The Jaxson

Five historical facts about Fernandina Beach Located about 25 miles northeast of Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach is a historic city of 13,000 residents that spans the northern half of Amelia Island. Here are five fascinating facts about this vibr...

Located about 25 miles northeast of Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach is a historic city of 13,000 residents that spans the northern half of Amelia Island. Here are five fascinating facts about this vibrant walkable community.

A tour of McCoys Creek in 1926 McCoys Creek is a tributary of the St. Johns River, flowing eastward from the Murray Hill neighborhood before emptying into the river near downtown Jacksonville. Over the years, the creek has undergon...

Rerouted, channelized & even buried underground for decades, McCoys Creek is currently undergoing restoration to return it to its natural state as part of the Emerald Trail. These City of Jacksonville photos from 1926 offer a glimpse of this important tributary 99 years ago.

Experiencing NAVI: The “Ultimate Urban Circulator” I decided it was important to see what all these years of work and millions of taxpayer dollars had gone into, and I figured there’s no better way to do that than to get up close and personal, so I to...

Guest writer Marcus Nelson tried out JTA’s $60 million U2C project. Is it a viable transit solution or… not?

American Beach's Evans Rendezvous Evans Rendezvous, a prominent oceanfront venue on the Chitlin' Circuit, operated from 1948 to 1980. Last week, during the annual Preservation on Main Street conference in Fernandina Beach, we had the ...

Evans Rendezvous, a prominent oceanfront venue on the Chitlin' Circuit, operated from 1948 to 1980 in the Black resort town of American Beach. Last week we had the opportunity to get a sneak peek inside this iconic historic landmark:

Five Restaurants Coming Downtown Downtown Jacksonville has struggled to maintain a consistent evening dining presence, but that will soon change as more concepts are currently under construction that will turn the area into the hotte...

Sushi, steaks, South African cuisine and more: Downtown Jax has struggled to maintain a consistent evening dining presence, but that will soon change as more concepts build out that could turn the area into the hottest dining destination in Northeast Florida. www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/five...

When Paxson Was the Place to Be A brief look into the history of an early Jacksonville suburban shopping center.

A brief look into the history of an early Jacksonville’ Paxon Shopping Center, one of the early suburban plazas to challenge Downtown as the city’s retail epicenter.

Five things you didn't know about Bayard Located 18 miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville, Bayard is a historic community with a rich cultural story. Here are five fascinating historical facts about Bayard that you might not know.

Located 18 miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville, Bayard is a historic community with a rich cultural story. Here are five fascinating historical facts about Bayard that you might not know.

1939 Jax rental rates colored coded at block level A 1939 map prepared by the Research Division of the Federal Housing Administration colored coded by average monthly rental rates for each city block. Did you know that Downtown's highest rents were in...

Did you know that Downtown Jax’s highest rents were once in LaVilla's red light district? This 1939 map by the Federal Housing Administration is colored coded by rental rates for each city block, revealing economic conditions in the City prior to World War II.

This is pretty neat!

and Angie Nixon!! I knew of her work before she ran for office, and she was pretty cool then. She's a great state rep now, too.

One year of Cafe Resistance Founded by Florida state representative Angie Nixon, Cafe Resistance on Soutel Drive is a bookstore, coffee shop and community hub that highlights African American authors and banned books. Here’s the...

Founded by Florida state rep Angie Nixon, Cafe Resistance on Soutel Dr. is a bookstore, coffee shop and community hub that highlights African American authors and banned books. Guest writer Jalicia Lewis tells the story behind this Northwest Jax hotspot.

a plastic orange dinosaur with a yellow hard hat holding a white shovel

We’re celebrating #IDigJax with a scavenger hunt! We’re hiding 5 miniature Rexies all over the city. Stay tuned to our social media channels for clues to find the first one. If you find him, post it on social media with the hashtags #IDigJax and #RexMarkstheSpot. Happy hunting!

Somewhere in the city, the first of 5 Rexy statues is hidden — the clue to find it drops TOMORROW

Happy Pride, y’all! In a great day to cap off a great week, Mayor Deegan and community leaders commemorated LGBTQ Pride Month in Jacksonville. Especially in troubled times, it’s important to honor those who’ve brought us this far along our pat and celebrate with those paving the next steps forward.

6 stories from Jacksonville’s LGBTQ history From Timucua two-spirits to bisexual blues musicians to the continued celebration of River City Pride, Jacksonville has a long and storied LGBTQ history. In honor of Pride Month, The Jaxson takes a lo...

My piece on six stories from Jacksonville’s storied LGBTQ history is up today on @thejaxsonmag.bsky.social.

DUUUVAL: A brief history of Black music-making in Jax June is Black Music Month, an annual national celebration of the ways that Black music movements, genres and contributions have shaped America’s history and culture. Today, The Jaxson takes a look at ...

Black music movements, genres and contributions have shaped America’s history and culture since the beginning. To close out Black Music Month, The Jaxson takes a look at the long and vibrant tradition of Black music-making in Jacksonville.

There is some pretty interesting history in my area.

It's a real shame how so much of it goes uncelebrated or is overshadowed by the bigotry and racism also prevalent.

but Jax was... maybe not a big city like NYC or Atlanta, but still pretty major, for a long time, thanks to railroads and climate.

6 stories from Jacksonville’s LGBTQ history From Timucua two-spirits to bisexual blues musicians to the continued celebration of River City Pride, Jacksonville has a long and storied LGBTQ history. In honor of Pride Month, The Jaxson takes a lo...

From Timucua two-spirits to bisexual blues musicians to the origin of River City Pride, Jax has a long and storied LGBTQ history. In honor of Pride Month, here are six stories from the city's past with special significance for the LGBTQ community.

The story of Dr. E.A. Welters, a Jacksonville dentist who took his tooth powder — a precursor to modern toothpaste — and justice to the streets of Chicago.

The Historic Coffee Roasters of Jacksonville The rich aroma of roasting coffee has long been woven into the fabric of Jacksonville’s identity. While many associate that familiar scent with Maxwell House, it was neither the first nor the only com...

Even before the Maxwell House plant filled Jax with its rich aromas, the city was home to a vibrant coffee roasting industry. Take a look into the fascinating history of the Jacksonville’s early coffee businesses and the people who shaped this tradition. www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/the-...

A walk inside the Fort George Island's Neff House A walk inside the former Neff House on Fort George Island. In 1974, the Betz family of Jacksonville found a metal orb in the woods of Fort George Island. Over the years, the enigmatic “Betz sphere” ha...

A walk inside the former Neff House on Fort George Island. Built in 1926, it later became famous for the finding of the mysterious, still unidentified “Betz sphere” nearby. Today, the house is owned by the National Park Service and has fallen into disrepair.

UF campus land swap is the best deal on the table The major deal to bring a University of Florida graduate campus to Downtown Jacksonville hinges on the City acquiring LaVilla’s Interline building so classes can begin in August. City Council is debat...

An op-ed by Jaxson cofounder Kelsi Hasden arguing that a land swap for the vacant Landing development parcel is the best deal on the table for moving the UF graduate campus forward.

Elements of Urbanism: Uptown Butte, Montana Join the Jaxson for a virtual tour of Uptown Butte, Montana. A late 19th century mining boomtown, it is now part of the largest National Historic District in the United States, encompassing more than ...

Join the Jaxson for a virtual tour of Uptown Butte, Montana. A late 19th century mining boomtown, it is now part of the largest National Historic District in the United States, encompassing more than 6,000 registered historic sites.

OPINION | UF campus land swap is best deal on the table | Jacksonville Today Between buying the land and trading for it, the land swap is the better deal by far.

Today’s op-ed for Jax Today argues the choice is clear for acquiring needed land in LaVilla for UF’s campus: The land swap saves taxpayers money, gets a high-profile dead space back on the tax rolls, and enables a crucial project to maintain Riverfront Plaza.
jaxtoday.org/2025/06/04/o...

I really enjoy the Jaxson Mag looks at what Jacksonville was.

the invention of a/c and influx of migrants from other states beginning in the 60s hit Jax as much as the more southern regions, but we had a long history before then, too.

Milldale: A Long-Forgotten Early Jacksonville Mill Town Here are five facts about Milldale: A long-forgotten industrial mill town born from Panama Park’s Cummer Lumber Company.

Here are five facts about the lost town of Milldale, a long-forgotten industrial mill community born from the Cummer Lumber Company in what’s now Jacksonville’s Panama Park neighborhood.

The Legacy of Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers A look at the rise and fall of Mixontown's Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers.

A look at the rise and fall of Mixontown's Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers, later home to Bubba Burgers and now Peterbrooke Chocolatier.

After years of inertia, Downtown Jax is seeing an explosion of new private development, infrastructure & parks projects under @mayordeegan.bsky.social. As someone who’s written extensively about Downtown’s struggles and potential, it’s truly remarkable. I’ll say it again: Donna gets it done!

Sights and Scenes: Honey Dripper Weekend Sights and scenes from the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp's Honey Dripper Weekend.

Last weekend, the Jumbo Shrimp became the Jacksonville Honey Drippers in honor of the iconic icy sweet treat. Take a look at the sights and scenes.

Elizabeth Anderson deserves support, not attacks Mayor Deegan has nominated esteemed educator and community leader Elizabeth Anderson for a volunteer position on the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees. She's exactly the kind of leader the...

Today’s op ed discusses how Elizabeth Anderson’s nomination for the Jax Public Library Board has drawn politically-motivated attacks and outright slander from far right politicians and activists. Will City Council rise above the fray and confirm the nomination? www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/eliz...

Elizabeth Anderson deserve support, not attacks Mayor Deegan has nominated esteemed educator and community leader Elizabeth Anderson for a volunteer position on the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees. She's exactly the kind of leader the...

The Jaxson’s Kelsi Hasden writes that the nomination esteemed educator Elizabeth Andersen to the Library Board has drawn attacks from right wing activists. Will City Council do the right thing and confirm the nomination, or kowtow to partisan pressure?