Jacksonville was founded in July 20, 1833, on land purchased fromCreek Indian Ho-bith Tus-tun-nuck-ie, referred to as "Ladiga" by the men who bought the land.[3][4] First called Drayton,[5] the town was renamed to honor PresidentAndrew Jackson in 1834. There are severalCivil War monuments in town, including a statue of MajorJohn Pelham in the city cemetery and a statue of a Confederate soldier in the middle of the square. Jacksonville served as the county seat for Calhoun County until the 20th century when the county seat moved toAnniston.Jacksonville State University was founded in the city in 1883.
An EF3 tornado hit Jacksonville onMarch 19, 2018, causing extensive damage to the city and the university of almost $42 million.[6] The relatively low number of casualties – just four injuries – was attributed by some to the fact that the university was onspring break at the time.[7][8] More than 1,000 volunteers assisted in the immediate tornado relief.[9] Caleb Howard, then a senior at Jacksonville State University, said that "[i]t's been amazing to see the university and the community come together." Classes resumed at the university the following month.[8] Although the university's usual site for graduation, Pete Mathews Coliseum, was damaged in the tornado along with over 20 other buildings, the first spring graduation since the tornado proceeded as scheduled on May 4 outside the football stadium. Dr. John Beeler, the university's president, said "It's a joyous event generally because you're celebrating the accomplishments of all your graduates, but it's an even more joyous event because to me it's a celebration of how far we've come in a short time in recovering from these tornadoes."[6]
Jacksonville is located at 33°48'56.758" North, 85°45'37.681" West (33.815766, -85.760467), in the foothills of theAppalachian Mountains.[10] It lies in a valley betweenChoccolocco Mountain to the east and smaller ridges to the west.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25.5 km2), of which 0.008 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.10%, is water.
As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 12,548 people, 4,917 households, and 2,466 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,275 inhabitants per square mile (492/km2). There were 5,382 housing units at an average density of 546.4 per square mile (211.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.7%White, 26.8%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American, 1.3%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 0.6% fromother races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.3% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,917 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, marriage 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 17.2% under the age of 18, 32.6% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,987, and the median income for a family was $50,863. Males had a median income of $35,615 versus $26,975 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,063. About 17.6% of families and 28.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Jacksonville is the home ofJacksonville State University, a public university with an enrollment of almost 10,000. It offers degrees in business, communication, education, family sciences, liberal arts and sciences, nursing and technology in addition to continuing education programs. The university's campus is located a few blocks north of the square.
Jacksonville is home to two public schools run by Jacksonville City Schools:
There are also two public schools located northwest of the city proper that serve the unincorporated communities of Pleasant Valley and Williams and are run byCalhoun County Schools:
^Boozer, Jack Dwight. “Jacksonville, Alabama, 1833-1846.” Master's thesis. University of Alabama, 1951, 29n.
^Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28, Washington, D.C.:National Archives