Jacksonville

Jacksonville is located in the northeast corner of the state, where the St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The first Europeans visitors to the area were a group of French Huguenots, led by Rene de Laudonniere, who sailed the St. Johns River in 1562. In 1565 it was captured by the Spanish and in 1821 became became a territory of the United States following a 300-year period of battles between Spain, France, and Great Britain. Jacksonville was named after General Andrew Jackson.

The Great Fire of May 3, 1901, scoured more than 146 city blocks and turned 2,368 buildings to cinders. The fire left nearly 9,000 people homeless.
Jacksonville was the site for the film industry, and Florida’s first motion picture studios opened there in 1908. This continued until the early 1920s, when the industry moved to California.
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