Jacksonville

This book explores Jacksonville's transformation into the largest city (by land area) in the contiguous United States with images of significant events in its history. Like many of the country's older cities, Jacksonville suffered from the negative impacts of rapid urban sprawl after World War II. Amid a declining tax base, public schools losing their accreditation, and government corruption scandals, Jacksonville voters approved a referendum to consolidate the struggling city with Duval County to create the Bold New City of the South. These changes, along with many others, have continued to guide this Southern metropolis into the 21st century.

Using postcards, photographs from personal collections, and images from various state and local sources, author Ennis Armon Davis takes readers on an iconic journey through the evolution of Jacksonville from a stagnant postwar community to a 21st-century metropolis. Davis is an urban planner who has been involved with the revitalization of Jacksonville's urban core since 2003. Davis, the cofounder of MetroJacksonville.com, also wrote Reclaiming Jacksonville and Cohens: The Big Store for History Press.