Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city by population in the U.S. state of Florida, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968. Consolidation gave Jacksonville its great size and placed most of its metropolitan population within the city limits; with an estimated population of 853,382 in 2014, it is the most populous city proper in Florida and the Southeast, and the 12th most populous in the United States. Jacksonville is the principal city in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, with a population of 1,345,596 in 2010.

Jacksonville is in the First Coast region of northeast Florida and is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River, about 25 miles (40 km) south of the Georgia state line and about 340 miles (550 km) north of Miami. The Jacksonville Beaches communities are along the adjacent Atlantic coast. The area was originally inhabited by the Timucua people, and in 1564 was the site of the French colony of Fort Caroline, one of the earliest European settlements in what is now the continental United States. Under British rule, settlement grew at the narrow point in the river where cattle crossed, known as Wacca Pilatka to the Seminole and the Cow Ford to the British. A platted town was established there in 1822, a year after the United States gained Florida from Spain; it was named after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and seventh President of the United States.

Amelia Island

Amelia Island is an island in Nassau County, Florida. One of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands stretching along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida, it is 13 miles (21 km) long and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) wide at its widest point. The communities of Fernandina Beach and Amelia City are both located on the island.

Named for Princess Amelia, daughter of George II of Great Britain, the island has changed hands between colonial powers a number of times. It is claimed that eight flags have flown over Amelia Island: French, Spanish, British, Patriot, Green Cross, Mexican, Confederate, and United States.

History

Native American settlement to British Loyalist haven

Native American bands associated with the Timucua people settled on the island, which they called Napoyca, circa 1000. They would remain there until the early 18th century. In 1562, French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault became the first recorded European visitor to Napoyca, and named the island Île de Mai. In 1565, Spanish forces led by Pedro Menendez de Aviles drove the French from northeastern Florida by attacking their stronghold at Fort Caroline on the Rivière de Mai (later called Río de San Juan by the Spanish) and then slaughtering Ribault and perhaps 350 other French colonists who had been shipwrecked further down the coast.

Downtown Jacksonville

Downtown Jacksonville is the historic core and central business district (CBD) of Jacksonville, Florida USA. It comprises the earliest area of the city to be developed and is located in its geographic center along the narrowing point of the St. Johns River. There are various definitions of what constitutes Jacksonville's downtown; the one used by the city government and other entities defines it as including five districts: the Downtown Core (or Northbank), the Southbank, LaVilla, Brooklyn, and the Sports Complex. The area features offices for major corporations such as CSX Corporation, Fidelity National Financial, EverBank, Bank of America, Prudential Financial, Wells Fargo, AT&T, and Aetna.

Area

Multiple definitions of Downtown Jacksonville are in common use. Often, the name "Downtown" is used exclusively for the historical core. This is bounded roughly by State Street to the north, Hogans Creek to the east, the St. Johns River to the south, and the LaVilla neighborhood to the west. This definition is used, for example, by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission and their book, Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage. However, the City of Jacksonville and other entities use a wider definition that includes not only the Downtown Core (also known as the Northbank), but surrounding areas on both sides of the river. In this definition, the boundaries are State Street to the north, the St. Johns River to the east, and Interstate 95 to the south and west. This area covers 1,234 acres (499 ha; 1.928 sq mi). Downtown Vision, Inc., which oversees Jacksonville's downtown improvement district, covers an even smaller area of about 90 blocks in the Downtown Core and Southbank, bounded by Church Street in the north, Market Street in the east, Prudential Drive in the south, and Broad Street in the west.

Super 8

Super 8 or Super Eight may refer to:

Media and entertainment

Film

Games

Music

Television

Sports

Other uses

SpringHill Suites

SpringHill Suites is part of the Marriott International family of hotels. This chain is aimed towards the upper-moderate-priced, all-suite lodging segment of the hotel industry. All properties feature a Suite Seasons hot breakfast buffet, feature complimentary high-speed internet access, an exercise room, and most have a pool.

History

In 1999, its first fiscal year, six managed and twenty-eight franchised locations made up the thirty-four total SpringHill Suites properties. Seven years later, in 2006, that number had increased by nearly five times, with 153 properties operating under the SpringHill Suites banner in North America. As of April 3, 2009 there are 210 total SpringHill Suites in North America. In July 2006, the SpringHill Suites Grand Rapids - Airport opened with the first lobby bar in brand history (52fifty Lounge). In the years since, Marriott has opened numerous properties featuring lobby bars. As of March 2015, there are 321 SpringHill Suites.

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