, splendidly situated along the Atlantic Ocean in northeast Florida, is a heaven for travelers looking for an affordable yet extravagant spot. Get stimulated by the city’s art and cultural offerings, picturesque beaches and striking dawns. Did You Know that Jacksonville has over 20 miles of wide beaches, near to 40 miles of the serene Intracoastal Waterway canal? Also, Jacksonville (JAX) runs the largest urban park system in the country.
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Jacksonville Demographic and Geographical Fast Facts
- Jacksonville is the sprawling city covering 841 square miles and is the largest city in the mainland US.
- Jacksonville is the most populous city in Florida, and twelfth most populous in the US.
- Jacksonville lies on the bank of river St. Johns, which is the state’s longest running river that discharges into the Atlantic Ocean.
- Jacksonville has an estimated population of over 853,000. The city’s population in 1840 was a whopping 350 occupants.
- The Jacksonville metro area has three beach cities and Baker, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties, with a populace of over 1,000,000 residents.
- Jacksonville holds Florida's largest Filipino-American community.
- Jacksonville is home to the biggest urban public park system in the country, covering over 80,000 acres.
- Bank of America Tower is the tallest building in downtown JAX, with 42 floors and height of 617 ft (188m).
- The Ethnic composition of Jacksonville include White, 59.4%; Black or African American- 30.7%, Non-Hispanic-55.1%, Hispanic or Latino-7.7%, and Asian-4.3%
Jacksonville History Fast Facts
- Jacksonville was named after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida territory.
- Jacksonville was established in 1816 by Lewis Hogans.
- Jacksonville was formed as a city in 1832.
- Until 1822, Jacksonville was known as Cowford, because cattle’s were transported over the St. John's River.
- On 1st April, 1978, the first River Run, a yearly 15km race happened. At present, the race has more than 13,000 runners every year.
- Jacksonville turned into the site of the largest urban flame in the south-eastern United States on 3rd May, 1901. “The Great Fire of 1901” was one of the worst disasters in the history of the state.
- In 1910, Jacksonville was known as the “The Winter Film Capital of the World”. Jax featured over 30 silent movie studies.
Jacksonville Government and Economy Fast Facts
- Jacksonville has the Mayor-Council form of city government.
- The overall cost of living in Jacksonville is low.
- Jacksonville government has a consolidate nature- Jacksonville and Duval County consolidation.
- The median age of the city’s inhabitants is 36.3.
- In 2006, Good Morning America named Jacksonville as one of the best five "Up and Coming" cities in America.
- The deep-water port of Jacksonville is the fourteenth largest in the United States and manages shipments from around the world.
- Jacksonville has numerous military facilities.
- The St. Johns River, Port of Jacksonville, and a seaport are the largest component of the city’s economy.
Jacksonville Interesting and Important Fast Facts
- Jacksonville’s nickname is “The River City by the Sea”.
- Folks from Jacksonville are called "Jaxsons” or "Jacksonvillians".
- “The Blues” first official performance was in the city of Jacksonville.
- In 1986, the Mayo Clinic opened in the Jacksonville campus.
- In 1993, the National Football league awarded its 30th franchise team to Jacksonville.
- In 2005, Jacksonville was chosen as the place for Super Bowl XXXIX.
- Jacksonville local Bob Hayes is the only man to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal.
- Isiah Hart, who established Jacksonville, named two of the Jacksonville’s first streets after his daughters, Laura and Julia.
- In 2003, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, having 16,000 seats was established.
- The Blues festival in Jacksonville Beach is one of the longest-running and biggest blues festivals in the nation.
- Jacksonville is popular as the birthplace of the Lynyrd Skynyrd- Southern rock group. The city also produced many other famous performers, including Red Jump Suit Apparatus, Limp Bizkit and Cold.
- The Jacksonville Jazz festival is the second greatest jazz festival in the United States.
- Jacksonville has the United State’s oldest skate park- Kona Skatepark in Arlington.
- The major daily newspaper in Jacksonville is The Florida Times.
- In 1965, Friendship Fountain was built up in Jacksonville and it was labelled as the world’s tallest and largest fountain.
- The oldest running community theater in the United States is Theatre Jacksonville.