to the world headquarters of
CSX Transportation, which owns a large building on the riverbank downtown that is a significant part of the skyline.
There are also numerous bridges over the
St. Johns River at Jacksonville. They include (starting from furthest downstream) the
Dames Point Bridge, the
Mathews Bridge, the
Isaiah D. Hart Bridge, the
Main Street Bridge, the
Acosta Bridge, the
Fuller Warren Bridge (which carries
I-95 traffic) and the
Buckman Bridge (which carries
I-295 traffic).
Major commercial air service in Jacksonville operates out of
Jacksonville International Airport. Smaller planes can fly to
Craig Airport on the southside and
Herlong Airport on the westside. The city also operates an airfield at Cecil Commerce Center that is intended for aerospace manufacturing companies.
Amtrak passenger railroad serves Jacksonville from a station on Clifford Lane in the Northwest section of the city.
Four modern seaport facilities, including America's newest cruise port, make Jacksonville a full-service international seaport. In 2004,
JAXPORT handled 7.7 million tons of cargo, including 533,000 vehicles.
In
2003, the
JAXPORT Cruise Terminal opened, providing cruise service to
Key West, Florida, the
Bahamas, and
Mexico.
Jacksonville has several
sister cities [
7]. They are:{| valign="top" |
* -
Bahia Blanca,
Argentina (since
1967)
* -
Murmansk,
Russia (
1975)
* -
Masan,
South Korea (
1983)
* - Nantes, France (1984)
* - Yingkou, China (1990)
* - Port Elizabeth, South Africa (2000) | 
