Jacksonville | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from top left: waterfront along New River, LP Willingham Riverfront Park, Court Street, Onslow County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: J-Ville, J-Vegas, Marine Town | |
| Motto: "A Caring Community" | |
 Location within North Carolina | |
  Jacksonville | |
| Coordinates:34°45′35″N77°24′35″W / 34.75972°N 77.40972°W /34.75972; -77.40972 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Onslow |
| Founded | 1757 |
| Incorporated | 1842 |
| Named For | Andrew Jackson |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sammy Phillips[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 56.42 sq mi (146.14 km2) |
| • Land | 48.80 sq mi (126.40 km2) |
| • Water | 7.62 sq mi (19.74 km2) 13.51% |
| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 72,723 |
• Estimate (2023) | 72,879 |
| • Density | 1,490.1/sq mi (575.35/km2) |
| • Urban | 111,224 (US:302nd)[4] |
| • Urban density | 1,470/sq mi (567.6/km2) |
| • Metro | 213,676 (US:219th) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 28540, 28541, 28546 |
| Area codes | 910, 472 |
| FIPS code | 37-34200[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404784[3] |
| Website | jacksonvillenc |
Jacksonville is thecounty seat of and the most populous community inOnslow County, North Carolina, which is coterminous with the Jacksonville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the14th-most populous city in North Carolina.[7] Demographically, Jacksonville is the youngest city in the United States, with an average age of 22.8 years old, which can be attributed to the large military presence. The low age may also be in part due to the population drastically increasing over the past 80 years, from 783 in the1930 census to 72,723 in the2020 census.[8][7]
It is the home of theUnited States Marine Corps'Camp Lejeune andNew River Air Station. Jacksonville is located adjacent to North Carolina'sCrystal Coast area.
The end of theTuscarora wars in 1713 and the forced removal ofNative American tribes was followed by permanent settlement of the regions betweenNew Bern andWilmington. TheNew River became a major production center for naval stores liketurpentine. The downtown waterfront park is built on the site original site of Wantland's Ferry.[9]
In 1752, a devastating hurricane destroyed the county seat of Johnston, and Wantlands Ferry, located further up the New River, at the present site of Jacksonville,[10][9] was chosen as the site of the new county courthouse. The area was later known as Onslow Courthouse. In 1842, the town was incorporated and renamed Jacksonville in honor of former U.S. PresidentAndrew Jackson.[9] The town was briefly captured and occupied in November 1862 by a raiding party led byU.S. Navy Lt.William B. Cushing.[11]
Jacksonville and Onslow County continued to rely on naval stores, lumber, and tobacco crops for industry. In 1939, Colonel George W. Gillette of theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed and mapped the area fromFort Monroe, Virginia toFort Sumter,South Carolina which included the Onslow County coastline and the New River. The map is believed to have fostered the interest of the War and Navy Departments in establishing an amphibious training base in the area. CongressmanGraham Arthur Barden of New Bern lobbiedCongress to appropriate funds for the purchase of about 100,000 acres (400 km2) along the eastern bank of the New River. The establishment in 1941 of Marine Barracks, New River, later renamedCamp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, led to the relocation of 700 families. While the landowners were compensated, many of the families displaced were sharecroppers who did not own the land on which their houses were built, and did not receive compensation for their structures. Some African American families were able to purchase property from Raymond Kellum and established the community of Kellumtown. Other displaced families established communities in Georgetown, Pickettown, Bell Fork, and Sandy Run. The latter communities have since been absorbed by Jacksonville. Colonel Gillette had planned to retire near the small village of Marine, ironically named after a local family whose surname was Marine, but lost his land to the acquisition, as well.[12][13][14]
Construction of Camp Lejeune caused a population explosion in the small town of about 800 inhabitants, as new workers migrated to the area. Growth continued to be fueled by both young Marine families and military retirees. Today, Jacksonville's primary industry is retail sales and services. The primary migration draw continues to be theU.S. Marine Corps.[15]
TheBank of Onslow and Jacksonville Masonic Temple,Mill Avenue Historic District, andPelletier House and Wantland Spring are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[16]
In 2016, Jacksonville became the first jurisdiction to adopt a paid holiday honoring the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which made slavery in the United States and its territories illegal. The resolution of adoption mentions "the prevention of the modern slavery" which it describes as "human trafficking", including child labor and military service.[17]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.42 square miles (146.1 km2), of which 48.80 square miles (126.4 km2) is land and 7.62 square miles (19.7 km2) (13.51%) is water.[2] It is about 60 minutes from Wilmington and 15 minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway.
| Climate data for Jacksonville, North Carolina (Marine Corps Air Station New River) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1955–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 94 (34) | 92 (33) | 95 (35) | 99 (37) | 101 (38) | 102 (39) | 101 (38) | 97 (36) | 95 (35) | 89 (32) | 82 (28) | 102 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 74.8 (23.8) | 77.4 (25.2) | 82.6 (28.1) | 86.6 (30.3) | 91.6 (33.1) | 95.8 (35.4) | 96.3 (35.7) | 95.2 (35.1) | 91.6 (33.1) | 86.3 (30.2) | 81.0 (27.2) | 75.9 (24.4) | 97.5 (36.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.0 (13.3) | 59.3 (15.2) | 65.8 (18.8) | 74.0 (23.3) | 80.4 (26.9) | 86.5 (30.3) | 89.3 (31.8) | 87.8 (31.0) | 83.3 (28.5) | 75.0 (23.9) | 66.2 (19.0) | 59.0 (15.0) | 73.5 (23.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.6 (7.6) | 48.4 (9.1) | 54.5 (12.5) | 62.9 (17.2) | 70.4 (21.3) | 77.5 (25.3) | 80.9 (27.2) | 79.6 (26.4) | 74.9 (23.8) | 64.9 (18.3) | 55.1 (12.8) | 48.7 (9.3) | 63.6 (17.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.2 (1.8) | 37.5 (3.1) | 43.1 (6.2) | 51.8 (11.0) | 60.5 (15.8) | 68.5 (20.3) | 72.5 (22.5) | 71.4 (21.9) | 66.5 (19.2) | 54.8 (12.7) | 44.0 (6.7) | 38.4 (3.6) | 53.7 (12.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 18.3 (−7.6) | 21.8 (−5.7) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 34.5 (1.4) | 46.6 (8.1) | 57.0 (13.9) | 64.3 (17.9) | 62.9 (17.2) | 54.6 (12.6) | 37.8 (3.2) | 27.8 (−2.3) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 16.2 (−8.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) | 9 (−13) | 12 (−11) | 25 (−4) | 33 (1) | 45 (7) | 54 (12) | 54 (12) | 44 (7) | 24 (−4) | 19 (−7) | −5 (−21) | −5 (−21) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.96 (101) | 3.50 (89) | 3.79 (96) | 3.35 (85) | 4.20 (107) | 5.24 (133) | 6.18 (157) | 7.48 (190) | 7.45 (189) | 4.13 (105) | 3.55 (90) | 3.68 (93) | 56.51 (1,435) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.6 (1.5) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 10.4 | 9.8 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 13.7 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 9.3 | 10.4 | 127.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Source:NOAA[18][19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 60 | — | |
| 1880 | 94 | 56.7% | |
| 1890 | 170 | 80.9% | |
| 1900 | 309 | 81.8% | |
| 1910 | 505 | 63.4% | |
| 1920 | 656 | 29.9% | |
| 1930 | 783 | 19.4% | |
| 1940 | 873 | 11.5% | |
| 1950 | 3,960 | 353.6% | |
| 1960 | 13,491 | 240.7% | |
| 1970 | 16,289 | 20.7% | |
| 1980 | 18,237 | 12.0% | |
| 1990 | 30,013 | 64.6% | |
| 2000 | 66,715 | 122.3% | |
| 2010 | 70,145 | 5.1% | |
| 2020 | 72,723 | 3.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 72,879 | [7] | 0.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[20] 2020[7] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 38,661 | 53.16% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 12,728 | 17.5% |
| Native American | 334 | 0.46% |
| Asian | 2,358 | 3.24% |
| Pacific Islander | 432 | 0.59% |
| Other/mixed | 4,670 | 6.42% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 13,540 | 18.62% |
As of the2020 census, 72,723 people, 21,986 households, and 15,491 families resided in the city.
At the2000 census,[6] there were 66,715 people, 17,175 households, and 13,533 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,500.0 inhabitants per square mile (579.2/km2). The 18,312 housing units averaged 411.7 per square mile (159.0/km2). Theracial composition of the city was 63.94% White, 23.96% African American, 2.07% Asian, 0.75% Native American, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 5.42% some other race, and 3.67% two or more races.
Of the 17,175 households, 49.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were not families. About 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.8
In the city, the population was distributed as 24.3% under 18, 36.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 8.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 22 years. Jacksonville has been named the youngest city in the nation (lowest median age) on various lists. For every 100 females, there were 156.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 178.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,544, and for a family was $33,763. Males had a median income of $17,121 versus $19,931 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $14,237. About 12.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.
According to the city's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[22] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Department of Defense | 1000+ |
| 2 | Onslow County Schools | 1000+ |
| 3 | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune | 1000+ |
| 4 | Onslow Memorial Hospital | 1000+ |
| 5 | Onslow County | 1000+ |
| 6 | Walmart | 1000+ |
| 7 | Coastal Carolina Community College | 500–999 |
| 8 | Convergys | 500–999 |
| 9 | City of Jacksonville | 500–999 |
| 10 | Food Lion | 250–499 |
| 11 | Coastal Enterprises | 250–499 |
| 12 | McDonald's | 250–499 |
| 13 | Lowe's | 250–499 |
| 14 | Alorica | 250–499 |
| 15 | Stanadyne | 250–499 |
The mayor of Jacksonville is Sammy Phillips.[1] The city manager is Joshua W Ray, and the deputy city manager is Ron Massey.[23] The postmaster of Jacksonville is Jamie Thompson.[24]
The Jacksonville City Council members (as of 2024) are:[1]
Onslow County Schools serves the city, except for areas on U.S. military bases, includingCamp Lejeune andMarine Corps Air Station New River; the military areas are served byDepartment of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools.[25]
Alternative school
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
MCAS New River is zoned to Delalio Elementary School in MCAS New River and Brewster Middle School andLejeune High School in Camp Lejeune.[26]
In 2009, the Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area ranked as the ninth-highest in the United States for ratio of commuters who walked to work (8.1%).[27]
The city's commercial air services are filled byAlbert J. Ellis Airport in nearby Richlands.
Geographic data related toJacksonville, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapMunicipalities and communities ofOnslow County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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