Welcome to Jacksonville, Florida's largest city. beautiful, dynamic, growing, and a wonderful place to call home! 

Jacksonville is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River, about 25 miles south of the Georgia border.  The settlement that became Jacksonville was founded in 1791 as Cowford, so named because of its location at a narrow point in the river where cattle once crossed.  In 1822, a year after the United States acquired the colony of Florida from Spain, the city was renamed in honor of Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and then-future President of the United States.

On May 3, 1901, downtown Jacksonville was ravaged by a fire that was started at a fiber factory.  Known as the "Great Fire of 1901", it was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest ever urban fire in the Southeastern United States.  In 1968, the city and county governments consolidated, making Jacksonville the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States.
 
Jacksonville is the county seat of Duval County and the principal city in the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area.  This seven county Northeast Florida region is known as Florida's First coast, and boasts a population of 1.4 million.  Population of Jacksonville (Duval County) is 850,000.

Jacksonville enjoys a mild subtropical climate, with Atlantic Ocean breezes and frequent afternoon showers cooling it in the summer, and the offshore Gulf Stream keeping it warmer in the winter.

Water is the soul of Jacksonville.  Whether it's a pond, lake, river, or ocean you're seeking, it is here.  The St. Johns River, one of 13 World Heritage rivers, flows north through Jacksonville before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport.  There are 80 miles of sparkling Atlantic beaches, and over 200 square miles of inland waterways.