Jacksonville

History

The end of the Tuscarora wars in 1713 and the forced removal of Native American tribes was followed by permanent settlement of the regions between New Bern and Wilmington. The New River became a major production center for naval stores like turpentine. The downtown waterfront park is built on the 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, 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 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…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (13.51%) is water.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,285
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,132
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,071
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,024
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  988
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  829
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  762
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  733

Largest nearby schools

• Jacksonville High
  High · Jacksonville · 1,423 students · 20:1 ratio
• White Oak High
  High · Jacksonville · 1,207 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Northside High
  High · Jacksonville · 1,097 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Jacksonville Commons Middle
  Middle · Jacksonville · 1,011 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• Hunters Creek Middle
  Middle · Jacksonville · 922 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Southwest Elementary
  Elementary · Jacksonville · 742 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Southwest High
  High · Jacksonville · 702 students · 18:1 ratio
• Northwoods Park Middle
  Middle · Jacksonville · 688 students · 18.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2014-02-11
  7 km NW of Hobucken, North Carolina