About Jacksonville

Jacksonville is the largest city in the state of Florida and the county seat of Duval County. Since 1968, Jacksonville has been the largest city in land area in the contiguous US; this resulted from the consolidation of the city and county government, along with a corresponding expansion of the city limits to include almost the entire county.

In 2007, Jacksonville ranked as the US' 12th most populous city, with 794,555 residents. It is the principal city in the Greater Jacksonville Metro Area, a region with a population of 1,277,997, the 4th largest metropolitan area in the state, as of the 2006 Census. Jacksonville is the 3rd most populated city on the East Coast, just trailing New York City and Philadelphia.

About 25 miles south of the Georgia border, Jacksonville is in the First Coast region of northeast Florida and is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River. The city was renamed in 1822 for Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory who eventually became the 7th President of the United States of America.

Downtown Jacksonville has a beautiful skyline with the tallest building being the 617 ft Bank of America Tower, constructed in 1990. Other notable structures include the Modis Building and the Riverplace Tower which, when completed in 1967, was the tallest precast, post-tensioned concrete structure in the world.

Jacksonville is home to a number of events. The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is held every April and is the second-largest jazz festival in the nation.

Other popular music festivals include:
The Spring Music Fest: a free concert sponsored by the city that features some of today's most popular artists.
Planetfest: featuring a variety of modern rock artists.
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, Academy Award nominee Bill Murray and winner Graham Greene.

The Art Walk, a monthly outdoor art festival, is sponsored by Downtown Vision, Inc, an organization which works to promote artistic talent and venues on the First Coast.

Every July 4 is the Freedom, Fanfare & Fireworks celebration, one of the nation's largest fireworks displays, held at Metropolitan Park and on the surface of the St. Johns River. A very large fireworks display is also held at Jacksonville Beach, centered on the rebuilt pier.

The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair is held every November at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds & Exposition Center, featuring an array of carnival games & rides, food, 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
the Jacksonville International Boat Show in April,
the World of Nations Celebration in May, and
the Jacksonville Light Parade

One of the most popular sporting events is the annual Gate River Run, the US National Championship 15K since 1994 and largest 15K race in the country. The 13,000+ recreational runners -- some running for the first time - are joined by a few thousand more supporters, spectators and volunteers who make this Jacksonville's largest participation sporting event. The AT&T Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament is an annual event held in July. The first contest was held in 1981 and it has grown to be the largest Kingfish tournament in the United States. Participation is limited to 1,000 boats that compete for over $500,000 in prizes, attracting approximately 30,000 spectators.

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