Jacksonville is located approximately 25 miles south of the Florida/Georgia state line at the mouth of the St. Johns River. It is one of the largest cities in the US, based on its land mass.

The Timucua Indians had settled in the area as far back as 6,000 years ago.

In the mid 16th century, French explorer Jean Ribault arrived in the area and charted the St. Johns River. Rene' Goulaine de Laudonniere established the first European settlement at Fort Caroline. On September 20, 1565, a Spanish force departed nearby St. Augustine and attacked Fort Caroline. They killed all occupants of the fort except the Catholics. The Spanish renamed it Fort Mateo.

In 1791, the settlement of Cowford was settled. It was so named because it was a good spot for cattle to ford the St. Johns River.

In 1822, it was renamed Jacksonville, in honor of Andrew Jackson, hero of the War of 1812 and the Indian Wars. He had been the first military governor of the Florida territory. In time, he would become the seventh president of the US.

During the Civil War, Jacksonville was a major port, supplying livestock to the Confederate forces. The city was blockaded and changed hands several times during the war. However, there were no major battles in Jacksonville.

Following the Civil War, Jacksonville experienced much of the hardship seen by other southern cities during the Reconstruction Era. In the late 1890s, Jacksonville was hit by several yellow fever epidemics which negatively impacted its tourism trade.

On May 3, 1901 the worst fire in Jacksonville's history started in a fiber factory. In the course of eight hours, it destroyed all the business district and left 10,000 residents homeless.

Between 1910 and 1920 the motion picture business moved into Jacksonville, due to its pleasant winter climate. It became known as the winter film center during the days of silent movies.