Jacksonville is a city in

Onslow County, North Carolina Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onsl ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-most populous city in North Carolina. Jacksonville is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and most populous community of Onslow County, which is coterminous with the Jacksonville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. 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 the

1930 census The 1930 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during th ...

to 72,723 in the 2020 census. It is the home of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( ...

and New River Air Station. Jacksonville is located adjacent to North Carolina's

Crystal Coast In North Carolina, the Crystal Coast is an 85-mile stretch of coastline that extends from the Cape Lookout National Seashore, which includes 56 miles of protected beaches, southwestward to the New River (eastern North Carolina), New River. The Cr ...

area.

History

The end of the

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **'' Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

wars in 1713 and the forced removal of Native American tribes was followed by permanent settlement of the regions between

New Bern New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

and Wilmington. The New River became a major production center for naval stores like

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

. The downtown waterfront park is built on the site original site of Wantland's Ferry. 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 Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. The town was briefly captured and occupied in November 1862 by a raiding party led by

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

Lt.

William B. Cushing William Barker Cushing (4 November 184217 December 1874) was an officer in the United States Navy, best known for sinking the during a daring nighttime raid on 27 October 1864, for which he received the Thanks of Congress. Cushing was the youn ...

. 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 The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

surveyed and mapped the area from

Fort Monroe, Virginia Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth ...

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

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 A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

to appropriate funds for the purchase of about 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 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. 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 United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

. 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. 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.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (13.51%) is water. It is about 60 minutes from Wilmington and 15 minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, 72,723 people, 21,986 households, and 15,491 families resided in the city.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 66,715 people, 17,175 households, and 13,533 families residing in the city. The population density was . The 18,312 housing units averaged 411.7 per square mile (159.0/km). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

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. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,237. About 12.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Jacksonville economic development office

Top employers

According to the city's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Law and government

The mayor of Jacksonville is Sammy Phillips. The city manager is Joshua W Ray, and the deputy city manager is Ron Massey. The postmaster of Jacksonville is Jamie Thompson.

City Council

The Jacksonville City Council members (as of 2024) are: * Brian Jackson – Ward 1 * Jerry Bitner – Ward 2 (mayor pro-tem) * Logan Sosa – Ward 3 * Dr Angelia Washington – Ward 4 * Cindy Edwards – At-large * Robert Warden – At-large

Education

Public schools

Onslow County Schools serves the city, except for areas on U.S. military bases, including

and

Marine Corps Air Station New River Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCut ...

; the military areas are served by

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

(DoDEA) 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 * Northside High School * Richlands High School * Southwest High School * White Oak High School * Swansboro High School MCAS New River is zoned to Delalio Elementary School in MCAS New River and Brewster Middle School and

Lejeune High School Lejeune High School is a high school located on the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The school is operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) of the United States Department of Defense. It ...

in Camp Lejeune.

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 Miller-Motte College, formerly Miller-Motte Technical College, is a system of private for-profit technical colleges throughout the southeastern United States.Miller-Motte Technical College website, http://www.miller-motte.edu/ Accessed 2009.04.14 ...

- Jacksonville branch *

University of Mount Olive The University of Mount Olive (UMO or Mount Olive) is a private university in Mount Olive, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1951, the university is sponsored by the Original Free Will Baptist Convention and Higher education accreditati ...

- 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%). The city's commercial air services are filled by Albert J. Ellis Airport in nearby Richlands.

Notable people

Bali Baby Kaitlin Fletcher (born June 15, 1997), known under the name Bali Baby, is an American rapper based out of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2018, ''i-D magazine'' described Bali Baby as "one of very few openly gay female rappers with any skin in the game." In ...

, rapper (born in Jacksonville) * David Charles Abell, conductor (born in Jacksonville)Jacksonville city, North Carolina
/ref> *

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...

, singer-songwriter, who frequently makes reference to Jacksonville in his songs *

Jones Angell Monrovie Jones Angell IV (born 1979, Sanford, North Carolina), known professionally as Jones Angell, is the current play-by-play radio announcer for the North Carolina Tar Heels football and basketball programs. Early life Angell spent most ...

, play-by-play announcer for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

* Troy Barnett, former NFL

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

Art Bell Arthur William Bell III (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018) was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program '' Coast to Coast AM'', which is syndicated on hundreds ...

, talk radio host * David Braxton, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player * Levi Brown, former NFL

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

* Joe Cannon, former MLB outfielder *

Devan Carroll Devan Carroll (born August 23, 1988, in Jacksonville, North Carolina) is an American soccer player who previously played for the Wilmington Hammerheads in USL Pro as well as Myrtle Beach FC in National Premier Soccer League. Career College and ...

, soccer player * Burke Day, Georgia state legislator and businessman * Edward B. Dudley, governor, congressman *

Dave Dunaway Dave Dunaway (January 19, 1945 – March 12, 2001) was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Biography Dunaway was born David Harry Dunaway on January 19, 1945, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died March 12, 2001, at age 56 in ...

, former NFL player *

Jacob Evans Jacob Evans III (born June 18, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for BK Redstone Olomoucko of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Alpe Adria Cup. He played for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played c ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player *

Chad Fonville Chad Everette Fonville (born March 5, 1971) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox between 1995 and 1999. Caree ...

, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Mike Frier Michael Anthony Frier (March 20, 1969 – December 31, 2015) was a former American football defensive end and defensive tackle player. He played college football at Appalachian State University and professionally with the Cincinnati Bengals and ...

, former NFL player for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

* David Green, former NFL and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

player *

Sara Hickman Sara Hickman (born March 1, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, and artist.Houston Folk Music Archive(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University)Guide to the Houston Folk Music Archive(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library ...

, singer * Marcus Jones, former NFL player for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

* Christina Koch, engineer and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronaut * Qasim Mitchell, former NFL player * Quincy Monk, former NFL player *

Donte Paige-Moss Donte Paige-Moss (born April 11, 1991) is an American former professional football defensive end. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels. College career He played at North Carolina. Entering the 2011 season, he was regarded ...

, former AFL player * Michael R. Nelson, former mayor of

Carrboro Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census.

and first openly gay mayor in North Carolina *

Dian Parkinson Dian Parkinson (born Diana Lynn Batts; November 30, 1944) is an American former actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She represented the United States at Miss World 1965 in London, where she placed 1st runner-up. From 1975 to 1993, P ...

, television personality and model *

Danielle Peck Danielle Marie Peck (born September 14, 1978) is an American country music artist. Signed to the independent Big Machine Records label in 2005, Peck released her self-titled debut album, which produced the Top 30 country hits "I Don't", " Findi ...

, singer * Andre Purvis, former NFL player for the

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PurvAn20.htm. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 24, 2018. * A.J. Styles, professional wrestler *

Tyrone Willingham Lionel Tyrone Willingham (born December 30, 1953) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University (1995–2001), the University of Notre Dame (2002–2004), and the University of Washington (2005–2 ...

, former head football coach at University of Washington and the University of Notre Dame

References

External links

* *
Jacksonville Daily News Website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1757 Cities in North Carolina County seats in North Carolina Cities in Onslow County, North Carolina 1757 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Populated coastal places in North Carolina