We live and work in Orange Park, and love our area! Jacksonville is proud to be the largest city in the United States by area!
There are more than 500 neighborhoods in Jacksonville, these include Downtown Jacksonville and surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, greater Jacksonville is traditionally divided into several major sections with flexible boundaries: Northside, Westside, Southside, and Arlington, as well as our beautiful Jacksonville Beaches.
There are four municipalities within Duval County that are outside of Jacksonville's city limits: Baldwin, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach. The latter three communities, all located on a coastal barrier island, form part of the area known as the Jacksonville Beaches, together with Mayport within the Jacksonville city limits and Ponte Vedra Beach in St. Johns County.
Jacksonville consolidated with Duval County in 1968; as such its city limits largely match the county borders. The City of Jacksonville estimates that there are over 500 neighborhoods within this area. In addition, the greater area of Jacksonville is often divided into several large sections with amorphous boundaries. The areas include both urban neighborhoods within the old city limits as well as further-out suburban and rural communities. Three have "directional" names, a common characteristic in geographical areas. The most commonly used vernacular areas are Northside, located north of Downtown; Arlington, east of Downtown across the St. Johns River; Southside, across the river from Downtown to the south, and Westside, to the west of Downtown. Additionally, the Jacksonville Beaches designates the group of towns and communities along the Atlantic coast.
Additionally, the City of Jacksonville uses six planning districts for some governmental purposes such as organizing Citizens Planning Advisory Committees (CPACs). These districts partially correspond to the vernacular areas. They are the Urban Core, comprising Downtown Jacksonville and some urban neighborhoods to the north; Greater Arlington/Beaches, including the Arlington area north of Beach Boulevard as well as the parts of the Beaches within the Jacksonville city limits; Southeast, corresponding to the Southside area south of Beach Boulevard; Southwest, consisting of the southern Westside; Northwest, comprising areas to the north and west of the Urban Core; and Northside, representing the northernmost parts of the county. courtesy of wikipedia
Jacksonville is home to a number of professional sports teams, and the city has a long history of athletics. The Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) compete at the major league level. Additionally, the PGA Tour is headquartered in the suburb of Ponte Vedra Beach, where it hosts The Players Championship every year.
In addition, Jacksonville has a number of minor league sports teams. These include the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp baseball team, the Jacksonville Sharks Arena Football League team, the Jacksonville Axemen rugby league team, and the Jacksonville Giants basketball team.
Jacksonville is also home to two universities, Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida, which compete in NCAA Division I. Several college sporting events are also held in Jacksonville annually.
courtesy of wikipedia