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Jacksonville, Florida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Jacksonville" redirects here. For other uses, see Jacksonville (disambiguation).
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| Nickname: "Where Florida Begins" | |||
| Official website: http://www.coj.net | |||
| Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Location in the state of Florida |
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| Government | |||
| Country State County |
United States Florida Duval |
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| Mayor | John Peyton (R) | ||
| Geographical characteristics | |||
| Area | |||
| Total | 2,264.5 km² | ||
| Land | 1962.4 km² | ||
| Water | 302.1 km² | ||
| Population | |||
| Total (2004) | 777,704 | ||
| Metro area | 1,214,124 | ||
| Density | 441.58/km² | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Elevation | 6 m | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
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 continental United States and the ninth largest in the world. As of 2004, the city proper had a total estimated population of 777,704, however, the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area contains more than 1.3 million residents.GR6
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.
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History
- Main article: History of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville's history begins with the evidence of habitation from over 6,000 years ago by the Timucua; their largest town in the area was Ossachite, which stood in what is now downtown. In 1562, the French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault charted the St. Johns River, the first European expedition to the area. René Goulaine de Laudonnière established the first European settlement at Fort Caroline two years later; it was taken by the Spanish in 1565 and ultimately abandoned in 1569. The first permanent European settlement was founded as "Cow Ford" in 1791. Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, and Cow Ford soon acquired the name "Jacksonville" after territorial governor and future US President Andrew Jackson. US settlers led by Isaiah D. Hart drew up a charter for a town government in the early 1830s; it was approved by the Florida Legislative Council on February 9, 1832.
Jacksonville was blockaded by the Union during the Civil War. It changed hands several times, although never with a battle. The closest civil war site is Olustee. Though no battles were fought in Jacksonville, the city was nonetheless left in a position of considerable disrepair after the war.
During Reconstruction and afterward, Jacksonville and nearby St. Augustine became popular winter resorts for the rich and famous. Visitors arrived by steamboat and later by railroad. This ended eventually as the rail lines were extended even farther south to Miami and Palm Beach. Tourism, and the city as a whole, was dealt another blow by major yellow fever outbreaks in 1886 and 1888. In the absence of scientific knowledge concerning the causes of yellow fever, nearly half of the city's panicked residents fled despite the imposition of quarantines.
As if to further exacerbate the problem, on May 2, 1901, hot ash from a shantyhouse's chimney landed on the drying moss at Cleaveland's Fiber Factory. At half past noon most of the Cleaveland workers were at lunch, but by the time they returned the entire city block was engulfed in flames. The fire destroyed the business district and rendered 10,000 residents homeless in the course of eight hours. The fire is known as the "Great Fire of 1901". Famed New York architect Henry Klutho helped rebuild the city after the devastation. Another fire in 1963 devastated the historic Hotel Roosevelt.
Despite this, the motion picture industry took a liking to Jacksonville in the early 1900s. This was spurred by the warm climate, excellent rail access, and the lack of tourists (most visited Miami by this time) meant prices and labor were cheap. The city earned the title of the "Winter Film Capital of the World". By the early 1910s, Jacksonville hosted over 30 studios employing over 1000 actors. However, an unfavorable political climate forced the industry out of Jacksonville to California, where it largely still operates today.
During World War II, Naval Air Station Jacksonville ("NAS Jax") on the westside, the first navy installation in the city, was used as a major training center. Over 20,000 pilots and aircrewmen were being trained there. After the war, the Navy's Blue Angels were originally established at NAS Jax, but soon after moved to NAS Pensacola. Today, NAS Jax is the third largest navy installation in the country and employs over 23,000 civilian and active-duty personnel.
Jacksonville has a history of racial segregation and violence. This reached its zenith with an event known as "Ax Handle Saturday". On August 27, 1960, a group of white men (who allegedly were also members of the Ku Klux Klan) armed with baseball bats and ax handles attacked civil rights protesters conducting sit-ins at segregated downtown restaurants. The violence spread, and the white mob started attacking all African-Americans in sight. Witnesses stated that the police did not make an attempt to stop the violence. Over the next thirty years, as in most of the South, Jacksonville experienced improvements in racial relations. This was most marked in the municipal elections of 1995, whenâ??in a major upset that made national newsâ??Nat Glover, a veteran of the local police force, was elected Sheriff of Duval County. Glover proved to be extremely popular and was re-elected in 1999. In 2003, he was defeated in his attempt to become Jackonville's first African-American mayor.
Geography and climate
Geography
Jacksonville is located at 30°19'10" North, 81°39'36" West (30.319406, -81.659999)GR1. 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 is water. The total area is 13.34% water.
Neighborhoods
As the largest city in land area in the continental United States, Jacksonville has many neighborhoods, each of which has its own identity. These include Arlington, Baymeadows, Brooklyn, Downtown, Durkeeville, Fort George Island, La Villa, Mandarin, Murray Hill, North Jacksonville, Ortega, Springfield, Riverside & Avondale, San Jose, San Marco, South Jacksonville, St. Nicholas, West Jacksonville, and more.
Neighborhoods and cities in the surrounding Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area include Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Callahan, Fernandina Beach, Fruit Cove, Green Cove Springs, Fleming Island, Glen St. Mary, Hastings, Hilliard, Jacksonville Beach, Keystone Heights, Macclenny, Mayport, Middleburg, Neptune Beach, Orange Park, Penney Farms, Ponte Vedra, Yulee, and more.
Climate
Jacksonville has mild weather during winters and hot weather during summers. High temperatures average 64 to 91 °F (18-33 °C) throughout the year.[1] 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 many 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.[2] 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 wetter months being June through September.
People and culture
Demographics
| City of Jacksonville Population by year [3] |
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1870 - 1,000 |
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As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 735,617 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, 29.03% 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 Arabic 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. 12.2% of the population and 9.4% of families were below the poverty line. 16.7% of those under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Jacksonville is located within the Bible Belt region of the U.S., in which Evangelical Protestantism is a pervasive or dominant part of the culture. There are 354,807 Protestants who attend 794 Protestant churches. Several of these are megachurches, the largest being 28,000-member First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, the third-largest church of the Southern Baptist Convention and covering 11 city blocks of downtown. There are 162,329 Roman Catholics who attend 51 Catholic churches within the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine. [4] The city also has a Jewish population of 7,300, as well as 2,854 members of the Eastern Orthodox church and 18,050 of other religious affiliations. [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, 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 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 the Klutho Building, the Old Morocco Temple Building, the Palm and Cycad Arboretum, and the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center.
Media
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/UPN), and WJWB (WB). 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. 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 two most popular radio stations in regard to contemporary hits are WAPE 95.1 and WFKS 97.9. 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, owned by Independent Life) 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 14,000-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 was an Independent Women's Football League team, the Jacksonville Dixie Blues, but the team has no games scheduled for this year[7]. 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 and also a professional soccer team, the Jacksonville Northsiders FC who will set up play in the United Soccer League (USL).
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
- Main article: Famous natives of Jacksonville, Florida
- 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"
- Rogue (musician) (born 1972) founding member of the gothic rock band, The Crüxshadows
- 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
- Ray Mercer (born 1961) professional boxer, 1991 WBO heavyweight champion
- Sable (Rena Mero) (born 1967) WWF and WWE professional wrestler
- 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
- Ma$e (born 1978) hip hop rapper
- Yoanna House (born 1980) fashion model, winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 2
- Limp Bizkit (formed 1994) rapcore band, spawned fame of singer Fred Durst
- Yellowcard (formed 1997) pop punk band
- Shinedown (formed 2001) hard-rock band
- Shalomim Halahawi formerly Tony Mccraw Jr. Rabbi, Socio-political activists, author and 1st Black American MD(AM) to Graduate from Indian Institute of Alternative Medicines in Calcutta, India
Economy
Jacksonville's location on the St. John's 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 an international airportJAX] and 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.
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
- Stein Mart
- Tiger Telematics (makers of the Gizmondo)
- TNT Logistics
- Vistakon (makers of Acuvue contact lenses)
- Winn-Dixie (the parent of Save Rite)
See also: Famous businesses native to Jacksonville, Florida
Infrastructure
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.
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 mayors are the city's Chief Executive and Administrative officer. They hold veto power over all resolutions and ordinances made by the city council, and also have 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 remainedâ??as they had been prior to consolidationâ??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.
- See also: List of mayors of Jacksonville, Florida
Education
Jacksonville, along with the standard district schools, is home to two International Baccalaureate ("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 Jacksonville
Jacksonville is home to Brewer Christian College, Edward Waters College, Jacksonville University, University of North Florida, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Trinity Baptist College, Jones College, Florida Technical College, Logos Christian College, and Florida Coastal School of Law.
Former mayor John Delaney (predecessor of current mayor John Peyton) has been president of the University of North Florida since July 2003, parlaying his widespread popularity in the city into a position of leadership in the state university system.
Transportation
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 connect 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 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, and they own a large building 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.
| St. Johns River crossings in the Jacksonville, Florida area | |
|---|---|
| south of downtown | Shands Bridge (to be replaced or supplemented) - Buckman Bridge - Timuquana Bridge (never built) |
| south from downtown | Fuller Warren Bridge - Acosta Bridge - Main Street Bridge |
| east from downtown | Hart Bridge - Mathews Bridge - 20th Street Extension (never built) |
| east of downtown | Dames Point Bridge - SR 113A (never built) - Mayport Ferry |
Sister cities
Jacksonville has several sister cities [8]. They are:
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In 2000, The Sister Cities International awarded Jacksonville the Innovation Arts & Culture Award for the city's program with Nantes.
See also
References
- â?? Wentworth, Harold, and Stuart Berg Flexner (1967) Dictionary of American Slang, Maruzen Asian Edition, Thomas Y. Crowell Company and Maruzen Company, Limited, p. 286.
- Andino, Alliniece T. (August 25, 2000). 40 years ago this weekend, Jacksonville gave itself a national reputation for violence. The Florida Times-Union.
- DeCamp, David (May 3, 2003). Racial graffiti found at Glover's headquarters. The Florida Times-Union.
- Foley, Bill; Wood, Wayne (2001). The great fire of 1901 (1st ed.). Jacksonville, Florida: The Jacksonville Historical Society. ISBN 0971026106
External links
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Government Resources
- City of Jacksonville Official Website
- jacksonvillestory.com (a website regarding Jacksonville history)
- Duval County Public Schools
- Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
- Public library
Non-Profits and Social Services
Higher Education
- Edward Waters College
- Jacksonville University
- University of North Florida
- Florida Community College at Jacksonville
- Trinity Baptist College
- Florida Coastal School of Law
- Jones College
- Logos Christian College
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Windows Live Local
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