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Jacksonville is a city located in Duval County, Florida, USA. It is the county seat of Duval County GR6. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 777,704. It is the principal city of the First Coast region of Florida.
Geographically, it has the greatest land area of any city in the contiguous 48 states of the United States. Its population is also the largest among Florida cities and 12th amongst cities in the United States, surpassing Indianapolis in 2006. Jacksonville also has the distinction of being the largest city in the South outside of Texas. The Jacksonville metropolitan area reached over one million residents in 1996.
The governments of Jacksonville and Duval County are consolidated. It is commonly believed that all areas of Duval County are also part of Jacksonville—in other words, that the boundaries of Jacksonville and Duval County are coextensive. However, this is not quite accurate. The communities of Baldwin, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, while existing within Duval County, lie outside of the city limits of Jacksonville. In addition, these communities have their own municipal governments as well.
The total area of Jacksonville is 874.3 square miles (2,264.5 km²). Jacksonville was originally named Cowford because the St. Johns River is narrow there, allowing cattlemen to ford (herd cows across the river). The city was renamed in 1822 for the first territorial governor of Florida and the future 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson. Jacksonville is sometimes abbreviated as Jax, an abbreviation that natives have used since at least the 1950s. The abbreviation has also referred to Jacksonville International Airport since its opening in the mid-1960s, where it is used on luggage tags attached to baggage entering the airport.
Jacksonville gathers significant natural beauty from the St. Johns River and Atlantic Ocean. The Jacksonville Beaches area is a center of recreation and nightlife, and the many parks around the city have received international recognition. The city center includes the Jacksonville Landing shopping center and the Riverwalk. Downtown Jacksonville has a memorable skyline with the tallest building being the Bank of America Building, constructed in 1990 with a height of 617ft (188m). Other notable structures include the Modis Building (once the defining building in the Jacksonville skyline, owned by Independent Life) with its distinctive flared base, and the Riverplace Tower, which is the tallest pre-cast, post-tension concrete structure in the world.
Annual Music Events
- The city's biggest cultural event is the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, an annual event featuring many of the biggest names in jazz. Jacksonville also features two art museums: the Cummer Gallery of Art and the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra makes regular performances at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts near downtown. The newly built Veterans Memorial Arena has quickly grown in popularity with many acts since it has been built. KISS, Aerosmith, Elton John, Green Day, Metallica, Britney Spears, and many other acts have performed there.
- Jacksonville also hosts an annual concert event known as "Come Together Day," which is held every spring at Metro Park, adjacent to ALLTEL Stadium, on the banks of the St. John's River. The largest names in the Hip Hop/R&B genre make their way to Jacksonville to perform in front of thousands of spectators. The event is sponsored by local radio stations. Past performers include: Monica, Ying Yang Twins, Master P, Trina, David Banner, Trick Daddy, Destiny's Child, and a large host of other prominent hip-hop legends. Crowds from all across the region converge on Jacksonville for one of the largest hip hop events of the year. The event was originally created as a way of drawing the black community together in the sense of a family reunion. Come Together Day has since grown to a major event welcoming tourists from all across the southeast.
- Jacksonville Beach is the host of the Springing the Blues Festival. On the springingtheblues.com website this was stated: Springing The Blues is a free outdoor blues music festival designed to celebrate America's indigenous musical form and promote support of the arts. The three-day oceanfront event features a number of renowned blues performers as well as numerous displays and activities geared for the entire family. It is held at Jacksonville Beach, Florida's Oceanfront SeaWalk Pavilion on the 1st weekend of April each year.
- WPLA (107.3 FM), the second largest Rock station in Jacksonville, hosts Planetfest every year at Metro Park. The event has featured many major rock recording artists including Papa Roach, Shinedown, and Yellowcard. In addition, a local stage is used to give local bands, including Burn Season, Kill with Honor, and PATH, a chance to gain fans.
Holiday Events
Citizens of Jacksonville and surrounding counties make their the way to the Jacksonville Riverwalk to be dazzled by fireworks. On the Fourth of July, with weather permitting, the city is the site of one of the largest fireworks displays in the nation. Thousands gather at Metro Park, which is also the site of a Happy Birthday America Concert. On the night of New Year's Eve Jacksonville puts on a major fireworks-concert on the banks of the River to usher in the new year. The city's urban core is jammed pack with crowds and partiers who are poised to attend the Gator Bowl the next day. These fireworks shows make use of Jacksonville's beautiful downtown skyscrapers and its numerous colorful lit bridges as barges to create a festive atmosphere.
Jacksonville Zoological Gardens
The Jacksonville Zoological Gardens boast the second largest animal collection in the state. The zoo features elephants, lions, jaguars (with a new exhibit, Range of the Jaguar, hosted by the owners of the Jacksonville Jaguar owners, Delores and Wayne Weaver), a multitude of reptile houses, free flight aviaries, and many other animals.
Museums
Museum of Science and History (MOSH)is an interactive museum for people of all ages. The museum includes the Alexander Brest Planetarium where one can star gaze or learn about astronomy. The museum also hosts daycamps, camp-ins, and birthday parties. MOSH is located on the Southbank in downtown Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art (JMOMA) has various exhibitions and education programs. JMOMA is located in downtown Jacksonville on North Laura Street near the new main library.
The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens holds a large collection of European and American paintings. The beauty of The Cummer comes from its location on the St. Johns River and the gardens which surround the museum. The gardens are comprised of two acres of English and Italian style gardens. The Cummer is located just south of downtown in Riverside on the banks of the St. Johns River.
Sorry, no tips were foundGeographically, it has the greatest land area of any city in the contiguous 48 states of the United States. Its population is also the largest among Florida cities and 12th amongst cities in the United States, surpassing Indianapolis in 2006. Jacksonville also has the distinction of being the largest city in the South outside of Texas. The Jacksonville metropolitan area reached over one million residents in 1996.
The governments of Jacksonville and Duval County are consolidated. It is commonly believed that all areas of Duval County are also part of Jacksonville—in other words, that the boundaries of Jacksonville and Duval County are coextensive. However, this is not quite accurate. The communities of Baldwin, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, while existing within Duval County, lie outside of the city limits of Jacksonville. In addition, these communities have their own municipal governments as well.
The total area of Jacksonville is 874.3 square miles (2,264.5 km²). Jacksonville was originally named Cowford because the St. Johns River is narrow there, allowing cattlemen to ford (herd cows across the river). The city was renamed in 1822 for the first territorial governor of Florida and the future 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson. Jacksonville is sometimes abbreviated as Jax, an abbreviation that natives have used since at least the 1950s. The abbreviation has also referred to Jacksonville International Airport since its opening in the mid-1960s, where it is used on luggage tags attached to baggage entering the airport.
Jacksonville gathers significant natural beauty from the St. Johns River and Atlantic Ocean. The Jacksonville Beaches area is a center of recreation and nightlife, and the many parks around the city have received international recognition. The city center includes the Jacksonville Landing shopping center and the Riverwalk. Downtown Jacksonville has a memorable skyline with the tallest building being the Bank of America Building, constructed in 1990 with a height of 617ft (188m). Other notable structures include the Modis Building (once the defining building in the Jacksonville skyline, owned by Independent Life) with its distinctive flared base, and the Riverplace Tower, which is the tallest pre-cast, post-tension concrete structure in the world.
Annual Music Events
- The city's biggest cultural event is the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, an annual event featuring many of the biggest names in jazz. Jacksonville also features two art museums: the Cummer Gallery of Art and the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra makes regular performances at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts near downtown. The newly built Veterans Memorial Arena has quickly grown in popularity with many acts since it has been built. KISS, Aerosmith, Elton John, Green Day, Metallica, Britney Spears, and many other acts have performed there.
- Jacksonville also hosts an annual concert event known as "Come Together Day," which is held every spring at Metro Park, adjacent to ALLTEL Stadium, on the banks of the St. John's River. The largest names in the Hip Hop/R&B genre make their way to Jacksonville to perform in front of thousands of spectators. The event is sponsored by local radio stations. Past performers include: Monica, Ying Yang Twins, Master P, Trina, David Banner, Trick Daddy, Destiny's Child, and a large host of other prominent hip-hop legends. Crowds from all across the region converge on Jacksonville for one of the largest hip hop events of the year. The event was originally created as a way of drawing the black community together in the sense of a family reunion. Come Together Day has since grown to a major event welcoming tourists from all across the southeast.
- Jacksonville Beach is the host of the Springing the Blues Festival. On the springingtheblues.com website this was stated: Springing The Blues is a free outdoor blues music festival designed to celebrate America's indigenous musical form and promote support of the arts. The three-day oceanfront event features a number of renowned blues performers as well as numerous displays and activities geared for the entire family. It is held at Jacksonville Beach, Florida's Oceanfront SeaWalk Pavilion on the 1st weekend of April each year.
- WPLA (107.3 FM), the second largest Rock station in Jacksonville, hosts Planetfest every year at Metro Park. The event has featured many major rock recording artists including Papa Roach, Shinedown, and Yellowcard. In addition, a local stage is used to give local bands, including Burn Season, Kill with Honor, and PATH, a chance to gain fans.
Holiday Events
Citizens of Jacksonville and surrounding counties make their the way to the Jacksonville Riverwalk to be dazzled by fireworks. On the Fourth of July, with weather permitting, the city is the site of one of the largest fireworks displays in the nation. Thousands gather at Metro Park, which is also the site of a Happy Birthday America Concert. On the night of New Year's Eve Jacksonville puts on a major fireworks-concert on the banks of the River to usher in the new year. The city's urban core is jammed pack with crowds and partiers who are poised to attend the Gator Bowl the next day. These fireworks shows make use of Jacksonville's beautiful downtown skyscrapers and its numerous colorful lit bridges as barges to create a festive atmosphere.
Jacksonville Zoological Gardens
The Jacksonville Zoological Gardens boast the second largest animal collection in the state. The zoo features elephants, lions, jaguars (with a new exhibit, Range of the Jaguar, hosted by the owners of the Jacksonville Jaguar owners, Delores and Wayne Weaver), a multitude of reptile houses, free flight aviaries, and many other animals.
Museums
Museum of Science and History (MOSH)is an interactive museum for people of all ages. The museum includes the Alexander Brest Planetarium where one can star gaze or learn about astronomy. The museum also hosts daycamps, camp-ins, and birthday parties. MOSH is located on the Southbank in downtown Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art (JMOMA) has various exhibitions and education programs. JMOMA is located in downtown Jacksonville on North Laura Street near the new main library.
The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens holds a large collection of European and American paintings. The beauty of The Cummer comes from its location on the St. Johns River and the gardens which surround the museum. The gardens are comprised of two acres of English and Italian style gardens. The Cummer is located just south of downtown in Riverside on the banks of the St. Johns River.
Last edited by (6:50, 10 February 2006)
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