JACKSONVILLE

city, seat of Onslow county, southeastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies along the New River. Originally settled as Watland's Ferry (c. 1757), its name was changed to Courthouse and then Jacksonville (to honour President Andrew Jackson). It remained a small hunting and fishing resort until 1942, when the establishment of the New River Marine Base (now Camp Le Jeune, 5 miles southeast) transformed its economy. The Coastal Carolina Community College was founded there in 1964. Inc. town, 1842; city, 1955. Pop. (1991 est.) city, 30,503; Jacksonville MSA, 152,285. city, Morgan county, west-central Illinois, U.S. Laid out in 1825 as the county seat and named in honour of Andrew Jackson, it soon acquired a distinctive educational, institutional, and religious character, which it largely retains. Illinois College (founded there in 1829 and affiliated with the United Church of Christ) was the first in the state to graduate a college class. Other educational institutions included the Jacksonville Female Academy (1830) and the Athenaeum (1864), both later becoming part of Illinois College. The Illinois Conference Female Academy, established in 1846 as a Methodist Episcopal school, became MacMurray College for Women in 1930 (renamed to honour a benefactor, James H. MacMurray); the College for Men was added in 1955, and the institution is now MacMurray College. Jacksonville is also the home of several state institutions for the care of the handicapped: the Illinois School for the Deaf (1839), the Jacksonville Mental Health and Developmental Center (1846), and the Illinois Braille and Sight Saving School (1849). A trading centre for a rich agricultural area, Jacksonville also has such light industries as food processing, bookbinding, and the manufacture of ferris wheels and polyethylene film. Inc. 1867. Pop. (1991 est.) 19,513. city, Pulaski county, central Arkansas, U.S., 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Little Rock. The locality was settled before the American Civil War but did not develop until a local resident, Nicholas Jackson, offered land in the 1860s for a Cairo and Fulton (now Union Pacific) Railroad depot. The town, named for him in 1870, became a distribution point for farm produce. The economy diversified after World War II, especially with the dedication of Little Rock Air Force Base, immediately to the north, in 1955. Manufactures include aluminum cookware, construction lasers, wood cabinets, and wallpaper. Inc. 1942. Pop. (1990) 29,101; (1998 est.) 28,840. city, Duval county, northeastern Florida, U.S. The city lies along the St. Johns River near its mouth on the Atlantic. Following a referendum, Jacksonville consolidated (1968) with most of Duval county and thereby became one of the nation's largest cities in area (841 square miles [2,178 square km]). Fort Caroline National Memorial marks the site of Florida's first European (French Huguenot) settlement (1564). The locality was originally known as Wacca Pilatka (meaning cows' crossing), which was interpreted as Cowford during the English period (176383). After U.S. acquisition the townsite was laid out in 1822; it was named for Andrew Jackson and became the county seat. Its growth was impeded by the Seminole Wars, and during the American Civil War it was occupied at intervals by Union troops. During Reconstruction it developed as a winter resort and progressed industrially after harbour improvements, despite a yellow-fever epidemic (1888) and widespread destruction by fire (1901). Jacksonville is now a deepwater port of entry with major shipyards and functions as the state's foremost transportation and commercial centre. It is the focal point of wholesale distribution for the southeastern United States, with lumber being one of the largest cargoes. The city is the hub of a complex network of highways and several rail lines, and an international airport was completed in 1968. Jacksonville's factories produce pulp and paper products, machinery, cigars, drugs, fertilizers, and transportation equipment. Its economy is boosted by Jacksonville Naval Air Station and other U.S. naval installations. Jacksonville's tourist and convention facilities focus on adjacent beach communities (Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach), the Civic Auditorium, St. Johns River Park and Marina, the Zoological Park, and a sports complex (site of the Gator Bowl, Coliseum, and a ball park). Educational and cultural institutions include Jacksonville University (1934), Florida Community College (1963), University of North Florida (1965), Jones College (1918), Cummer Gallery of Art, Jacksonville Art Museum, and Haydon Burns Library. Inc. 1832. Pop. (1991 est.) city, 653,515; Jacksonville MSA, 930,632. city, Jackson county, southwestern Oregon, U.S. It lies along Jackson Creek, just west of Medford. It began in 185152 as a mining camp with placer gold discoveries along the creek (named for a prospector). By the 1920s mining activities had declined together with the population, and in 1927 the city (inc. 1860) lost its county seat status (held since 1884) to Medford. Jacksonville has, however, remained Oregon's best-preserved historic settlement; its Pioneer Village contains restored buildings, mining equipment, and covered wagons. Jacksonville Museum (formerly the old courthouse, completed 1884) houses pioneer and Indian relics and maintains buildings of the 1850s and '60s such as the Beekman House and Beekman Bank, the McCully House (now a doll museum), and the old Methodist and Catholic churches. The United States Hotel (1880) and the Hillside Amphitheatre are the sites of the Peter Britt Music and Arts Festival. Pop. (1990) 1,896.