About Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida, as well as the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, and the eleventh most populous in the United States.  It is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River, about 25 miles south of the Georgia border and about 340 miles north of Miami.  The area was originally inhabited by the Timucua people, and in 1564 was the site of the French colony of Fort Caroline, one of the earliest European settlements in what is now the continental United States. A platted town was established there in 1822, a year after the United States acquired the colony of Florida from Spain.  It was then renamed after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and seventh President of the United States.

Jacksonville’s location on the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean has led to the growth of the city and its industry. It is the largest deepwater port in the South (as well as the second-largest port on the U.S. East coast). Home to two U.S. Navy bases, the local economy includes services such as banking, insurance, and healthcare.  As with much of Florida, tourism is also important to the Jacksonville area, particularly tourism related to golf.  The area’s economy, however, is balanced among distribution, financial services, biomedical technology, consumer goods, information services, manufacturing, insurance and other industries.  According to Forbes Magazine, in 2007, Jacksonville ranked 3rd in the top ten U.S. cities to relocate to find a job and was also the 10th fastest growing city in the U.S.

Jacksonville is home to many prominent corporations and organizations, including the headquarters of four Fortune 500® companies: CSX Corporation, Fidelity National Financial, Fidelity National Information Services and Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.