Jacksonville, Florida

While St. Augustine is formally recognized as the oldest city in Florida, Jacksonville also traces its ancestry back to the earliest days of Spanish and French exploration. Built in a similar location to the 1564 French settlement of Fort de la Caroline, the earliest remnants of Jacksonville were destroyed by Spanish forces in 1565 in an attempt to maintain control of North Eastern Florida.

Today's version of Jacksonville was not fully realized until 1832, when the Florida Legislative Council recognized the town charter. A year earlier, local settlers had petitioned the government to establish a new port of entry.

From humble beginnings, Jacksonville has grown into a city with a population of 735,617 residents and has been ranked as one of the top 10 hottest cities for business relocation three years running (Expansion Magazine). Beautiful weather (average annual temp of 68F/20C), short commute times, excellent schools, and a rich cultural life make it one of America's hotspots.

In terms of employment, Jacksonville boasts the presence of businesses such as Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, CSX, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield as well as hosting the headquarters of more than 80 organizations. Jacksonville also maintains a major medical presence with a number of world-class healthcare facilities, including the Mayo Clinic. With a second-highest average wage in all of Florida and a low cost of living, Jacksonville is an excellent city to live in.

In terms of education, Jacksonville's Stanton College Preparatory School was recently ranked the number one high school in the US (Jacksonville's Duval County Public Schools garnered two spots in the top 10). College offerings include the University of North Florida, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Trinity Baptist College, and Edward Waters College among others.

Interested in entertainment? Jacksonville is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, the Jacksonville Suns AA baseball team and the senior PGA "Legends of Golf" tournament. Other activities of note include a local zoo, outlet malls, an alligator farm, the historic Ritz Theatre and a local symphony orchestra. Music fans will also be interested to know that both Limp Bizkit and Lynrd Skynrd (see memorabilia at the Freebird Cafe in Jacksonville Beach) are from Jacksonville.

With US$2.2 billion of government spending slated for the Better Jacksonville Plan, further improvements to this already beautiful city are not far off.

See our 56 Jobs in Jacksonville, Florida