More than 6000 years ago, the area was inhabited by the Timucuan Indians. In 1562 the first European expedition was conducted by French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribalt along the St Johns River and established Fort Caroline on a high bluff. The Spanish arrived in 1565 and occupied Florida; in 1763, it ceded Florida to England. In the 1800’s Florida became a winter escape for wealthy northerners, and by 1860 there were weekly steamboat trips between Savannah, Charleston and Jacksonville. Indigo, sugar and citrus crops were produced on drained marshlands. The county was named in 1822 for the first territorial governor of Florida, William Pope DuVal, and the city was named after the future 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson. The Civil War and the Spanish-American War of 1898 brought destruction to the area, and changed owners several times; however, the arrival of the railroad in 1895 brought a great economic boom. The Great Fire of 1901 destroyed the business district, but with the city’s reconstruction in the early 1900’s, the motion picture industry, seeking a warmer climate, established over 30 studios. Revitalization again brought prosperity.
During WWII, Naval Air Station Jacksonville was established and was used as a training center. It is located near the Port of Jacksonville at the mouth of the St Johns River. In 1992 it combined operations with the Naval Air Station and is now called Naval Station Mayport. It’s the third largest naval facility in the continental United States.
Today, Jacksonville is a cosmopolitan visitor destination.
