About Jacksonville Florida
Jacksonville’s lower cost of living, affordable housing, mild climate, growing work force and central coastal location all contribute to attracting new industry.
Over the past decade, Jacksonville has been one of Florida’s fastest growing cities. The Jacksonville MSA is the nation’s 40th largest and has an estimated 2008 population of 1,327,600.
More than 50,000 new jobs have been created by companies, such as Merrill Lynch and Blue Cross Blue Shield, expanding or relocating to Jacksonville during the last five years.
Jacksonville is a major naval center with two military installations located in the region: Mayport Naval Station and NAS Jacksonville. In November 2008, the Secretary of the Navy announced that Mayport Naval Station will become home to a nuclear-powered carrier. It is estimated the move will bring an additional 3,200 military personnel to the naval station.
The St. John’s River creates an excellent natural harbor and the Port of Jacksonville’s commercial berthing facilities extend a total of eight miles. Jacksonville is one of the leading commercial ports on the eastern coast of the United States and is also the leading rail center in Florida, with Amtrak and four railroads currently serving the area.
The Jacksonville Airport Authority (JAA) embarked on a $200 million plus expansion program designed to increase capacity to 8 million passengers.
Click here to go to the Visit Jacksonville website.