There Are Seven Major Bridges In Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida is a city of many bridges, but there are seven main bridges connecting the city. In the late 1800's, Jacksonville was just a small city on the North Bank of the St. Johns River. The river was essential to the citizens of Jacksonville, but prior to the bridges being built, the river was also a obstacle to the growth of the city. Travelling was much more difficult at the time because there were no bridges and if you wanted to travel northeast to southeast, you would have to take a boat down the coast of Florida, or you could cross the river at Jacksonville. Without the bridges, it meant having a job on one side of the river and living on the other side was a bit difficult, as was getting to the beach.
The St Johns River was a major thoroughfare for people and commerce prior to the railroads reaching very far into Florida. For a long time, Jacksonville was the southernmost destination of railroads in the United States. Jacksonville is and has always been a major port town, and at the time was also a big tourist destination, but the rest of the state was still rather uninhabited and very rural. Without the seven bridges in Jacksonville to connect all sides of the St. Johns River, the city wouldn't be what it is today.
Check out the articles below for information about Jacksonville's bridges connecting all sides of the city across the St. Johns River.