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Jacksonville, North Carolina
The Onslow County Courthouse in 2006.
The Onslow County Courthouse in 2006.
Official seal of Jacksonville, North Carolina
Seal
Nickname(s): 
J-Ville, J-Vegas
Motto(s): 
"a caring community"
Location of Jacksonville within North Carolina
Location of Jacksonville within North Carolina
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Onslow
Founded 1757
Incorporated 1842
Named For Andrew Jackson
Area
 • City 56.27 sq mi (145.75 km2)
 • Land 48.65 sq mi (126.01 km2)
 • Water 7.62 sq mi (19.74 km2)  1.51%
 • Urban
64 sq mi (103 km2)
 • Metro
909 sq mi (2,353 km2)
Elevation
15 ft (4.6 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • City 70,145
 • Estimate 
(2019)
72,436
 • Density 1,488.89/sq mi (574.86/km2)
 • Metro
177,000
Time zone UTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
28540, 28541, 28546
Area code(s) 910
FIPS code 37-34200
GNIS feature ID 0987502

Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 70,145, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-largest city in North Carolina. Jacksonville is the county seat and most populous community of Onslow County, which is coterminous with the Jacksonville, North Carolina metropolitan area. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Jacksonville as the fifth-fastest growing small city in the United States. 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 going up over the past 80 years, from 783 in the 1930 census to 70,145 in the 2010 census.

It is the home of the United States Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune and New River Air Station. Jacksonville is located adjacent to North Carolina's Crystal Coast area.

On June 21, 2016, the City of 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 targets the prevention of the modern slavery epidemic in the form of human trafficking, which includes forcing children to engage in labor and combat.

History

The early history of Jacksonville starts with the end of the Tuscarora wars in 1713. The forced removal of Native American tribes was followed by permanent settlement of the regions between New Bern and Wilmington. The headwaters of the New River became a center of production for naval stores, particularly turpentine. The downtown waterfront park is built on the site of Wantland's Ferry, with bridges being constructed on either side of the original ferry site.

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 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. President Andrew Jackson. The town was briefly captured and occupied in November 1862 by a raiding party led by U.S. Navy Lt. William B. Cushing.

Jacksonville and Onslow County continued to rely on naval stores, lumber, and tobacco crops for industry. In 1939, Colonel George W. Gillette of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed and mapped the area from Fort Monroe, Virginia to Fort 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. Congressman Graham Arthur Barden of New Bern lobbied Congress to appropriate funds for the purchase of approximately 100,000 acres (400 km2) along the eastern bank of the New River. The establishment in 1941 of Marine Barracks, New River, later renamed Camp 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 their houses were built on, 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.

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 the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Bank of Onslow and Jacksonville Masonic Temple, Mill Avenue Historic District, and Pelletier House and Wantland Spring are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Jacksonville is located at 34°45′35″N 77°24′35″W / 34.75972°N 77.40972°W / 34.75972; -77.40972 (34.759630, -77.409765).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.2 square miles (117 km2), of which, 44.5 square miles (115 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it (1.51%) is water.

It is approximately 40 minutes from Wilmington and 15 minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
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%
2019 (est.) 72,436 3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Jacksonville racial composition
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 or Latino 13,540 18.62%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 72,723 people, 21,986 households, and 15,491 families residing in the city.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 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

Education

Public schools

Alternative School

  • Onslow County Learning Center

Elementary Schools

  • Bell Fork Elementary School
  • Blue Creek Elementary School
  • Carolina Forest Elementary School
  • Clyde Erwin Elementary School
  • Hunters Creek Elementary School
  • Jacksonville Commons Elementary School
  • MeadowView Elementary School
  • Morton Elementary School
  • Northwoods Elementary School
  • Parkwood Elementary School
  • Silverdale Elementary School
  • Southwest Elementary School
  • Stateside Elementary School
  • Summersill Elementary School
  • Thompson Elementary School
  • Dixon Elementary School

Middle Schools

  • Dixon Middle School
  • Hunters Creek Middle School
  • Jacksonville Commons Middle School
  • Northwoods Park Middle School
  • New Bridge Middle School
  • Southwest Middle School

High Schools

  • Dixon High School
  • Jacksonville High School
  • Lejeune High School
  • Northside High School
  • Richlands High School
  • Southwest High School
  • White Oak High School

Private schools

  • Fellowship Christian Academy
  • Grace Baptist School
  • Infant Of Prague Catholic School
  • Jacksonville Christian Academy
  • Living Water Christian School
  • Montessori Children's School
  • St. Anne's Day School
  • Shiloh Institute of Learning
  • One World Montessori School

Public magnet schools

  • Clyde Erwin Elementary School (year round school)
  • New Bridge Middle School
  • Northwoods Elementary School (year round school)
  • Onslow Virtual Secondary School

Higher education

  • Coastal Carolina Community College
  • Miller-Motte Technical College - Jacksonville branch
  • University of Mount Olive - Jacksonville branch

Charter school

  • ZECA School of Arts and Technology

Transportation

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%).

Notable people

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jacksonville (Carolina del Norte) para niños

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