Jacksonville, FL

Twenty-five miles south of the border with Georgia, Jacksonville straddles the St. Johns River and touches the beaches of Florida’s First Coast area. Though American Indians had occupied the territory from prehistoric times, the Spanish and the French settled in the region during the 16^th century. In 1791, the English settlement of Cowford was founded at a narrow spot on the river where cattle could cross. In 1822, a year after Spain ceded Florida to the United States, the village was renamed for Florida’s first military governor, General Andrew Jackson.

During the Civil War, Jacksonville became a key supply point for hogs and cattle intended for Confederate forces. Though it was blockaded by the Union and changed hands several times, the city never saw serious battle. Towards the late 19^th century, subtropical Jacksonville became a popular winter resort for the rich and famous. Visitors arrived by steam boat and later by railroad. However, extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad, together with outbreaks of yellow fever in the area, dealt serious blows to tourism by encouraging people to head further south.

On May 3, 1901, downtown Jacksonville was ravaged by a fire that started in a fiber factory. One of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest urban fire ever in the southeast, it destroyed the business district and left more than 10,000 residents homeless. To repair the damage, more than 13,000 buildings were constructed between 1901 and 1912. In the following decades, New York movie-makers took to Jacksonville’s warm climate and exotic scenery, making it the “Winter Film Capital.” More than 50 silent movies were made in Jacksonville until Hollywood cemented its position as the hub of the cinema industry in the 1920s.

With the construction of three naval bases near Jacksonville during the 1940s, the U.S. Navy became a major source of employment in the area—and this trend continues today. Only Norfolk, Virginia and San Diego have larger military presences. Jacksonville is also a major southern deepwater seaport, and automobile imports are one of its most valuable cargoes.

The contemporary brick Amtrak station, built in 1972, is located between downtown and the airport. Since the late 2000s, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have discussed a plan to relocate Amtrak service to the former Jacksonville Union Station in the LaVilla neighborhood. After the historic Beaux-Arts station closed to train passengers in the early 1970s, it was rehabilitated to house the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. The joint JTA and FDOT vision includes a fully integrated multimodal transportation facility built adjacent to the convention center that would accommodate intercity passenger rail, possible commuter rail, and local, regional, and intercity busses.