(Source of picture: Florida Photographic Collection)

Jacksonville's Navy bases have prove lucrative for local business people, ranging from storeowners to real estate agents.  Dating from just three years after World War II, this 1948 photo depicts an empty shop on North Ocean Street downtown.  The store, operated by Bob Johnson, had sold sailor's uniforms. 

In order to bring the Navy to the River City, residents had to prime the pump.  During the late 1930s, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce made a very determined effort to have a Navy complex established.  A 1.1 million dollar bond issue added to the city's appeal.  (In today's money, this would be over 13 million dollars.)  Large tracts of land at Mayport and along the St. Johns River were bought & given to the Navy.  Consequently, Jacksonville Naval Air Station holds an unusually distinction:  It ranks as the first & only military installation in the US that was founded as a result of a gift from local citizens.