For every city in the world, there’s a unique historic tapestry that tells us how and why that city became what it is today.
Jacksonville’s over-200-year history features a number of events that have, in some way, determined the course that the city would take moving forward. Some had small impacts, while others have completely changed life in Jax.
Here’s a list of events that helped to shape what Jacksonville is today.
Before 1921, there was no way for vehicular traffic to cross the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. If you wanted to cross the river back then, you either had to take a boat or a train. And with cars growing rapidly in popularity, the city being bisected by a river presented a major complication for its growth.
The opening of the Acosta Bridge fixed this issue, allowing the city to continue growing and connecting it to South Jacksonville, Mandarin, and other developments to the south and west. It also set the stage for the development of future bridges, culminating in the city’s current collection of seven bridges.
Who knows how the city’s growth may have been stunted if it had to wait until the late ‘30s – when the next bridge was built – to have a way for cars to cross the St. Johns River.
