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150-459: The Jacksonville Metropolitan Area , also called the First Coast , Metro Jacksonville , or Northeast Florida , is the metropolitan area centered on the principal city of Jacksonville, Florida and including the First Coast of North Florida . As of the 2020 United States census , the total population was 1,605,848. The Jacksonville–Kingsland–Palatka, FL–GA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) had

300-433: A humid subtropical zone. In summer months, the temperature ranges from 74 and 92 °F (23 and 33 °C), and between 50 and 72 °F (10 and 22 °C) in the winter, although drops may occur in winter months to below freezing approximately a dozen times. Water temperatures in the river correlate to the air temperatures. The average range of water temperatures is between 50 and 95 °F (10 and 35 °C), rising in

450-507: A 46,000-acre (190 km ) basin spreading across Putnam , Lake, and Marion Counties , and the western part of Volusia County. Slightly north of the Wekiva River is Blue Spring, the largest spring on the St. Johns, producing over 64,000,000 US gallons (240,000,000 L) a day. Florida springs stay at an even temperature of 72 °F (22 °C) throughout the year. Because of this, Blue Spring

600-547: A St. Johns tributary, where sport fishers concentrate on king mackerel ( Scomberomorus cavalla ), cobia ( Rachycentron canadum ), dolphin ( Coryphaena hippurus ) and Wahoo ( Acanthocybium solandri ). The home stadium for the Jacksonville Jaguars faces the river, as does most of the commercial center of downtown. Seven bridges span the St. Johns at Jacksonville; all of them allow tall ships to pass, although some restrict passing times when train or automobile traffic

750-617: A beltway routing around the city and connects to I-10 and I-95 while serving all areas of Jacksonville. I-795 is a future expressway that will connect the southeastern section of I-295 with I-95. Three other expressways also serve the area and are maintained by FDOT . Arlington Expressway (FL SR 115) connects downtown Jacksonville with the Arlington neighborhood via the Matthews Bridge and travels eastward to Atlantic Beach . The Commodore Point Expressway connects downtown Jacksonville with

900-542: A bit over 200.000 inhabitants to be considered as such. An example is the Conurbacion de Rancagua, which considers the area shared by the city of Rancagua, and the adjacent smaller towns of Machalí, Gultro and Graneros. Metropolitan areas are known as zonas metropolitanas in Mexico. The National Population Council (CONAPO) defines them as: As of 2018, there are 74 zonas metropolitanas in Mexico. 75.1 million people, 62.8% of

1050-711: A chain of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Apopka in Lake County, and the Green Swamp near Haines City in Polk County , drained by the Palatlakaha River . The Silver River, fed by one of Florida's most productive springs expelling 54,000,000 US gallons (200,000,000 L) daily, is located about midway along the 96-mile (154 km) Ocklawaha. Confederate Captain John William Pearson named his militia after

1200-415: A chemical spill in 1980 that dumped DDE in it. It has experienced chronic algal blooms caused by citrus farm fertilizer and wastewater runoff from nearby farms. The proliferation of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ), black crappie ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus ), and bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) in central Florida is a major attraction for fishermen from all over the country. The St. Johns

1350-677: A city"), plural: aires d'attraction des villes . The official translation of this statistical area in English (as used by INSEE) is "functional area". The AAV follows the same definition as the Functional Urban Area (FUA) used by Eurostat and the OECD , and the AAVs are thus strictly comparable to the FUAs. The AAV replaced in 2020 the metropolitan statistical area called aire urbaine (AU). The AU, which

1500-622: A common methodological framework for delimitation of urban and rural areas, which contains a definition of metropolitan areas called the Functional urban area . It is defined as a city and its commuting zone, which is a contiguous area of spatial units that have at least 15% of their employed residents working in the city. In practice, the parameters of metropolitan areas, in both official and unofficial usage, are not consistent. Sometimes they are little different from an urban area, and in other cases, they cover broad regions that have little relation to

1650-784: A commuter belt and may extend well beyond the urban zone to other political entities. For example, East Hampton, New York , on Long Island is considered part of the New York metropolitan area . In 2020, the European Commission , the Food and Agriculture Organization , the United Nations Human Settlements Programme , the International Labour Organization , the OECD , and the World Bank have agreed on

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1800-467: A core population. A CMA requires a total population of at least 100,000, with 50,000 or more residing in the core, while a CA requires a core population of at least 10,000. Both are determined using data from Canada's Census of Population Program, and surrounding municipalities must demonstrate strong economic integration with the core, measured by commuting patterns. There are three metropolitan areas in Chile,

1950-567: A daily ridership of over 42,000. The Jacksonville metropolitan area is served by four interstate highways operated by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) . I-95 runs north to south, starting in Nassau County and leaving in St. Johns County. I-10 runs west to east, terminating in downtown Jacksonville at I-95. This intersection is the busiest in the area, with more than 200,000 vehicles traveling it each day. I-295 serves as

2100-512: A day into the St. Johns. Near this confluence are the towns of DeBary and Deltona . Forests surrounding the Wekiva River are home to the largest black bear ( Ursus americanus floridanus ) population in Florida; several troops of Rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) have adapted to live near the river as well. The monkeys' introduction to Florida is unclear; they were reportedly brought either to serve in backdrop scenes of Tarzan movies filmed around

2250-658: A district in Kocaeli province and thus in the jurisdiction of the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, is arguably within the metro area of Istanbul with many of its residents commuting to Istanbul for work and the Marmaray, a commuter rail line, extending into the district. The district however, as previously mentioned, is not a part of Istanbul's provincial limits, and thus not subject to the jurisdiction of its metropolitan municipality. The word metropolitan (municipality)

2400-567: A dramatic effect on its geomorphology. Florida was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana . Lying underneath the visible rock formations is a basement of igneous granite and volcanic composition under a sedimentary layer formed during the Paleozoic era 542 to 251 million years ago. During the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago), the basement and its sedimentary overlay were further covered by calcium carbonate and formations left by

2550-425: A food source for fish and birds. Insect larvae use water for breeding, feeding upon smaller copepods and amphipods that live in microscopic algae and periphyton formations. Mosquitos , born in water, are in turn the favorite food of 112 species of dragonflies and 44 species of damselflies in Florida. These animals are water hardy and adaptable to dry conditions when water levels fluctuate from one season to

2700-489: A guide. In 1795, Florida was transferred back to Spain which lured Americans with cheap land. A former loyalist to Britain who left South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War , a planter and slave trader named Zephaniah Kingsley seized the opportunity and built a plantation named Laurel Grove near what is now Doctors Lake , close to the west bank of the St. Johns River, south of where Orange Park

2850-431: A harmonised definition of the metropolitan area, and the goal was to have an area from which a significant share of the residents commute into the city, a concept known as the "functional urban region". France's national statistics office, INSEE , names an urban core and its surrounding area of commuter influence an aire d'attraction d'une ville    [ fr ] (or AAV, literally meaning "catchment area of

3000-577: A high degree of economic and social integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. The OMB then defines a Combined Statistical Area as consisting of various combinations of adjacent metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas with economic ties measured by commuting patterns. The Office of Management and Budget further defines a core-based statistical area (CBSA) to be a geographical area that consists of one or more counties (or equivalents) anchored by an urban center of at least 10,000 people plus adjacent counties that are socioeconomically tied to

3150-523: A household in the MSA was $ 45,143, and the median income for a family was $ 51,327. Males had a median income of $ 35,537 versus $ 25,093 for females. Higher education in the Jacksonville area is offered at many institutions. There are three public institutions in the area. University of North Florida (UNF), founded in 1969, is a public university in southeastern Jacksonville. It has over 17,000 students and offers

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3300-467: A normal Italian province. The list of metropolitan areas in Sweden is collated based on statistics of commuting between central municipalities and surrounding municipalities and taking into account existing planning cooperation in the country's three geographic regions. They were defined around 1965. In 2005, a number of further municipalities were added to the defined areas. The word metropolitan describes

3450-403: A northerly direction, the upper basin is located in the headwaters of the river at its southernmost point. Indian River County is where the river begins as a network of marshes, at a point west of Vero Beach aptly named the St. Johns Marsh in central Florida. The St. Johns River is a blackwater stream , meaning that it is fed primarily by swamps and marshes lying beneath it; water seeps through

3600-571: A people mover system to the airport, and connecting the airport with the onsite Clarion Hotel via a moving walkway. The Port of Jacksonville is located in Duval County on the St. Johns River and is operated by Jacksonville Port Authority , branded as JAXPORT. Over 100 countries import and export goods through the port. JAXPORT owns three cargo facilities: the Blount Island Marine Terminal,

3750-469: A population exceeding one million as a metropolitan area as per the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 . In Indonesia , the government of Indonesia defines a metropolitan area as an urban agglomeration where its spatial planning is prioritised due to its highly important influence on the country. Jakarta , Surabaya , Bandung , Semarang , Medan , Makassar , Palembang are important metropolitan area in

3900-540: A population increase followed. When European explorers arrived in north Florida, they met the Timucua , numbering about 14,000, the largest group of indigenous people in the region. The later Seminole people called the river Welaka or Ylacco . These forms may derive from the Creek wi-láko , "big water", a compound usually applied to large rivers that run through lakes; the St. Johns forms and borders numerous lakes. Alternately,

4050-574: A population of 1,733,937 in 2020 and was the 34th largest CSA in the United States. The Jacksonville metropolitan area is the 40th largest in the country and the fourth largest in the State of Florida, behind the Miami , Tampa , and Orlando metropolitan areas. The Jacksonville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is an area designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget used for statistical purposes by

4200-409: A respective regiopolitan area, or regio, was introduced by German professors in 2006. In the United States, the term micropolitan statistical area is used. A metropolitan area combines an urban agglomeration with the contiguous built-up areas, which are not necessarily urban in character but are closely bound to the center by employment or other commerce. These outlying zones are sometimes known as

4350-408: A sharp turn west near Sanford for a few miles—which is referred to as the St. Johns River offset , but shortly changes direction to flow north again. Geologists hypothesize that the west-flowing offset may have formed earlier than the north flowing portions, possibly during the late Tertiary or early Pleistocene era 66 to 12 million years ago. Some fracturing and faulting may also be responsible for

4500-434: A single urban settlement; comparative statistics for metropolitan areas should take this into account. The term metropolitan can also refer to a county -level municipal government structure, with some shared services between a central city and its suburbs, which may or may not include the entirety of a metropolitan area. Population figures given for one metro area can vary by millions. There has been no significant change in

4650-582: A slightly larger region as a Combined Statistical Area (CSA). In 2012 the OMB also defined the Jacksonville–Kingsland–Palatka, FL–GA Combined Statistical Area , which included metropolitan Jacksonville as well as the Palatka, Florida and Kingsland, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Areas (comprising Putnam County, Florida and Camden County, Georgia ). The CSA had a population of 1,733,937 in 2020 and

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4800-506: A total area of 2,600 square miles (6,700 km ) in Putnam, St. Johns , Clay , and Duval Counties. Twelve tributaries empty into the river in the lower basin. The St. Johns River widens considerably on the north end of Lake George; between Lake George and Palatka the river ranges between 600 and 2,640 feet (180 and 800 m) wide. Between Palatka and Jacksonville, that widens further to between 1 and 3 miles (1.6 and 4.8 km). This portion of

4950-415: A variety of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), is a public state college located in downtown Jacksonville with satellite campuses around the city. St. Johns River State College is a state college with campuses in St. Augustine , Orange Park , and Palatka . Many private schools are also located in the area. Edward Waters College , founded in 1866,

5100-412: A variety of people have lived on or near the St. Johns, including Paleo-indians , Archaic people , Timucua , Mocama , Mayaca , Ais , French, Spanish, and British colonists, Seminoles , slaves and freemen, Florida crackers , land developers, tourists and retirees. It has been the subject of William Bartram 's journals, Harriet Beecher Stowe 's letters home, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ' books. In

5250-623: A wide variety of tools constructed around this time, archeologists note the transition into Archaic people . The Archaic people made tools from bone, animal teeth, and antlers. They wove fibers from plants such as cabbage palms and saw palmettos. A few burial sites have been excavated—including the Windover Archaeological Site in Brevard County near Titusville —that provide evidence of burial rituals. Archaic peoples interred their dead in shallow peat marshes , which preserved much of

5400-424: Is Jacksonville's oldest institution of higher education, as well as Florida's oldest historically black college . Jacksonville University (JU), established in 1934, is a private, four-year institution located along the St. Johns River with over 3,500 students. Flagler College is a liberal arts college located in St. Augustine. Noted for its campus, which includes Henry Flagler 's former Ponce de León Hotel , it

5550-523: Is a metropolitan area in the United Arab Emirates. It consists of the combined, greater urban areas of Dubai, Ajman, and Sharjah. The urban areas at the northeast end of Dubai flow into those of Sharjah, which in turn are contiguous with those of Ajman. The total population is about 5.9 million people as of 2023 The European Union 's statistical agency Eurostat has created a concept named larger urban zone (LUZ). The LUZ represents an attempt at

5700-404: Is an example of statistically grouping independent cities and county areas from various states to form a larger city because of proximity, history and recent urban convergence. Metropolitan areas may themselves be part of a greater megalopolis . For urban centres located outside metropolitan areas that generate a similar attraction at a smaller scale for a region, the concept of a regiopolis and

5850-563: Is characterized as brackish water. Near the center of Jacksonville, average measures have been collected at 11.40 ppt. Farther south at the Buckman Bridge, joining the south side of Jacksonville to Orange Park, it decreases to 2.9 ppt and falls again to 0.81 ppt at the Shands Bridge near Green Cove Springs . Dissolved oxygen in fresh water is measured to indicate the health of plant and animal life. It enters water through

6000-518: Is currently included in The Princeton Review's Best 366 Colleges Rankings. The public school districts for Greater Jacksonville are all managed by school boards, with each county having its own board. The Duval County School Board is the largest in the area and the 22nd largest in the United States with over 155,000 students. In 2010, it was home to two of the top 20 high schools in

6150-849: Is discharged, which is dependent upon season and rainfall. The greatest discharge is from first magnitude springs that emit at least 100 cubic feet (2.8 m ) of water per second. There are four first magnitude springs that feed the St. Johns River: Silver Springs in Marion County, emitting between 250 and 1,290 cubic feet (7.1 and 36.5 m )/second; Silver Glen Spring straddling Marion and Lake Counties, emitting between 38 and 245 cubic feet (1.1 and 6.9 m )/second; Alexander Springs in Lake County, emitting between 56 and 202 cubic feet (1.6 and 5.7 m )/second; and Blue Spring in Volusia County, emitting between 87 and 218 cubic feet (2.5 and 6.2 m )/second. The St. Johns River lies within

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6300-453: Is forbidden. Bordering to the north of Blue Spring State Park is Hontoon Island State Park , accessible only by boat. In 1955 an extremely rare Timucua totem representing an owl was found buried and preserved in the St. Johns muck off of Hontoon Island . The figure may signify that its creators were part of the owl clan. Representing different clans of the Timucua, two more totems—in all,

6450-466: Is generally only used as an administrative distinction in Turkey. The United Kingdom 's Office for National Statistics defines " travel to work areas " as areas where "at least 75% of an area's resident workforce work in the area and at least 75% of the people who work in the area also live in the area". The European Union 's ESPON group has compiled a separate list of metropolitan areas which covers

6600-498: Is heavy. Tides cause seawater to enter the mouth of the St. Johns River and can affect the river's level into the middle basin. As a result, much of the river in Jacksonville is part seawater, making it an estuarine ecosystem. The animals and plants in these systems can tolerate both fresh and salt water, and the fluctuations in saline content and temperatures associated with tidal surges and heavy rainfall discharge. Marine animals such as dolphins and sharks can be spotted at times in

6750-726: Is home to 183 species of fish, 55 of which appear in the main stem of the river. One, the southern tessellated darter ( Etheostoma olmstedi ) is found only in the Ocklawaha. Some are marine species that either migrate upriver to spawn or have found spring-fed habitats that are high in salinity, such as a colony of Atlantic stingrays ( Dasyatis sabina ) that live in Lake Washington in the upper basin. Ocean worms, snails, and white-fingered mud crabs ( Rhithropanopeus harrisii ) have also been found far upriver where tidal influences are rare. In contrast, American eels ( Anguilla rostrata ) live in

6900-563: Is located in Luzon ), Metro Cebu (which is located in Visayas ), Metro Davao (which is located in Mindanao ), and Greater Manila Area (which is the largest metropolitan area of Manila ). The official definition of each area does not necessarily follow the actual extent of continuous urbanization. For example, the built-up area of Metro Manila has long spilled out of its officially defined borders into

7050-446: Is rare. All plants in these basins must tolerate water fluctuation, both flooding and drought. Sweetbay ( Magnolia virginiana ), cypress ( Taxodium ), and swamp tupelo ( Nyssa biflora ) trees often find great success in this region on raised land called hammocks . Trees that live in water for long periods usually have buttressed trunks, tangled, braided roots, or protrusions like cypress knees to obtain oxygen when under water, but

7200-495: Is separated into three major basins and two associated watersheds for Lake George and the Ocklawaha River , all managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District . Although Florida was the location of the first permanent European settlement in what would become the United States, much of Florida remained an undeveloped frontier into the 20th century. With the growth of population, the St. Johns, like many Florida rivers,

7350-513: Is the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality , which presided over nearly 5 million people as of 2016. However, the Greater Johannesburg metropolitan area houses roughly ten times the population of its core municipal city of Johannesburg , which contained 957,441 people as of the 2011 census. The IBGE defines also "Immediate Geographic Areas" (formerly termed microregions ) which capture

7500-534: Is the fourth largest metropolitan area in South Africa . Its population was over 9.6 million as of the 2011 South Africa Census, in contrast to its urban area, which consisted of approximately 7.9 million inhabitants as of 2011. Conversely, metropolitan municipalities in South Africa are defined as commonly governed areas of a metropolitan area. The largest such metropolitan municipal government entity in South Africa

7650-623: Is the winter home for West Indian manatees ( Trichechus manatus latirostris ), and they are protected within Blue Spring State Park . Manatees are large, slow-moving herbivorous aquatic mammals whose primary threats are human development and collisions with swiftly moving watercraft. Many parts of the St. Johns and its tributaries are no-wake zones to protect manatees from being critically or fatally injured by boat propellers. Human interaction with manatees in Blue Spring State Park

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7800-494: Is today Jacksonville and another on Drayton Island at the north end of Lake George. Kingsley later married three other freed women in a polygamous relationship; Spanish-controlled Florida allowed interracial marriages, and white landowners such as James Erwin, George Clarke, Francisco Sánchez, John Fraser, and Francis Richard Jr.—early settlers along the river—all were married to or in extramarital relationships with African women. The first years following Florida's annexation to

7950-470: Is today. Three years later, Kingsley took a trip to Cuba and purchased a 13-year-old Wolof girl named Anna Madgigine Jai . She became his common-law wife, and managed Laurel Grove while Kingsley traveled and conducted business. The plantation grew citrus and sea island cotton ( Gossypium barbadense ). In 1814, they moved to a larger plantation on Fort George Island , where they lived for 25 years, and owned several other plantations and homesteads in what

8100-756: The Carnival Elation . Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is the public transit agency serving the Jacksonville area with bus service , trolleys , paratransit , and a people mover . The people mover, known as the JTA Skyway , is located in downtown Jacksonville, and operates 8 stations along a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) track. Bus service as well as paratransit service is provided around Duval County and partially in Clay County. JTA operates three trolley lines in three different neighborhoods: Downtown, Riverside, and Jacksonville Beach. The entire JTA system has

8250-499: The Caloosahatchee River , and later to drain lands in the central part of the state for agriculture. Disston was furthermore persuaded to purchase 4,000,000 acres (16,000 km ) of land in central Florida for $ 1 million, which at the time was reported to be the largest purchase of land in human history. Disston was ultimately unsuccessful in his drainage attempts, but his investment sparked the tourist industry and made possible

8400-742: The Islamabad Capital Territory ; two are located in Sindh , including Karachi , the largest metropolitan area in the country, and Hyderabad ; one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa : Peshawar ; and the final in Balochistan : Quetta . The Philippines currently has three metropolitan areas defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). These metropolitan areas are separated into three main geographical areas; Metro Manila (which

8550-695: The Ocklawaha River called the Ocklawaha Rangers in the American Civil War . Prior to the civil war, Pearson ran a successful health resort in Orange Springs . After the civil war Pearson's Orange Springs resort declined in popularity due to the increasing attention to nearby Silver Springs —the source of the Silver River—at the turn of the 20th century, popularizing the Ocklawaha. Georgia-born poet Sidney Lanier called it "the sweetest waterlane in

8700-469: The Silver River in the 1930s, or to lend an air of authenticity to "jungle cruises" provided by an enterprising boat operator around the same time. Of most vital importance to marshes are invertebrate animals, the foundation of food webs . Amphibious invertebrates such as apple snails ( Pomacea paludosa ), crayfish , and grass shrimp consume plant material, hastening its decomposition and acting as

8850-573: The United States Census Bureau and other government agencies. The metropolitan statistical area had a total population of approximately 1,605,848 as of 2020 and is the 39th largest in the United States and the fourth largest in the state of Florida. The OMB defines the Jacksonville MSA as consisting of five counties . The components of the metropolitan area with their estimated 2020 populations are listed below: The OMB also defines

9000-585: The core of a core based statistical area which is defined as an urban area , (this is different than the urban core ) and consists of central and outlying counties, as the terms central city and suburb are no longer used by the census bureau due to suburbanization of employment. In other countries metropolitan areas are sometimes anchored by one central city such as the Paris metropolitan area ( Paris ). In other cases, metropolitan areas contain multiple centers of equal or close to equal importance, especially in

9150-444: The 1860s, weekly trips between Jacksonville, Charleston , and Savannah were made to transport tourists, lumber, cotton, and citrus. The soil along the St. Johns was considered especially successful for producing sweeter oranges. Florida's involvement in the U.S. Civil War was limited compared to other Confederate states because it had a fraction of the populations of states that had been developed. Florida provided materials to

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9300-722: The Confederacy by way of steamboats on the St. Johns, although the river and the Atlantic coasts were blockaded by the U.S. Navy. One action in Florida's role in the Civil War was the sinking of the USS ; Columbine , a Union paddle steamer used for patrolling the St. Johns to keep materials from reaching the Confederate Army. In 1864, near Palatka, Confederate forces under the command of Capt. John Jackson Dickison captured, burned, and sank

9450-567: The Cultivation and Development of Modern Metropolitan Areas ( 关于培育发展现代化都市圈的指导意见 ) on Feb 19, 2019, in which a metropolitan area was defined as "an urbanized spatial form in a megalopolis dominated by (a) supercity(-ies) or megacity(-ies), or a large metropolis playing a leading part, and within the basic range of 1-hour commute area." In India , a metropolitan city is defined as one with a population more than four million. In policing jurisdiction, state governments can declare any city or town with

9600-587: The Econlockhatchee River, and the Wekiva River causes the average discharge to increase by 940 cubic feet (27 m ) per second between Lake Harney and DeLand, representing the greatest annual average increase of streamflow along the St. Johns. As distance between the mouth of the St. Johns and the middle and upper basins increases, the salinity in the river gradually decreases. Marine water measures at 35 parts per thousand (ppt) or more while fresh water measures below 2 ppt. What ranges in between

9750-556: The Harbor), the mission established at the river's mouth following the demise of the French fort. The name first appeared on a Spanish map created between 1680 and 1700. The Timucua, as other groups of indigenous people in Florida, began to lose cohesion and numbers by the 18th century. A tribe located in modern-day Georgia and Alabama called the Creeks assisted with this; in 1702, they joined with

9900-480: The Lake George watershed, with slash pines ( Pinus elliottii ), saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ), and over 100 species of groundcover or herbal plants that grow in poor, sandy soil. Flatwoods pine forests stay relatively dry, but can withstand short periods of flooding. Larger land animals such as wild turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo ), sandhill cranes ( Grus canadensis ), and the largest population of southern bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus ) in

10050-409: The Seminole name may derive from walaka (from wi-alaka , "water" and "coming"), perhaps a reference to the river's slow discharge and the tidal effects on it. The name is sometimes rendered as "Chain of Lakes" in English. Though the first European contact in Florida came in 1513 when Juan Ponce de León arrived near Cape Canaveral , not until 1562 did Europeans settle the north Atlantic coast of

10200-410: The Seminoles gradually moved into Florida and began to break ties with the Creeks to become a cohesive tribe of their own. The St. Johns provided a natural boundary to separate European colonies on the east bank and indigenous lands west of the river. After Florida came under the Kingdom of Great Britain 's jurisdiction in 1763, Quaker father and son naturalists John and William Bartram explored

10350-423: The Seminoles who called him "Puc Puggy" (flower hunter). William's visit took him as far south as Blue Spring, where he remarked on the crystal clear views offered by the spring water: "The water is perfectly diaphanous, and here are continually a prodigious number and variety of fish; they appear as plain as though lying on a table before your eyes, although many feet deep in the water." Bartram's journals attracted

10500-411: The Southside at Beach Boulevard (US 90) , which continues eastward to Jacksonville Beach . Butler Bouleveard (SR 202) begins in southeast Jacksonville at Philips Highway ( US 1 ) and ends in southern Jacksonville Beach at 3rd Street South ( SR A1A ). The road has become one of the busiest roads in the metro area. Metropolitan area Metropolitan areas in the United States are delineated around

10650-431: The Spanish to maintain control of the river. The French and Spanish continued to spar over who would control the natural resources and native peoples of the territory. The Timucua, who had initially befriended the French, were not encouraged to make the Spanish allies because of colonial governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés ' abhorrence of French Protestantism and his view that the Timucuan beliefs were "Satanic". By 1573,

10800-592: The St. Johns and Ocklawaha and spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. After a year living in the ocean, many of them find their way back to the St. Johns to live, then, prompted by the phases of the moon, make the return journey to spawn and die. From the intersection of the Ocklawaha River, 101 miles (163 km) to the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Johns lies within the lower basin, draining

10950-458: The St. Johns at Jacksonville as can manatees. Fish such as mullet ( Mullidae ), flounder ( Paralichthys lethostigma ), shad ( Alosa sapidissima ), and blue crabs ( Callinectes sapidus ) migrate from the ocean to freshwater springs upriver to spawn. Although freshwater invertebrates inhabiting and comprising algae and periphyton make the foundation of food webs in the middle and lower basin, zooplankton and phytoplankton take that role in

11100-505: The St. Johns has a very slow flow speed of 0.3 mph (0.13 m/s), and is often described as "lazy". Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, but as a river its widest point is nearly 3 miles (5 km) across. The narrowest point is in the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County . The St. Johns drainage basin of 8,840 square miles (22,900 km ) includes some of Florida's major wetlands. It

11250-638: The St. Johns is black, owing to the tannins in leaf litter and decaying aquatic plants. Spring fed streams, on the other hand, are remarkably clear and visibility is very high, even when the river bottom is dozens of feet below. Humans arrived on the Florida Peninsula about 12,000 years ago when the ocean was about 350 feet (110 m) lower than today, and the peninsula was double its current size. These earliest people are called Paleo-Indians . They were primarily hunter–gatherers who followed large game, such as mastodons , horses, camels, and bison. Much of

11400-417: The St. Johns or its tributaries reported at or below these minimums in the 1990s, including the mouth of the Wekiva River, the St. Johns at the town of Christmas , and in the early 2000s at Blue Spring and Blackwater Creek. Sustained low levels of dissolved oxygen may create algal blooms, which may also cause a further decrease in dissolved oxygen. Like all blackwater streams in Florida, the color of most of

11550-768: The St. Johns was significantly lowered in the 1920s with the establishment of the Melbourne Tillman drainage project. This drained the St. Johns' headwaters eastward to the Indian River through canals dug across the Ten-Mile Ridge near Palm Bay . As of 2015, these past diversions are being partially reversed through the first phase of the Canal 1 Rediversion project. The river is at its narrowest and most unpredictable in this basin. Channel flows are not apparent and are usually unmarked. The most efficient way to travel on this part of

11700-470: The St. Johns, were created by past beach ridges which were often divided by swales . As ocean water retreated, lagoons formed in the swales, which were further eroded by acidic water. Barrier islands , furthermore, formed along the Atlantic Coast, surrounding the lagoon with land and forming a freshwater river. From its origins to approximately the area of Sanford, the St. Johns flows north. It takes

11850-610: The Talleyrand Marine Terminal and the Dames Point Marine Terminal. The Port of Jacksonville imports the second largest amount of automobiles on the east coast. The port authority also operates a cruise terminal . Opened in 2003 as a "temporary" terminal, cruise ships have set sail from the 63,000-square foot facility ever since. Current cruises from Jacksonville visit the Bahamas on four- or five-day voyages aboard

12000-494: The Timucua were in outright rebellion, testing the governor's patience and forcing Spanish settlers to abandon farms and garrisons in more interior parts of Florida; the Spanish could not persuade the Timucua to keep from attacking them. Over a hundred years later, missionaries had more success, setting up posts along the river. Spanish Franciscan missionaries gave the river its current name based on San Juan del Puerto (St. John of

12150-511: The U.S. and seven for Puerto Rico) and 541 Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSAs – 536 for the U.S. and five for Puerto Rico). The 169 Combined Statistical Areas (166 for the U.S. and three for Puerto Rico) each comprise two or more adjacent Core Based Statistical Areas. The Office of Management and Budget defines a Metropolitan Statistical Area as one or more adjacent counties or county equivalents that have at least one urban area of at least 50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has

12300-464: The UK. St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( Spanish : Río San Juan ) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and it is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m); like most Florida waterways,

12450-586: The USS Columbine , making her perhaps the only ship commandeered by the Confederacy. The same year and farther downriver, Confederates again sank a Union boat, the Maple Leaf , which struck a floating keg filled with explosives and settled into the muck near Julington Creek , south of Jacksonville. Part of the shipwreck was recovered in 1994, when it was discovered that many Civil War-era artifacts, including daguerreotypes and wooden matches, had been preserved in

12600-483: The United States in 1821 were marked with violent conflicts between white settlers and Seminoles, whose bands often included runaway African slaves. The clashes between American and Seminole forces during the establishment of the Florida territory are reflected in the towns and landmarks along the St. Johns named for those who were directly involved. Even before Florida was under U.S. jurisdiction, Major General Andrew Jackson

12750-779: The United States; for example, the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area has eight principal cities. The Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area in Pakistan, the Rhine-Ruhr in Germany, and the Randstad in The Netherlands are other examples. In the United States , the concept of metropolitan statistical areas has gained prominence. The area of the Greater Washington metropolitan area

12900-633: The Yamasee and attacked some of the Timucua, forcing them to seek protection from the Spanish who forced them into slavery. The Creeks began assimilating other people and spread farther south until they were known by 1765 as Seminoles by the British, a term adapted from cimarrones that meant "runaways" or "wild ones". The Seminoles employed a variety of languages from the peoples the Creeks had assimilated: Hitchiti , Muskogee , as well as Timucua. Between 1716 and 1767,

13050-574: The adjacent provinces of Bulacan , Rizal , Laguna , and Cavite known as Greater Manila Area . The number of metropolitan areas in the Philippines was reduced from 13 in 2007 to the current three based from the 2017–2022 Philippine Development Plan by NEDA. The other 10 metropolitan areas were Metro Angeles , Metro Bacolod , Metro Baguio , Metro Batangas , Metro Cagayan de Oro , Metro Dagupan , Metro Iloilo–Guimaras , Metro Butuan , Metro Naga , and Metro Olongapo . Dubai - Sharjah - Ajman (DSA)

13200-479: The atmosphere and from aquatic plant photosynthesis, and is affected by water pressure and temperature. Rapid decomposition of organic materials will decrease the amount of dissolved oxygen in the river, as will nutrients added to the water artificially by wastewater treatment runoff or drainage from fertilized agricultural fields. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida recommend no less than 5 mg of oxygen per liter. Several locations on

13350-623: The attention of such prominent Americans as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton . The success of these journals inspired other naturalists such as André Michaux to further explore the St. Johns, as he did in 1788, sailing from Palatka south to Lake Monroe, and gave names to some of the plants described by the Bartrams' journals. Michaux was followed by William Baldwin between 1811 and 1817. Subsequent explorers, including John James Audubon , have carried William's Travels Through North & South Carolina, Georgia, East & West Florida with them as

13500-447: The basic concept of metropolitan areas since its adoption in 1950, although significant changes in geographic distributions have occurred since then, and more are expected. Because of the fluidity of the term "metropolitan statistical area", the term used colloquially is more often "metro service area", "metro area", or "MSA", taken to include not only a city but also the surrounding suburban, exurban and sometimes rural areas, all of which

13650-721: The biggest and most important one is the Gran Santiago in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, with over 7 million inhabitants, making it the largest and most populated urban area in Chile. The other two metro areas are Gran Valparaiso in the Valparaiso Region with almost a million inhabitants, and Gran Concepción in the Bio Bio Region, with a population of about a million people living in it. Smaller "metropolitan" areas are known as conurbations. Conurbaciones tend to have

13800-565: The central municipality governing local services in a province with more than 750.000 residents in Turkey , like Istanbul and its metropolitan municipality, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality . There are 30 officially defined "metropolitan municipalities" in Turkey. This classification, however, is only used for administrative purposes, and sometimes contradicts the colloquial use of the term "metro area". As an example, Gebze,

13950-408: The central part of the state north, along the Atlantic Coast lived people in the St. Johns culture , named for the most significant nearby natural formation. Around 750 CE , the St. Johns culture learned to cultivate corn, adding to their diet of fish, game, and gourds. Archeologists and anthropologists date this agricultural advancement to coincide with a spread of archeological sites, suggesting that

14100-554: The city is presumed to influence. A polycentric metropolitan area contains multiple urban agglomerations not connected by continuous development. In defining a metropolitan area, it is sufficient that a city or cities form a nucleus with which other areas have a high degree of integration. A metropolitan area is commonly known and characterized by a high concentration in service sector labor and enterprises. Macroeconomics views metropolitan areas as trade regions of economic significance. The Greater Johannesburg metropolitan area

14250-410: The city of Sanford . It is at this point that the St. Johns' navigable waterway, dredged and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with channel markers maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard , begins. Lake Monroe, a large lake at 15 square miles (39 km ) with an average depth of 8 feet (2.4 m), drains a surrounding watershed of 2,420 square miles (6,300 km ). Sanford has adapted to

14400-427: The city. Mayport is home to approximately 20 shrimping vessels that use the mouth of the St. Johns to access the Atlantic Ocean. Lying within a coastal plain , the St. Johns River passes through an area that was at one time barrier islands, coastal dunes, and estuary marshes. The Florida Peninsula was created primarily by forces and minerals from the ocean. It lies so low that minor fluctuations in sea levels can have

14550-465: The confining layer is fractured to allow breaches of water to percolate down to recharge the layer below. The Floridan Aquifer , underneath the confining layer, underlies the entire state and portions of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. It is particularly accessible in the northern part of Florida, serving as the fresh water source of metropolitan areas from St. Petersburg north to Jacksonville and Tallahassee . Acidic rainwater erodes

14700-415: The contiguous U.S., find it easier to live in the flatwoods. Typical mammals that live in these ecosystems, such as raccoons ( Procyon lotor ), opossums ( Didelphis virginiana ), bobcats ( Lynx rufus ), and white tailed-deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), are ones that prefer dry, flat areas with good ground cover and available nesting sites. The Ocklawaha River flows north and joins the St. Johns as

14850-475: The counties of Indian River north to Duval produces rain that is drained by the St. Johns River. Tropical Storm Fay in 2008 deposited 16 inches (410 mm) of rain in a 5-day period, most of it located near Melbourne . The St. Johns near Geneva in Seminole County rose 7 feet (2.1 m) in four days, setting a record. The river near Sanford rose 3 feet (1 m) in 36 hours. Fay caused severe flooding in

15000-542: The country population, live within a metropolitan area. As of February 28, 2013, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defined 1,098 statistical areas for the metropolitan areas of the United States and Puerto Rico . These 1,098 statistical areas comprise 929 Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) and 169 Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs). The 929 Core-Based Statistical Areas are divided into 388 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs – 381 for

15150-517: The country, Stanton College Preparatory School and Paxon School for Advanced Studies . The St. Johns County School District , Clay County School District , Nassau County School District , and Baker County School District manage the public schools in their respective counties. Greater Jacksonville is served by one major airport – Jacksonville International Airport , which handled approximately 7.2 million passengers in 2019. The airport has three concourses with only two being operational. Concourse B

15300-548: The country. For urban centers outside metropolitan areas, that generate a similar attraction at smaller scale for their region, the concept of the Regiopolis and respectively regiopolitan area or region was introduced by German professors in 2006. In 2001 Italy transformed 14 provinces of some of the country's largest cities into Metropolitan Cities . Therefore, the territory of the Metropolitan City corresponds to that of

15450-524: The country. Currently, there are 10 metropolitan cities in Indonesia that have been recognized by the government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Metropolitan_areas_of_Malaysia Pakistan has nine metropolitan areas with populations greater than a million. Five of these are entirely in Punjab including Lahore , Faisalabad , Gujranwala , Multan ; one ( Islamabad-Rawalpindi is split between Punjab and

15600-513: The early 19th century, frustrated when trying to navigate through floating islands of macrophytes , or muck and weeds, as the islands changed location with the creeping flow. Lakes Washington , Winder , and Poinsett are located further along this stretch of the river. The northernmost points of the upper basin contain the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area , created in 1977 to assist with filtration of waters flowing into

15750-483: The estuarine habitat. Mollusks gather at the St. Johns estuary in large numbers, feeding on the bottom of the river and ocean floors. The abundance and importance of oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) is apparent in the many middens left by the Timucua in mounds many feet high. Oysters and other mollusks serve as the primary food source of shorebirds. The large trees that line the river from its source to south of Jacksonville begin to transition into salt marshes east of

15900-485: The evaporation of water called evaporites . What covers the peninsula is the result of simultaneous processes of deposits of sands, shells, and coral, and erosion from water and weather. As ocean water has retreated and progressed, the peninsula has been covered with sea water at least seven times. Waves compressed sands, calcium carbonate, and shells into limestone ; at the ocean's edge, beach ridges were created by this depositional forming. North–south axis rivers, such as

16050-1131: The functional extent of a city as it contains the majority of the commuting population. GCCSAs replaced "Statistical Divisions" used until 2011. Other metropolitan areas in Australia include cross border cities or continuous built-up areas between two or more cities that are connected by an extensive public transport network that allows for commuting for work or services. In Bangladesh , the large population centres which have significant financial, political and administrative importance are considered to be as Metropolitan cities, which are governed by City Corporations . In total, there are 12 city corporations in Bangladesh. 4 of them ( Dhaka North City Corporation , Dhaka South City Corporation , Narayanganj City Corporation , Gazipur City Corporation ) are part of Dhaka Metropolitan Area . In China , there used to be no clear distinction between megalopolis ( 城市群 , lit. city cluster) and metropolitan area ( 都市圈 ) until National Development and Reform Commission issued Guidelines on

16200-798: The human tissue. Further climate change between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago led to the Middle Archaic period; evidence suggests that human habitation near the St. Johns River first occurred during this era. Populations of indigenous people increased significantly at this time, and numerous settlements near the St. Johns have been recorded from this era; the banks of the St. Johns and its arteries are dotted with middens filled with thousands of shells, primarily those of Viviparus georgianus —a freshwater snail—and oysters. The advent of regional types of pottery and stone tools made of flint or limestone marked further advancements around 500 BCE . The Archaic people transitioned into settled groups around Florida. From

16350-429: The lake by building some of its downtown area on the waterfront; citizens use boat transportation and Sanford's public dock to commute into town. Optimally an 8-foot (2.4 m) deep channel about 100 yards (91 m) wide after leaving Lake Monroe, the St. Johns meets its most significant tributary in the middle basin, the spring-fed Wekiva River , discharging approximately 42,000,000 US gallons (160,000,000 L)

16500-509: The land was far from water—most fresh water was contained in glaciers and polar ice caps. As a result, Florida was an arid landscape with few trees, dominated by grasslands and scrub vegetation. Around 9,000 years ago, the climate warmed, melting much of the polar ice caps and many glaciers, creating a wetter environment and submerging half the peninsular shelf. As Paleo-Indians now did not have to travel as far to find water, their camps became more permanent, turning into villages. With evidence of

16650-455: The larger St. Johns. Wetlands in the upper and middle basin are fed by rainwater, trapped by the structure of the surrounding land. It is an oxygen- and nutrient-poor environment; what grows usually does so in peat which is created by centuries of decaying plant material. Water levels fluctuate with the subtropical wet and dry seasons. Rain in central and north Florida occurs seasonally during summer and winter, but farther south rain in winter

16800-501: The largest tributary, and one of significant historical importance. The Ocklawaha (also printed as Oklawaha) drainage basin expands through Orange, Lake, Marion, and Alachua Counties, comprising a total of 2,769 square miles (7,170 km ). Ocala , Gainesville , and the northern suburbs of the Orlando metropolitan area are included in this basin. There are two headwaters for the Ocklawaha:

16950-560: The length of the river while visiting the southeastern United States from 1765 to 1766. They published journals describing their experiences and the plants and animals they observed. They were charged by King George III to find the source of the river they called the Picolata or San Juan, and measured its widths and depths, taking soil samples as they traveled southward. William returned to Florida from 1773 to 1777 and wrote another journal about his travels, while he collected plants and befriended

17100-501: The limestone and can form caverns. When the overlay of these caverns is particularly thin—less than 100 feet (30 m)— sinkholes can form. Where the limestone or sand/clay overlay dissolves over the aquifer and the pressure of the water pushes out, springs form. The upper and middle basins of the St. Johns River are located in a portion of the peninsula where the aquifer system is thinly confined, meaning springs and sinkholes are abundant. Springs are measured in magnitude of how much water

17250-474: The local Timucua and Mocamas were friendly. The colony was unable to support itself; some of the French deserted. Those who remained were killed in 1565 by the Spanish, led by Pedro Menéndez, when they marched north from St. Augustine and captured Fort Caroline. The river was renamed San Mateo by the Spanish in honor of the Apostle Matthew, whose feast was the following day. Capturing Fort Caroline allowed

17400-572: The local economy and supports 10,000 jobs. The U.S. Navy has two bases in the Jacksonville area: Naval Station Mayport , at the mouth of the river, serves as the second largest Atlantic Fleet operation and home port in the country. Naval Air Station Jacksonville is one of the service's largest air installations, home to two air wings and over 150 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, and the host for one of only two full-fledged Naval Hospitals remaining in Florida. If I could have, to hold forever, one brief place and time of beauty, I think I might choose

17550-534: The majority of plant life is aquatic. Wetland staples include the American white waterlily ( Nymphaea odorata ), pitcher plants , and Virginia iris ( Iris virginica ). In the southernmost points of the river, Cladium , or sawgrass, grows in vast swaths of wet prairie that at one time extended into the Everglades . These wetland flora are remarkably successful in filtering pollutants that otherwise find their way into

17700-415: The middle basin due not only to the deluge but the flat slopes of the river. Typically, however, the St. Johns basin receives between 50 and 54 inches (1,300 and 1,400 mm) of rain annually, half of it in summer months. The rate of evapotranspiration corresponds to rainfall, ranging between 27 and 57 inches (690 and 1,450 mm) a year, most of it occurring in the summer. The entire river lies within

17850-448: The mouth at Mayport averages 15,000 cubic feet (420 m ) per second, but with tides it exceeds 50,000 cubic feet (1,400 m ) per second, and following heavy rains combined with tides can top 150,000 cubic feet (4,200 m ) per second. Farther upriver, the discharge rate ranges from 1,030 cubic feet (29 m ) per second near Lake Poinsett to 2,850 cubic feet (81 m ) per second near DeLand. The confluence of numerous springs,

18000-505: The nearly flat Pamlico terrace, giving it an overall gradient of 0.8 inches (2.0 cm) per mile (km); it is one of the flattest major rivers on the continent. Its proximity to the ocean in the lower basin affects its rise and fall with tides and salinity. Tides regularly affect water levels as far south as Lake George; when combined with extreme winds, the river's tidal effects can extend to Lake Monroe 161 miles (259 km) away and have on occasion reached Lake Harney. Tides typically raise

18150-469: The next or through drought and flood cycles. Of vertebrates, numerous species of frog, salamander, snake, turtle, and alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ) proliferate in marsh waters. Most of these animals are active at night. Frog choruses are overwhelming; during alligator mating season the grunts of bulls join in. The marshes around the St. Johns River upper basin teem with birds. A recent study counted 60,000 birds in one month, nesting or feeding in

18300-514: The night on that high lonely bank above the St. Johns River — Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in Cross Creek Using an unofficial nickname of "The River City", Jacksonville has a culture centered on the St. Johns. An annual footrace named the Gate River Run accepts 18,000 participants who travel a course along and over the river twice. The largest kingfishing tournament in the U.S. is held on

18450-430: The offset. Although seismic activity in Florida is mostly insignificant, several minor earthquakes have occurred near the St. Johns River, caused by the trough created by Pangaean rifting . All of Florida's abundant fresh water is the result of precipitation that returns to the atmosphere in a process called evapotranspiration that involves evaporation and transpiration of moisture from plants. As rains fall, most of

18600-628: The only totems in North America to have been found outside of the Pacific Northwest—shaped like a pelican and otter were found in 1978 after being snagged by a barge at the bottom of the river. River otters ( Lutra canadensis ) can be found through the length of the St. Johns and its tributaries, living in burrows or in the roots of trees bordering waterways. They eat crayfish, turtles, and small fish, and are active usually at night, playful but shy of human contact. The St. Johns creeps into

18750-424: The peninsula. Early Spanish explorers named the river Rio de Corientes (River of Currents). The St. Johns River became the first place colonized in the region and its first battleground: when French explorer Jean Ribault erected a monument south of the river's mouth to make the French presence known, it alarmed the Spanish who had been exploring the southern and western coast of the peninsula for decades. Ribault

18900-403: The region "surrounding urban centers for the supply of immediate needs of the population". Intended for policy planning purposes, as of March 2021 census data is not tabulated on the level of these Areas, but instead at the municipality or state level. In Canada, a census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA) consists of one or more neighboring municipalities centered around

19050-541: The river and broad, shallow lakes. Two of the largest lakes in the middle basin are created by the river: Lake Harney and Lake Monroe. The shallow 9-square-mile (23 km ) Lake Harney is fed by the long narrow Puzzle Lake ; immediately north is the Econlockhatchee River , which joins to increase the volume of the St. Johns to where navigation becomes easier for larger boats. The river veers west, touching on Lake Jesup before it empties into Lake Monroe , passing

19200-462: The river has a long backwater . It ebbs and flows with tides that pass through the barrier islands and up the channel. Uniquely, it shares the same regional terrain as the parallel Kissimmee River , although the Kissimmee flows south. The St. Johns River is separated into three basins and two associated watersheds managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District . Because the river flows in

19350-478: The river is by airboat . Approximately 3,500 lakes lie within the overall St. Johns watershed; all are shallow, with maximum depths between 3 and 10 feet (1 and 3 m). The river flows into many of the lakes, which further confuses navigation. Eight larger lakes and five smaller ones lie in the upper basin; one of the first is named Lake Hell 'n Blazes (sometimes polished to read as Lake Helen or Hellen Blazes), referencing oaths yelled by boatmen and fishermen in

19500-452: The river is the most navigable and shipping is its primary use. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains shipping channels at least 12 feet (3.7 m) deep and 100 feet (30 m) wide. North of Jacksonville, the channels are expanded to 40 feet (12 m) deep and between 400 and 900 feet (120 and 270 m) wide. The towns and cities along the lower basin of the river are some of the oldest in Florida, and their histories have centered on

19650-508: The river level about 1.2 feet (0.37 m) at Jacksonville, decreasing some to 0.7 feet (0.21 m) at Orange Park where the river widens, and increasing back to 1.2 feet (0.37 m) at Palatka as it narrows. As a result of tidal effects, discharge measurements in the lower basin are often inaccurate. However, the estimated rate of discharge between the Ocklawaha River and the center of Jacksonville ranges from 4,000 to 8,300 cubic feet (110 to 240 m ) per second. The nontidal discharge at

19800-492: The river muck. Although the Spanish had colonized Florida for two centuries, the state remained the last part of the east coast of the United States to be developed and explored. Following the Civil War, the State of Florida was too far in debt to build roads and rail lines to further its progress. Florida Governor William Bloxham in 1881 appealed directly to a Pennsylvania-based industrialist named Hamilton Disston , initially to build canals to improve steamboat passage through

19950-436: The river's course runs through Jacksonville with a population of more than a million. Much of the economic base of Jacksonville depends on the river: 18,000,000 short tons (16,000,000 t) of goods are shipped in and out of Jacksonville annually. Exports include paper, phosphate, fertilizers, and citrus, while major imports include oil, coffee, limestone, cars, and lumber. The Port of Jacksonville produces $ 1.38 billion in

20100-450: The river. For 37 miles (60 km) the river passes through a 1,200-square-mile (3,100 km ) basin fed primarily by springs and stormwater runoff. This basin, spreading throughout Orange, Lake , Volusia , and Seminole Counties, is home to the greater Orlando metropolitan area, where two million people live and major tourist attractions are located. The topography of the middle basin varies between clearly distinguishable banks along

20250-404: The river. Both Palatka and Green Cove Springs have been popular tourist destinations in the past. Several smaller locations along the river sprang up around ferry landings, but when rail lines and then Interstate highways were constructed closer to the Atlantic Coast, many of the towns experienced significant economic decline, and ferry landings were forgotten. The final 35 miles (56 km) of

20400-493: The sandy soil and collects in a slight valley. The upper basin measures approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 km ); the St. Johns transforms into a navigable waterway in Brevard County . The river touches on the borders of Osceola and Orange Counties , and flows through the southeast tip of Seminole County , transitioning into its middle basin a dozen miles (19 km) or so north of Titusville . The upper basin of

20550-566: The southern tip of Lake George , the second largest lake in Florida at 72 square miles (190 km ), 6 miles (9.7 km) wide and 12 miles (19 km) long. The watershed surrounding Lake George expands through 3,590 square miles (9,300 km ), lying within Ocala National Forest and Lake George State Forest , that protect an ecosystem dominated by pine and scrub more than 380,000 acres (1,500 km ) and 21,000 acres (85 km ) in size, respectively. Flatwoods forests dominate

20700-445: The summer months. Where the river widens between Palatka and Jacksonville, wind becomes a significant factor in navigation, and both whitecap waves and calm surface waters are common. Rain occurs more frequently in late summer and early fall. Tropical storms and nor'easters are common occurrences along the Atlantic coast of Florida; the St. Johns River lies between 10 and 30 miles (16 and 48 km) inland, so any storm striking

20850-492: The upper basin. Wading and water birds like the white ibis ( Eudocimus albus ), wood stork ( Mycteria americana ), and purple gallinule ( Porphyrio martinicus ) depend on the water for raising their young: they prey upon small fish and tadpoles in shallow water and puddles in the dry season. In successful seasons, their colonies can number in the thousands, creating a cacophony of calls and fertilizing trees with their droppings. The river turns north again as it rolls through

21000-400: The urban center by commuting. The Australian Bureau of Statistics uses Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSAs), which are geographical areas designed to represent the functional extent of each of the eight state and territory capital cities. They were designed to reflect labor markets, using the 2011 Census "travel to work" data. Labor markets are sometimes used as proxy measures of

21150-428: The water is directed to lakes, streams, and rivers. However, a significant amount of fresh water is held underground but close to the surface in aquifers . A surficial aquifer consisting mostly of clay, shells, and sand is over a confining layer of denser materials. Wells are drilled in the surficial aquifer, which supplies better quality water in areas where the deepest aquifer has a high mineral content. Occasionally

21300-433: The world" in a travel guide he published in 1876. The river gave Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings access to the St. Johns from her homestead at Orange Lake . The region served as a major fishing attraction until a decline in water quality occurred in the 1940s, and since then further degradation of the river and its sources have occurred. In particular, Lake Apopka earned the designation of Florida's most polluted lake following

21450-517: The year 2000, 3.5 million people lived within the various watersheds that feed into the St. Johns River. Starting in Brevard County and meeting the Atlantic Ocean at Duval County , the St. Johns is Florida's primary commercial and recreational waterway. It flows north from its headwaters, originating in the direction of the Lake Wales Ridge , which is only slightly elevated at 30 feet (9.1 m) above sea level. Because of this low elevation drop,

21600-419: Was altered to make way for agricultural and residential centers, suffering severe pollution and redirection that has diminished its ecosystem . The St. Johns, named one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998, was number 6 on a list of America's Ten Most Endangered Rivers in 2008. Restoration efforts are underway for the basins around the St. Johns as Florida's population continues to increase. Historically,

21750-543: Was defined differently than the AAV, has now been discarded by INSEE and replaced with the AAV in order to facilitate international comparisons. Metropolitan regions in Germany by definition, are the eleven urban areas that are the most densely populated areas in the Federal Republic of Germany . They comprise the major German cities and their surrounding catchment areas and form the political, commercial and cultural centers of

21900-431: Was demolished in 2009 due to a significant decrease in passengers and flights. It is scheduled to be rebuilt when traffic increases at the airport, which was projected to happen in 2013. The airport has gone through many changes over the recent years. Both Concourse A and Concourse C were both rebuilt with ten gates each and moving walkways. Future plans call for expanding the newly built concourses by 2020 and possibly adding

22050-497: Was detained after he returned to Europe. In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière arrived to build Fort Caroline at the mouth of the St. Johns River; they called the river Rivière de Mai because they settled it on May 1. An artist named Jacques LeMoyne documented what he saw among the Timucuan people in 1564, portraying them as physically powerful and not lacking for provisions. Fort Caroline did not last long, though relations with

22200-629: Was responsible for removing the Alachua Seminoles west of the Suwannee River , either killing them or forcing them farther south towards Lake County, in 1818. Jackson's efforts became the First Seminole War , and were rewarded by the naming of a cattle crossing across a wide portion of the St. Johns near the Georgia border—previously named Cowford—to Jacksonville. The result of Jackson's offensive

22350-541: Was the 34th largest CSA. The components of the CSA with their estimated 2020 populations are listed below: As of the census of 2010, there were 1,345,596 people, 524,146 households, and 350,483 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 69.9% White , 21.8% African American , 0.4% Native American , 3.4% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 1.8% from other races , and 2.6% from two or more races. 12.9% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for

22500-474: Was the transfer of Florida to the U.S. Following the Seminole Wars, a gradual increase in commerce and population occurred on the St. Johns, made possible by steamship travel. Steamboats heralded a heyday for the river, and before the advent of local railroads, they were the only way to reach interior portions of the state. They also afforded the citizens of Jacksonville a pastime to watch competing races. By

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