Jacksonville Florida Information

"The accepted date for the founding of Jacksonville is June 15, 1822," Jacksonville historian James R. Ward wrote in his book Old Hickory's Town. The Jacksonville Historical Society says that June 15, 1822, was the date on the petition sent by local settlers to the U.S. Secretary of State asking that Jacksonville be named a port of entry. That is the earliest known use of the name Jacksonville here.

Jacksonville's first charter, creating a town government, was approved by the Florida Legislative Council on Feb. 9, 1832. Jacksonville's first mayor was William Mills. At that time, the office was called Intendant, which was a holdover from Spanish times.

Lumber was a major business in Jacksonville prior to the Civil War. Tourism was big business in the 1880s. After the building of the jetties in the late 1890s, port business grew. Jacksonville was the first film center during the silent movie era. The development of military bases after World War II had a dramatic effect on the economy, as did the attraction of insurance and banking headquarters.

In 1986, the Mayo Clinic opened its Jacksonville facility, the first extension of the famed Mayo Clinic outside of Rochester, Minn. In 1994, the National Football League awarded its 30th franchise to Jacksonville. The Jaguars began play in 1995 in Alltel Stadium, which has been selected by the NFL as the site of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.