Jacksonville

Understand

The city is in the Northeast Florida region, about 25 miles (40 km) south of the Georgia state line and about 340 miles (547 km) north of Miami.

Jacksonville is the largest city, by land area, in Florida in and the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968. That merger gave Jacksonville its great size and placed most of its larger metropolitan population within the city limits; with a population of 949,600, it is the most populous city in Florida, and the eleventh most populous in the United States. The surrounding Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area had a population of 1,504,980 in 2020.

Simply put, Jacksonville is an authentic Floridian city. Its economy is diversified and not wholly based on tourism. Harbor improvements since the late 19th century have made Jacksonville a major military and civilian deep-water port. Its riverfront location facilitates two U.S. Navy bases and the Port of Jacksonville, Florida's third largest seaport. Significant industries in the local economy include services such as banking, insurance, healthcare, and logistics. Despite this, Jacksonville is still a city in Florida, and tourism is important to the area, particularly in regards to its historical, cultural, and environmental assets.

Once holding the distinctions of "Insurance Capital of the South" and "Winter Film Capital of the World", and home to a formidable financial industry, this underrated cosmopolitan city is a composite of northern aesthetics and southern charm. A combination of rich architectural diversity, influential African-American ancestry, and substantial musical contributions have gifted Jacksonville an international appeal for its relatively small piece of the world. The city was listed as a "High sufficiency" world city in the World Cities Study Group's inventory, ranking alongside Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

History

The area was first inhabited by the Timucua people, and in 1564 was the site of the French colony of Fort Caroline, one of the earliest European settlements in what is now the continental United States. Under British rule, settlement grew at the narrow point in the river where cattle crossed, known as Wacca Pilatka to the Seminole Native Americans and Cowford to the British. A platted town was established there in 1822, a year after the United States acquired the colony of Florida from Spain; it was named after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and seventh President of the United States.

Climate

Jacksonville has slightly cooler winters compared to the rest of Florida further south, but summers are just as long, hot, and humid as with the rest of the state. Daytime summer temperatures average around 92°F, but combined with the humidity means that heat indices average around 98°F during the daytime and 76°F at night during the summer months. On some particularly hot and sweltering summer days, the heat index can climb up to 107°F and not go below 81°F.

Get in

By plane

Go Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)

The primary commercial airport in Northeast Florida, with scheduled service offered by Allegiant, American, Breeze Airways, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country, and United. The airport has one terminal building with two concourses. There are two areas for ground transportation, at the center front for taxis and area hotel shuttles, and at the north end for arranged ground transportation, including limousines, rental cars, intercity buses/shuttles, and local JTA city buses. Generally arriving one hour before a flight's scheduled departure is plenty of time, but during major holidays, such as Thanksgiving, allow one and a half to two hours.

⚠ Last checked Nov 2018 — confirm before you go

MapsWebsite☆ Want to go

To travel between the city and JAX:

Click here for a list of ground transport options including a list of rental car companies at the airport.

Other airports

[https://www.flynf.com/ Northeast Florida Regional Airport] (UST), formerly St. Augustine Airport, is 4 mi north of St. Augustine, and about 30 mi south of Jacksonville. The airport offers service from Trenton, New Jersey on Frontier Airlines. No regular auto service is available to Jacksonville.

Jacksonville has two general aviation airports: [http://cecilspaceport.com/ Cecil Airport] and [https://www.flyjacksonville.com/Home.aspx?sMP=JAXEX Craig Airport], all of which are administered by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.

By train

Jacksonville is served by Amtrak via its daily Silver Meteor and Silver Star trains, providing connections from other destinations in Florida such as Orlando and Miami, but also from cities as far north as New York. Jacksonville Station is located at 3570 Clifford Lane, approximately 5 mi northwest of downtown.

By bus

By ship

Get around

Jacksonville is sprawling with most of the city's more popular destinations not within walking distance of each other, with the exception of the city center. There, monorail service is free and connects the north and south banks of the river, offering travelers a great view of the city and an easy route to their destination. Most travelers to Jacksonville will want to venture out, see the beaches, shop and dine in its commercial districts, or visit historical sites and parks. This would be impossible or greatly hindered without a car. Unless you are planning on remaining at the beaches or the downtown area it can be time consuming to travel by bus, and too expensive by taxi.

By public transit

JTA

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) operates the Skyway monorail system in the heart of Jacksonville, and a fairly extensive regional bus network. Rosa Parks Transit Station is the main transfer hub between systems. Nearly all bus lines, and both lines of the Skyway stop at Rosa Parks.

The Skyway is a free automated people-mover system in downtown Jacksonville. Eight stations are located throughout the Northbank, Southbank, and LaVilla districts. The system is open to commuters M–F 6AM–9PM. Extended hours vary with special events, check JTA's website if you are planning on traveling in downtown during the weekend.

Bus frequency is between 30 minutes and an hour. Buses are reasonably comfortable, but JTA buses struggle with on-time performance. Buses do not run past midnight, and many bus routes stop running at around 8 or 9PM. All buses are linked via GPS to a central control system and stops are well-marked throughout the entire city.

By taxi

Taxi services are available, but expensive due to the sprawl of the city. Jacksonville is not New York City. Taxis are not readily available in every part of town, though they can be found at some downtown tourist destinations and central hotels. Service is also readily available at the airport.

By car

Major roads include:

• & Interstate 10, an east-west highway traveling from Santa Monica, California via Pensacola, Tallahassee,Lake City and points in between. US Hwy 90 closely straddles I-10 through the Florida panhandle serving the cities and towns as a local highway or street while I-10 bypasses the city or town. It parallels along the north side of I-10 in Jacksonville as W Beaver St passing through Baldwin and Macclenny west of Jacksonville.
• & Interstate 95, a north-south highway, which is the closest Interstate freeway to Atlantic coast, between Maine and Miami via Savannah, St Augustine, Space Coast, Fort Pierce, Port St Lucie, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and points in between.

* & South of Jacksonville US Hwy 1 straddles I-95 as a separate road through most of Florida, towards Miami, serving as a local street in the cities and towns it passes through. It goes SE of town towards St Augustine as the Phillips Highway. Going north US Hwy 1 runs concurrent on US Hwy 23 (New Kings Rd), northwesterly, towards the Georgia state line in Folkston, Georgia. * US Hwy 17 continues to straddle alongside I-95 north of downtown Jacksonville (as N Main St) towards Brunswick, Georgia. Going south US Hwy 17 ('Hwy 17') still parallels I-95 but further apart, towards the Orlando Metropolitan area through Partlaka and Deland.

• Interstate 295, a ring road highway that makes a circle around Jacksonville

Given the huge area Jacksonville covers (largest city in the continental U.S.A.), cars are the only practical way of getting around. Lyft and Uber are well established in the city and by far the most practical and affordable mode of transportation if you don't have your own car. You must have a smartphone and their apps.

Car rentals are also a convenient form of transportation for visitors, with local companies offering better prices but national chains offering more convenience vis-a-vis return policies and times.

Car rental companies include:

By bike

Biking has become a popular means of getting around in some of Jacksonville's central neighborhoods and districts, such as Riverside, Avondale, Murray Hill, San Marco, and downtown. Starting in Riverside, you can walk or bike down the Riverwalk to the Main St. Bridge, in downtown. Ride or walk over the bridge to access San Marco and its many shops and restaurants. Biking is a great way to enjoy the urban core's varied and beautiful architecture which is so easy to miss by car.

Go next

• Amelia Island - A beautiful island about an hour north of Jacksonville along FL-A1A, it is home to upscale houses, and the Amelia Island Plantation. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Amelia Island was used as a pirate base for raids on Spanish shipping. Known as the Isle of Eight Flags, it is the only location in the United States to have been under the allegiance of eight different nations.
• Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
• Olustee Battlefield - About an hour's drive west along I-10 in Olustee is the Olustee Battlefield, site of the only Civil War engagement in Florida. The battle is reenacted each February, and is a popular site for Civil War buffs.
• St. Augustine - Founded by Spanish colonists in 1565, St. Augustine lays claim to being the oldest permanent settlement in the United States. It is about a 45-minute drive south of Jacksonville by I-95, or about an hour taking the more scenic route down FL-A1A. It boasts many fine restaurants and tourist attractions, as well as a unique blend of old world architectural styles inherited from its Spanish and British masters. The fort, the old city, the Flagler Museum, St. George's Street, the St. Augustine Lighthouse, and the Bridge of Lions are all recommended.