Jacksonville, Fla.

Jacksonville, Florida's largest city, is located in Duval County in the northeast corner of Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River and adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest metropolitan area in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia.

Starting in the 16th century, French, Spanish, and English explorers and colonists were attracted to the region by the St. Johns River. The site was settled by Lewis Hogans in 1816. Jacksonville was laid out in 1822 and was named after Gen. Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of Florida. It was incorporated as a city in 1832.

During the Civil War, much of the city was destroyed by Union forces, who occupied Jacksonville four times. The city was rebuilt and, following the development of its harbor and the railroads, quickly became the transportation hub and leading industrial city in Florida by the 1880s. In 1968, the city and county governments consolidated.

Jacksonville is 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 has the largest deepwater port in the South Atlantic and is a leading port in the U.S. for automobile imports.

See also Encyclopedia: Jacksonville.

Selected famous natives and residents:

• Mae Axton songwriter;
• Pat Boone singer;
• Judy Canova comedian;
• Harold Carmichael football player;
• Merion C. Cooper producer and director;
• Billy Daniels vocalist;
• Storm Davis athlete;
• Bob Hayes athlete;
• Wanda Hendrix actress;
• James Weldon Johnson author and educator;
• John Rosamond Johnson musician and composer;
• Mark McCumber pro golfer;
• Ray Mercer boxer;
• Charles “Hoss” Singleton songwriter;
• Bill Terry baseball player and manager;
• Donnie Van Zant rock musician;
• Ronnie Van Zant rock musician;
• Leeroy Yarbrough auto racer.

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