Jacksonville, Texas

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For cities with a similar name, see Jacksonville (disambiguation).

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Jacksonville, Texas
City
File:JacksonvilleTexascityhallbuilding.jpg
Jacksonville's City Hall, located downtown on South Ragsdale Street, was completed in November 2016.
Template:Infobox settlement/columns
Nicknames: 
The Biggest Small Town in Texas;
Tomato Capital of the World
Location of Jacksonville, Texas
Location of Jacksonville, Texas
File:Cherokee County Jacksonville.svg
Coordinates: 31°57′34″N 95°16′00″W / 31.95944°N 95.26667°W / 31.95944; -95.26667Coordinates: 31°57′34″N 95°16′00″W / 31.95944°N 95.26667°W / 31.95944; -95.26667
Country United States
StateTemplate:Country data Texas
CountyCherokee
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
Area
[1]
 • TotalTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
 • LandTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
 • WaterTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
Elevation
[2]
Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp
Population
 (2020)
 • Total13,997
 • DensityTemplate:Infobox settlement/densdisp
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
75766
Area codes430, 903
FIPS code48-37216[3]
GNIS feature ID2410130[2]
U.S. HighwaysFile:US 69.svg File:US 79.svg
Major State HighwaysFile:Texas 135.svg File:Texas 204.svg File:Texas Loop 456.svg File:Texas FM 347.svg File:Texas FM 768.svg
Websitehttp://www.jacksonvilletx.org
File:Jacksonville, TX, welcome sign IMG 2985.JPG
Monument-style welcome sign at U.S. Highway 69's north approach to the city.

Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. Its population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census.[4] It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Cherokee County.

Jacksonville is located in East Texas, north of the county seat, Rusk, and south of Tyler, in Smith County.

Area production and shipping of tomatoes gained the town the title "Tomato Capital of the World". The impressive red iron ore rock Tomato Bowl, built by Works Progress Administration workers during the Great Depression, is home to the Jacksonville High School "Fightin' Indians" football and soccer teams. Annual events include the "Tops in Texas Rodeo" held in May and the "Tomato Fest" celebration in June.

History

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Jacksonville began in 1847 as the town of Gum Creek. Jackson Smith built a home and blacksmith shop in the area and became postmaster in 1848, when a post office was authorized. Shortly afterward, Dr. William Jackson established an office near Smith's shop. When the townsite was laid out in 1850, the name Jacksonville was chosen in honor of these two men. The name of the post office was changed from Gum Creek to Jacksonville in June 1850.

Despite never having organized unions in any Walmart stores before, meatcutters working at the Jacksonville Walmart voted in favor of organizing under the wing of the United Food and Commercial Workers union in February 2000. During a flurry of subsequent legal actions, Walmart discontinued store-level meatcutting and started shipping in packaged meat to their stores. When all the hearings and appeals were exhausted, courts decided that the local meatcutters did not embody the characteristics of a group that could bargain since they were not specialized. Even now, no one is in the Jacksonville meat department to make special cuts of meat, nor is any union presence there.[5][6]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.1 square miles (37 km2), of which 0.07% is covered by water.

Lake Jacksonville

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Lake Jacksonville, 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Jacksonville, is the city's primary water source. It is a popular location for recreation and residences. It was created in 1957 and the city expected it to take years to fill with water from the surrounding creeks, but with an unusually rainy season, the lake reached full capacity in a year.

  • Lake characteristics
Location: 3 miles southwest of Jacksonville off US 79
Surface area: 1,320 acres
Maximum depth: 62 feet
Impounded: 1957

Climate

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With records only dating to 1953, Jacksonville was one of only a few Texas locations to have its all-time low occur during the 2021 Texas power crisis cold snap in February 2021. Template:Weather box

Demographics

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Template:US Census population

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, 13,997 people, 4,967 households, and 3,670 families were residing in Jacksonville. The median age was 33.8 years. About 28.8% of residents were under 18 and 15.3% of residents were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over there were 86.1 males 18 and over.[7]

About 96.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.4% lived in rural areas.[8]

Of the 4,967 households in Jacksonville, 39.4% had children under 18 living in them, 40.8% were married-couple households, 17.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.[7]

The 5,585 housing units were 11.1% vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%.[7]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[9]
Race Number Percent
White 5,800 41.4%
Black or African American 2,777 19.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 228 1.6%
Asian 105 0.8%
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 5 0.0%
Some other race 3,182 22.7%
Two or more races 1,900 13.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 5,749 41.1%

Government

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Local government

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According to the city's most recent Adopted Budget (September 2024), the city had a budget of $13.5 million in revenue and $15.0 million in expenditures, leading to a deficit of $1.5 million.[10]

Management of the city and coordination of city services are provided by (as of 2024):[11]

Department Director[11]
City mayor Randy Gorham
Mayor pro tem Tim McRae
City manager James Hubbard
Director of finance Roxanna Briley
Fire chief Paul Findley
Police chief Steven Markasky
Director of public works Randall Chandler
Director of water and sewer Randall Chandler
Director of development services Jody Watson
Director of streets James Worley
Library director Trina Stidham

State government

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Jacksonville is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Robert Nichols, District 3, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Joanne Shofner, District 11.

Federal government

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At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; Jacksonville is part of the Fifth Congressional District, represented by Republican Lance Gooden.

Recreation

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The Jacksonville Public Library[12] served the City of Jacksonville and Cherokee County for over 70 years. The library was a member of the Texas Library Association, the Northeast Texas Library System, and the Forest Trails Library Consortium. In September 2020, the lot it sat on was sold to Chick-fil-A, where construction promptly began on a restaurant location. The new Jacksonville Public Library opened in April 2021, in the Norman Activities Center.[13][14] Until the opening of the new location, Jacksonville residents were allowed to visit the Rusk Public Library with library card fines waived.[15]

The Jacksonville Jax minor league baseball team played at Ragsdale Park between 1934 and 1950.[16]

Education

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File:Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, Jacksonville, TX IMG 4433.JPG
Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, an entity of the Baptist Missionary Association of America, is located off State Highway 135 on the northeast side of the city.

The city of Jacksonville is served by the Jacksonville Independent School District. Jacksonville High School, the district's only high school, has "Fightin' Indians"/"Maidens" as mascots for its team sports.

Colleges, universities

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Jacksonville College and the Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, both of which are owned by the Baptist Missionary Association of America, are located in Jacksonville.

Lon Morris College, a United Methodist Church-operated private junior college, was located in Jacksonville until ceasing operations in 2012.

Transportation

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Many highways pass through or intersect in Jacksonville: US 69, US 79, US 175, SH 135, SH 204, FM 347, FM 768, FM 2138, and Loop 456. However, no Interstate highways pass through the city limits

Where three railroads once served the Jacksonville area (Southern Pacific and Cotton Belt abandoned their tracks in the mid-1980s), only one, Union Pacific, remains.

Cherokee County Airport is the sole airport within Jacksonville, but only serves general aviation. Commercial aviation can be accessed by traveling north to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport with an American Eagle flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport or by driving about 132 miles via U.S. Route 175 to that airport or Dallas Love Field.

Notable people

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:GNIS
  3. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Wal-Mart's "Meat Wars" With Union Sizzles On, HuffingtonPost.com, Al Norman--writer, March 16, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  6. ↑ UFCW Timeline Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ Department, Finance (September 30, 2024). "Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the year ended September 30, 2024". jacksonvilletx.org. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Mayor & City Council | Jacksonville, TX". jacksonvilletx.org. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ Website, Jacksonville Public Library. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  13. ↑ "Jacksonville library to be sold; new location to open April '21". September 9, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Chick-Fil-A announces location coming to Jacksonville". October 14, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Jacksonville Public Library | Jacksonville, TX".
  16. ↑ "Ragsdale Park in Jacksonville, TX minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Family and expert react as Kerry Max Cook cleared of 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards". CBS19. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Mark Houston". The Oklahoman. March 3, 1995.
  19. ↑ "Tribpedia: Craig James | The Texas Tribune". March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2022.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ↑ "KENDRICK, John Benjamin, (1857 - 1933)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 18, 2012.[permanent dead link] [dead link]
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Template:Cherokee County, Texas

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