Jacksonville: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Jacksonville Beach was first occupied between 12,000 and 4000 years ago by Paleo-Indians, who left behind shell mounds and spear points for future archeologists to puzzle over. The Paleo-Indians lived along the river, close to where King St is today, and were among the first people in North America to make pottery, around 4000 years ago. When Europeans first got here, locals called the town Wacca Pilatka (a place where cows could ford the river). In 1816 the name was Anglicized, rather unfortunately, to Cowford.

The French made the first attempt at a permanent settlement in 1562, provocatively founding a fort on Spanish territory. They refused an alliance with local Indians and were defeated by the Spanish in 1565. France, Spain, Great Britain and the USA all claimed the region at various times over the next three centuries, even as a steady trickle of British and then US settlers crept across the contested border to settle the region. Spain ceded Florida to the USA in 1821 and Jacksonville - named for provisional governor Andrew Jackson - was incorporated in 1822.

Jacksonville was one of the first Florida towns on Henry Flagler's railroad system, and by 1886 was attracting some 65,000 tourists annually.

Modern History

Then came a triple whammy: a yellow fever epidemic decimated the local population in 1888; the railroad system started serving the much nicer beaches to the south in the decade that followed; and a fire levelled most of downtown in 1901. The town was just beginning to recover when the Great Depression hit.

Recent History

Today the locals speak of 'pre-Jaguars' and 'post-Jaguars' culture. This refers to the state of affairs before and after the arrival of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a professional football franchise, awarded to the city by the NFL in 1993. Before that, the influence of local churches had all but banned alcohol sales downtown. When Sundays started being devoted to more secular pursuits, the football fans fought for - and won - the right to enjoy a cold beer at the games. Downtown became a place to party.

Today, despite suffering from serious urban sprawl (Jacksonville is one of the country's largest cities in terms of square mileage), it's becoming more cosmopolitan, with great neighbourhoods and entertainment venues that take full advantage of the city's bustling economy and beautiful location.

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