About Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida was founded in 1822, almost exactly 200 years ago, and incorporated ten years later in 1832. The territory was originally known as Cow Ford, until it was renamed in honor of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States and the first military governor of Florida. Both Duval street and Duval county were named for William Pope Duval, the first territorial governor of the state. It’s one of the oldest towns in Florida and has played a rich part in state history, Civil War history, and southern rock history. Despite this, it’s the youngest city in Florida in terms of demographics, with an average age of 36. It also contains 80,000 acres of parks, which makes for the largest urban park system in the entire country. This includes state parks, national parks, city parks, and even an arboretum. James Weldon Johnson Park, located in downtown Jacksonville, was the first park established in the city. The city itself is 840 square miles, making it the largest city by landmass in the continental US. Among that mileage are 1,100 miles of shoreline and twenty-two miles of beaches. The Great Fire of 1901 occurred in Jacksonville when a spark from a chimney ignited a fiber factory. It’s the third largest urban fire in US history, next to the Great Chicago Fire and 1906 San Francisco fire. It buried 146 city blocks and 2,368 buildings, causing roughly $15 million in damages - which would equal somewhere around $2 billion today. Fortunately, the city came back stronger than ever, thanks in part to New York City architect Henry John Klutho, who designed several buildings during the reconstruction. Several of those buildings, such as the Carnegie Library, still stand today. Jacksonville is a part of American history and deserves to look its best.

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Partnering with Charity

B.O.A.T.T. - Blessing Others All The Time

B.O.A.T.T. has been active in the Jacksonville area for over a decade, helping the homeless, veterans, seniors, and other under-served communities in a number of ways. In 2021, they served over 1,000 Thanksgiving meals and provided two hundred individual gifts for Christmas. Since the pandemic, they have only expanded their efforts, providing essential resources to even more individuals in need. In addition to providing food for those who are hungry, they help individuals obtain birth certificates, driver’s licenses, personal care items, and even hotel rooms. They believe that everyone deserves a hot meal and a roof over their head and we couldn’t agree more. We are very proud and grateful to have worked with such a generous charity.

First Coast Community Development

Like many other places, Jacksonville has a substantial homeless community. First Coast Community Development is a non-profit dedicated to helping those less fortunate individuals by providing hot meals, shelter, and medical services. They offer a full service clinic with a focus on HIV and other venereal diseases. They are not just looking to feed and heal the homeless, but also restore their dignity and hope. They’re a wonderful organization that we’re honored to have worked with.

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