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Jacksonville City Information
Population: The City of Jacksonville ranks as the 14th largest city in the United States in population with about 750,000 residents.
Greater Jacksonville Area: The Jacksonville metropolitan area, which includes three beach cities, Clay, Baker, Nassau and St. Johns counties, has a population of more than 1,000,000 residents.
Area: Jacksonville covers 841 square miles
Location: on the northeastern coast of Florida.
Elevation: 20 feet
Time Zone Jacksonville is in the eastern time zone. When it is noon in New York City; it is also noon in Jacksonville.
Business Hours
Banks are usually open weekdays 9 to 3 and some Saturday mornings; the post office from 8 to 5 weekdays and often on Saturday mornings. Shops in urban and suburban areas, particularly in indoor and smaller malls, typically open at 9 or 10 daily and stay open until anywhere from 6 to 10 PM on weekdays and Saturdays, and until 5 or 6 on Sundays.
Holidays
New Year's Day Jan. 1
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 3rd Mon. in Jan.
President's Day 3rd Mon. in Feb.
Memorial Day last Mon. in May;
Independence Day July 4
Labor Day 1st Mon. in Sept.
Thanksgiving Day 4th Thurs. in Nov.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dec. 24 and 25
New Year's Eve Dec. 31.
Emergencies
Ambulance, Fire , Police (Phone: 911).
Police (non emergency (904) 630-0500.
Taxes
The sales tax in Clay and Nassau, and Duval counties is 7%, and is 6% in St. Johns county.
Tipping
At restaurants, a 15% tip is standard for waiters; up to 20% may be expected at more expensive establishments. The same applies to taxi drivers, bartenders, and hairdressers.
Telephones
The country code for the United States is 1. The area code for Jacksonville is 904.
Getting There
By Automobile
Two interstate highways, I-10 and I-95 intersect in the Jacksonville downtown area. I-10 runs east and west from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, while I-95 is the north-south highway that covers the east coast of the United States between Maine and the Florida Keys.
State Route A1A closely follows the coast through Jacksonville. It is the most scenic, though not the swiftest road to Jacksonville. US 17 from the west, and US 1 from the north are also important roads by which to enter the city.
Driving Distances to Jacksonville:
Forty minutes from Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island
Thirty-five minutes from historic St. Augustine
Two and a half hours from Orlando (Disney World)
Six hours from Atlanta
By Plane
Jacksonville International Airport
Jacksonville, FL 32218
904-741-4272
1-866-448-6600 toll-free
904-741-4874 fax
JIA is located 13 miles north of downtown near the northern junction of I-95 and I-295 (the city bypass). With 15 airlines making 250 daily arrivals and departures, non-stop and direct service is available from most of the nation's metropolitan areas.
By air, Jacksonville is:
Sixty minutes from Atlanta
Forty-five minutes from Orlando
Two hours and 15-minutes from New York
By Bus
The Greyhound Bus Terminal is located at 10 N.Pearl Street. There is also a sub-station at 5532 Normandy Blvd. The main number is (904) 356-9976. The number for fares and schedules is (800) 231-2222.
By Train
The Amtrak station is located at 3750 Clifford Lane, 5 miles northeast of downtown. The telephone number is (904) 766-5110. Amtrak's main number is 1-800-872-7245.
By Boat
River taxi service along the St.Johns River is available from SS Marine Taxi at 904-630-3181.
General Transportation:
In addition to planes, trains and automobiles, you can visit shops and restaurants by water taxi, search for craft treasures via the monorail skyway system or catch a quick lift on a downtown trolley.
Ground Transportation
JTA
100 N. Myrtle Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32204
(904) Ride JTA (743-3582)
904-630-3166 fax
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority, an independent state agency serving Duval County provides varied mass transit services. These include express and regular bus service, a downtown Skyway monorail, The Trolley service, and JTA Connexion for the disabled and elderly.
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