Jacksonville

City and port in Duval County, northeastern Florida; population (2000 est) 735,600. It is one of the chief southern commercial centres on the Atlantic coast, with extensive rail, air, and highway connections; it is also a port of entry, a financial centre, and a tourist resort. Manufactured goods include wood and paper products, ships, chemicals, cigars, and processed food. The port, situated on St John's River, has naval installations and ship-repair yards. To the north the Cross-Florida Barge Canal links the Atlantic with the Gulf of Mexico. Jacksonville dates from 1822, and was incorporated as a city in 1832.

The port handles some 10 million tonnes of cargo a year, 60% of it in foreign trade. French Huguenots built a short-lived settlement here in 1564, but the site of the present city was not settled until 1822. Much of the city was destroyed by Union troops in the American Civil War, and there was a destructive fire here in 1901 which destroyed over 2,000 buildings. The city absorbed most of Duval County in 1968, greatly increasing its area and population.

The city is the seat of Edward Waters College (1866), Jones College Jacksonville (1918), Jacksonville University (1934), and the University of North Florida (1965). It is home to Jacksonville Zoo, and the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History (1988).