Jacksonville – Big Place, Big Space

Jacksonville is located in the southeast United States, on the east coast of Florida, in the northeast part of the state near its border with Georgia. It is the thirteenth most populous city in the United States, with over 800,000 people. Jacksonville has a land mass of 767 square miles, making it the largest U.S. city in terms of land area. The Jacksonville area was originally inhabited by the native Timucua people, and the French colony of Fort Caroline was established there in 1564. The area was claimed by the British and the Spanish. In 1821 the United States acquired the colony of Florida from Spain and renamed it after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and seventh President of the United States. The town of Jacksonville was incorporated in 1822. During the American Civil War, Jacksonville served as a shipping port for hogs and cattle to aid the Confederate cause. It was later blockaded by Union forces, which controlled the city for the remainder of the war. Starting in the late 1800’s, a series of harbor improvements were made such that Jacksonville today is home to two U.S. navy bases as well as the shipping Port of Jackson. Like many metropolitan areas, Jacksonville incurred urban sprawl after World War II. Jacksonville was plagued by inept and corrupt government in the 1960’s. More recently, Jacksonville has taken strides through legislation to improve its roads, infrastructure, environmental management, and economic development. The region where Jacksonville is located is often referred to as the “First Coast” because it is the first coast in Florida one would reach if driving south along the Atlantic coastline and because it contains the first permanent European settlement, St. Augustine.

The Jacksonville Economy: Big Business in Tourism, Shipping, Government

Jacksonville is a major business and commercial center. The main drivers of the Jacksonville economy today are: tourism and trade, government services, general professional services, education and health care services, finance, education, transportation shipping, retail products, biotechnology, medical research, manufacturing, and construction.

Education in Jacksonville: First Coast Class

Educational attainment among the Jacksonville populace is ahead of that of the U.S. as a whole. As of 2000, roughly 82% of its residents aged 25 and older had completed high school and 21% had completed college. There are numerous colleges and universities located in Jacksonville. Florida State College at Jacksonville enrolls over 80,000 students across four campuses. The University of North Florida is home to over 16,000 students. Among other institutions of higher learning in Jacksonville are: Edward Waters College, Florida Technical College, and Jacksonville University.

The Crime Scene in Jacksonville: Not Where You’d Like It

Jacksonville ranks behind its fellow large cities Los Angeles and New York for both violent crime and property crime. However, in 2009 total crime in Jacksonville fell 9.7% and violent crime fell 14%. Jacksonville’s crime picture is mixed when compared to that of another large Florida city, Miami, against which it did better in terms of violent crime in 2009, but worse in terms of property crimes.

The Jacksonville Population and Politics: Mixed

Jacksonville has a population of over 800,000 people. Its population has been growing at a rate of 1.0% per year over the past decade. The city’s population is composed of non-Hispanic Caucasians at 58%, African Americans at 31%, Asians at roughly 4%, and the balance of other races. Among registered voters in Jacksonville, Democrats outnumber Republicans, around 235,000 to 200,000, with nearly 100,000 independents. Despite the slant towards Democrats, among the roughly 400,000 votes cast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Jacksonville voters chose Republican candidate John McCain over Democratic candidate Barack Obama by a ratio of 51%-49%.