Jacksonville, Fl.- A River Town at Work and Play
by Howard Giske

Jacksonville is the biggest city, by population and by area in Florida, with over 800,000 people in over 800 square miles. Jacksonville is located on the banks of the St. Johns River, which reaches the Ocean about 20 miles east of downtown. The port of Jacksonville is the largest port on the South-east coast of the United States, and is run by the Jacksonville Port Authority, Jaxport. It is a leading port for unloading imports of automobiles, and employs 7,000 workers. The port handles 8 million tons of cargo a year, including 500,000 automobiles that are shipped. An additional 38,000 jobs are generated by port activity. U.S. automobiles are shipped to Puerto Rico and other locations. There is also a cruise passenger service at the port to the Bahamas, Mexico and other Caribbean destinations.

There are a considerable number of colleges and universities in Jacksonville. Jacksonville University is a private school located on the St. John's River. There is also the much larger North Florida University, a public school that has 16,000 students.

Jacksonville is home to the Jacksonville Jazz Festival that is held every April and other events such as the Jacksonville Film Festival, held every May. This festival features a variety of independent films, documentaries, and shorts screenings. The Art Walk is a monthly outdoor art festival. The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art features permanent and traveling exhibitions. In November 2006, JMOMA was renamed Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville.

A feature of the Riverside neighborhood is the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, which is surrounded by formal Italian and English gardens and is located off Interstate 95 about 5 minutes from downtown. The art collection is organized from the standpoint of the history of art, from ancient pieces to modern ones. Nearby is the Riverwalk, a 1.2 mile boardwalk that features restaurants and shops, as well as being right next to the Cummer Museum of Art and the Museum of Science and History. Hotels on the Riverwalk are the Radisson Riverwalk and the Hampton Inn Jacksonville Central. A bit further south is Tinseltown USA, a huge movie viewing complex featuring 20-movie screens and stadium seating. Also nearby is the Friendship Park and Fountain. This is a really huge fountain, of 200 feet diameter that shoots water up 120 feet. In the night this fountain works in conjunction with a colorful light show and animated animals and artwork, to entertain thousands of local residents and tourists. From the Riverwalk, water-taxis are available that cross the St. John's River to Jacksonville Landing. From Jacksonville Landing, you can continue into the downtown city center area. It has quite a number of skyscrapers, the highest one being the Bank of America building, at over 600 feet.

For public transportation, there is the Jacksonville Skyway, an elevated monorail, which travels through the central business district as well as buses that travel throughout the city. Commercial airlines fly to Jacksonville International Airport, while private planes use Craig Airport and Herlong Airport. Amtrak stops at a station in the northwest section of the city. Just outside of the Jacksonville city limits is the Mayport Naval Station. Jacksonville is also known for its football team, the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League.

About the Author

Howard Giske writes about nationwide real estate. For more on Jacksonville homes see, http://www.millionsaver.com/