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Situated along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, northeast Florida has been home to a diverse population dating back to the Timuquan Indians around 2000 B.C. The French settled at Fort Caroline, which is now Jacksonville, and the Spanish built St. Augustine almost 500 years before pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
Today, towering skyscrapers line the St. Johns River, and Jacksonville, the largest city in square miles in the continental United States, is home to three U.S. Navy bases, numerous major corporations, a Professional Golf Association tournament, the Jacksonville Jaguars National Football League team and three minor league sports teams.
Jacksonville's population exceeds 1 million. Residents of this financial and medical capital of the South enjoy the temperate climate, year-round leisure activities and miles of clean, sparkling beaches. Jacksonville attracts many visitors for surfing, swimming, windsurfing, fishing and waterskiing.
Jacksonville has a diversified economy that includes service, transportation, medical and insurance industries. The city's annual employment growth rate is 4.7 percent, while unemployment, at 3.6 percent, is consistently below state and national levels.
Its housing market is ranked as one of the most affordable in the country. By combining all city services in the late 1960s, when Jacksonville's citizens voted to consolidate city and county government, taxes and municipal costs were greatly reduced. Also, Florida has no state income tax.
Jacksonville Community Links
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