Jacksonville, Texas

Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,544 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County, and part of the larger Tyler–Jacksonville combined statistical area.

For cities with a similar name, see Jacksonville (disambiguation).
Jacksonville, Texas
City
Jacksonville's City Hall, located downtown on South Ragsdale Street, was completed in November 2016.
Nickname(s): 
The Biggest Small Town in Texas;
Tomato Capital of the World
Location of Jacksonville, Texas
Coordinates: 31°57′49″N 95°16′7″W
Country United States
State Texas
CountyCherokee
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • City CouncilLawyer Dick Stone
Hubert Robinson
Jeff Smith
Randy Gorham
Rob Gowin
 • City ManagerGreg Smith
Area
 • Total14.20 sq mi (36.77 km2)
 • Land14.19 sq mi (36.75 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
522 ft (159 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total14,544
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
14,815
 • Density1,043.97/sq mi (403.09/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
75766
Area code(s)430, 903 (903 Exchanges: 541,586,589)
FIPS code48-37216[3]
GNIS feature ID1374262[4]

U.S. Highways
Major State Highways
Websitehttp://www.jacksonvilletx.org
Monument-style welcome sign at U.S. Highway 69's north approach to the city.

Jacksonville is located in an area of rolling hills in East Texas, north of the county seat, Rusk, and south of Tyler, in neighboring Smith County, on U.S. Highway 69. The north-south Highway 69 intersects the east–west U.S. Highway 79 adjacent to the city's downtown area.

Area production and shipping of tomatoes gained the town the title "Tomato Capital of the World". The impressive red iron ore rock Tomato Bowl, built by Works Progress Administration workers during the Great Depression, is home to the Jacksonville High School "Fightin' Indians" football and soccer teams. Annual events include the "Tops in Texas Rodeo" held in May and the "Tomato Fest" celebration in June.

History

Jacksonville began in 1847 as the town of Gum Creek. Jackson Smith built a home and blacksmith shop in the area, and became postmaster in 1848, when a post office was authorized. Shortly afterward, Dr. William Jackson established an office near Smith's shop. When the townsite was laid out in 1850, the name Jacksonville was chosen in honor of these two men. The name of the post office was changed from Gum Creek to Jacksonville in June 1850.

An attempt to unionize meatcutters at Walmart

Despite never having organized unions in any Walmart stores before, meatcutters working at the Jacksonville Walmart voted in favor of organizing under the wing of the United Food and Commercial Workers union in February 2000. During a flurry of subsequent legal actions, Walmart discontinued store-level meatcutting and started shipping in pre-packaged/pre-frozen meat to their stores. When all the hearings and appeals were exhausted, it was decided that the local meatcutters didn't embody the characteristics of a group that could bargain since they weren't specialized, while Walmart was found to have engaged in unfair labor practices. Even now, there is no one in the Jacksonville meat department to make special cuts of meat or any union presence there.[5][6]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1880349—
1890970177.9%
19001,55860.6%
19102,87584.5%
19203,72329.5%
19306,74881.3%
19407,2136.9%
19508,60719.3%
19609,59011.4%
19709,7341.5%
198012,26426.0%
199012,7654.1%
200013,8688.6%
201014,5444.9%
2019 (est.)14,815[2]1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 13,868 people, 4,882 households, and 3,358 families residing in the city. The population density was 981.0 people per square mile (378.7/km2). There were 5,397 housing units at an average density of 381.8 per square mile (147.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.60% White, 21.70% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 12.72% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.04% of the population.

There were 4,882 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 29.2% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,800, and the median income for a family was $31,176. Males had a median income of $23,650 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,541. About 19.2% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Jacksonville is located a 31°57′49″N 95°16′07″W.[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.1 square miles (37 km2), of which 14.1 square miles (37 km2) is land and 0.07% is water.

Lake Jacksonville

Lake Jacksonville is three miles (5 km) southwest of Jacksonville. It is the city's primary water source. It is a popular location for recreation and residences. It was created in 1957 and the city expected it to take years to fill with water from the surrounding creeks. But, with an unusually rainy season, the lake reached full capacity in a year.

  • Lake characteristics
Location: 3 miles southwest of Jacksonville off US 79
Surface area: 1,320 acres
Maximum depth: 62 feet
Impounded: 1957

Government

Local government

According to the city's most recent Adopted Budget, the city's various funds had $14.9 million in Revenues, $15.7 million in expenditures, and $4.4 million fund balance.[9]

Management of the city and coordination of city services are provided by:[10]

Department Director
City Mayor Dick Stone
City Manager Mo Raissi
Director of Finance Roxanna Martin
Fire Chief Keith Fortner
Police Chief Andrew Hawkes
Director of Public Works Jordan Yutzy
Director of Water and Sewer Randall Chandler
Director of Development Services Jody Watson
Director of Streets James Worley
Library Director Trina Stidham

State government

Jacksonville is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Robert Nichols, District 3, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Travis Clardy, District 11.

Federal government

At the Federal level, the two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; Jacksonville is part of the Fifth Congressional District, represented by Republican Lance Gooden.

Attractions

The Jacksonville Public Library[11] served the City of Jacksonville and Cherokee County for over 70 years. The Library was a member of the Texas Library Association, the Northeast Texas Library System and the Forest Trails Library Consortium. In September 2020, the lot it sat on was sold to Chick-fil-A, where construction promptly began on a restaurant location. The new Jacksonville Public Library is planned to open in April of 2021, in the Norman Activities Center.[12][13] Until the opening of the new location, Jacksonville residents have been allowed to visit the Rusk Public Library with library card fines waved.[14]

Vanishing Texana Museum, located downtown, displays many local historical artifacts related to Jacksonville and its vicinity.

Education

The City of Jacksonville is served by the Jacksonville Independent School District. Jacksonville High School, the district's only high school, has "Fightin' Indians"/"Maidens" as mascots for its team sports.

Colleges, universities
Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, an entity of the Baptist Missionary Association of America, is located off State Highway 135 on the northeast side of the city.

Jacksonville College and the Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, both of which are owned by the Baptist Missionary Association of America, are located in Jacksonville.

Lon Morris College, a United Methodist Church operated private junior college, was located in Jacksonville until ceasing operations in 2012.

Transportation

Many highways pass through and intersect in Jacksonville: US 69, US 79, US 175, SH 135, SH 204, FM 347, FM 768, FM 2138, and Loop 456. Where 3 railroads once served the Jacksonville area (Southern Pacific and Cotton Belt abandoned their tracks in the mid-1980s), only one, Union Pacific, remains. Cherokee County Airport serves small airplanes and general aviation a few miles south of town. Shipping and trucking firms can serve area customers, or pass through town to several important points directly from Jacksonville, including Beaumont, Houston, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City, Shreveport, and Memphis.

Notable people

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. Wal-Mart's "Meat Wars" With Union Sizzles On, HuffingtonPost.com, Al Norman--writer, March 16, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  6. UFCW Timeline Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  9. 2008-09 Adopted Budget Archived 2009-05-28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-06-10
  10. City of Jacksonville Archived 2009-05-16 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-06-03
  11. Website, Jacksonville Public Library. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  12. https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/news/jacksonville-library-to-be-sold-new-location-to-open-april-21/article_fe512e30-f2e5-11ea-b80f-27ff848e6ae8.html
  13. https://www.kltv.com/2020/10/14/chick-fil-a-announces-location-coming-jacksonville/
  14. https://jacksonvilletx.org/417/Jacksonville-Public-Library
  15. Bruce Channel Biography, IMDb. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  16. "KENDRICK, John Benjamin, (1857 - 1933)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
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