NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Biggest and smallest Florida cities

Separated by just 60 miles and an hour’s drive on I-95, Florida’s biggest city, Jacksonville, and its smallest both sit within Jacksonville Today’s readership area. Our Number of the Week is nine, the last official population count of Florida’s smallest town: Marineland — where dolphins outnumber people 2-to-1.

9

The tiny town that straddles both St. Johns and Flagler counties is in flux. Following the death of Marineland’s mayor in May, the minute metro (now unofficially down to eight residents) struggled to appoint a new leader according to its charter’s rules. Its signature tourist attraction, Marineland Dolphin Adventure, is also on the market under its parent company’s bankruptcy. (The sale will include the park’s 17 dolphins.)

Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.

On the flip side, Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city by population. With more than 1 million residents, Jacksonville earns this designation largely because of the city’s consolidation with Duval County in the late 1960s. The combined population of Miami and Tampa, Florida’s second- and third-largest cities, respectively, is still less than Jacksonville’s population.

Are you one of the more than 1 million people who chose Jacksonville as your home? Drop us a note to let us know why at jessica@jaxtoday.org. You might see your response in a future Jacksonville Today newsletter.