Maroon and gold stripes, a fountain at the center, a motto proclaiming "BOLD • NEW • CITY OF THE SOUTH." Jacksonville's flag displays a confidence the city had to rebuild.
Jacksonville is absurdly large. The largest city by area in the contiguous United States – more sprawling than Rhode Island. This odd size comes from the 1968 consolidation: the city merged with Duval County, absorbing dozens of municipalities. The result: a "city" that includes beaches, marshes, suburbs, rural areas.
Johns River runs through the city from south to north – one of the few American rivers to flow northward. Along its banks: massive naval bases, a major military port, banking and logistics hubs.
The motto "Bold New City of the South" dates from the 1960s, when Jacksonville tried to reinvent itself after corruption scandals and racial tensions. The flag projects a civic harmony that the more complex history contradicts.
But Jacksonville grew, spread, absorbed. The flag's fountain symbolizes friendship – Friendship Fountain – the promise of a city that wants to believe in itself.