You Don't Know Jax......

A colleague in the field inspired me with that catchy slogan, and I realized you may, in fact, not know much about our host city, Jacksonville, Florida. Let me share a few tidbits with you here. All facts are according to Wikipedia. We will post our local guide on the AFA website within the next few weeks:

JAX

• Is in Duval County.
• Is the largest city in Florida.
• Many surrounding areas combine to make the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The population is 1,313,228. Jacksonville is the largest of all the cities that make up the Area.
• In 1968, it became the largest city (land wise) in the contiguous United States.
• The city is centered around the banks of the St. John's River.
• In December, the average high is 66F, and the average low is 47F.
• It has the largest urban park system in the United States with 337 locations and 80,000 acres.
• There are two fully enclosed shopping malls.
  
• The professional football team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, lives here.
• The Florida Times-Union is the most popular newspaper.
• The Gate River Run has taken place here since 1977. It is the U.S. National Championship 15K. About 13,000 recreational runners participate every March.
• It is home to three military facilities: Naval Submarine Base King's Bay, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and Naval Station Mayport. The USS Jacksonville is the only US Navy ship named for the city. Its port is Norfolk, Virginia.
  
• There are eleven institutions of higher education here: Jacksonville University, University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Edward Waters College, The Art Institute of Jacksonville, Florida Coastal School of Law, Trinity Baptist College, Jones College, Webster University, Strayer University, and Florida Technical College.
• John Delaney is the President of the University of North Florida. He was the Mayor of Jacksonville until July 2003 when he became the University president. He is a proud member of Delta Upsilon International Fraternity and was invited to speak with us at our Annual Meeting, but unfortunately another conference will take him to Atlanta during our time in his city.
• I would be remiss if I did not mention that my six-year-old nephew's name is Jackson.

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I look forward to seeing you soon in Jax!