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.
In the ‘60s, Jacksonville’s city government had major corruption and incompetence issues to address. It also needed to address how quickly it was losing residents to suburban developments throughout the rest of Duval County.
These two factors made the consolidation of the city of Jacksonville and Duval County somewhat inevitable. By 1967, consolidation was up for vote as a referendum – where it passed easily. A year later, the newly-combined city’s government took effect, and Jax became Florida’s largest city. It also gave us the distinction of being the largest city by land mass in the U.S., minus Alaska.
So next time you drive over to Mandarin from downtown, remember that 50 years ago you’d be heading to a different city.
