(Source of images: Florida State Archives)

You're looking at the largest vehicle import-export center on America's East Coast.  And it's here in Jacksonville, the Gateway to Florida.  Managed by JaxPort, the Blount Island Marine Terminal lays on the St. Johns River between downtown Jax and the Atlantic Ocean.   In addition to vehicles, the facility also handles recreational boats, tractors, paper, wood pulp and a variety of general cargoes.  The photo dates from May 30, 1980.  In the picture below, tractors are offloaded in Jacksonville during the 1960s.

TRADE & THE RIVER CITY -- Jacksonville has done away with the unsightly wharves and warehouses that used to bedevil its downtown.  These improvements began during the mid 1950s.  But where did the trade facilities disappear to?  By the Fifties, most of the shipping had moved to newer docks in the Talleyrand Road area, which lays east of the current Alltel Stadium.  More recently, the facilities have become even more dispersed, situated along the St. Johns River between downtown Jax and the Atlantic Ocean.  Consequently, the downtown riverfront appears more attractive and less cluttered.  Ride over the Fuller Warren Bridge by day and you'll see a most impressive skyline & waterfront.  At night, the view is simply awesome.

The River City still operates as a major harbor today, and JaxPort is a big reason why.  This independent government agency manages three local seaport terminals.  It develops, maintains, and markets the public terminals at Blount Island, Talleyrand, and Dames Point.  JaxPort functions as their landlord, coordinating their use by private companies.  The three facilities move more than seven million tons of cargo each year.  Also known as the Jacksonville Port Authority, JaxPort was established by the Florida legislature in 1963.   

Jacksonville's harbor, moreover, is served by nearly 20 privately-owned marine terminals.  Carrying on without support or management from JaxPort, these facilities move 10 million tons of cargo annually. 

When it comes to total tonnage, Jacksonville ranks as about the 40th largest port in the U.S.  It stands as the the 3rd largest in Florida, behind only the Port of Tampa and Port Everglades (in the Fort Lauderdale area).  In fact, Jacksonville handled over 615,000 vehicles in 2002, making it America's largest automobile handling port, according to the JaxPort website.
 

A big Jacksonville advantage is that its harbor is linked to places in all directions.  The city offers superb railroad and highway connections.  Jacksonville is served by three interstate highways and three major railroads (CSX, Florida East Coast Railway, and Norfolk Southern).  Four local airports also complement its seaport terminals.
 

By the way, Jacksonville is called America's First Port for good reason.  Jean Ribault and his French Huguenots first visited the First Coast in 1562.  They crossed a shallow sand bar into the St. Johns River and named it Riviere de Mai (River of May).  Two years later, the Huguenots built Fort Caroline.  The following year, the English trader John Hawkins sailed into the French colony to replenish his water supply.  He traded some guns and ammunition for food and a vessel.  This transaction ranks as the first recorded act of international waterborne commerce in the New World.

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