Jacksonville is the county seat of and the most populous community in Onslow County, North Carolina, which is coterminous with the Jacksonville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-most populous city in North Carolina.

In 1752, a devastating hurricane destroyed the county seat of Johnston, and Wantlands Ferry, located further up the New River, at the present site of Jacksonville,

Jacksonville and Onslow County continued to rely on naval stores, lumber, and tobacco crops for industry. In 1939, Colonel George W. Gillette of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed and mapped the area from Fort Monroe, Virginia to Fort Sumter, South Carolina which included the Onslow County coastline and the New River. The map is believed to have fostered the interest of the War and Navy Departments in establishing an amphibious training base in the area. Congressman Graham Arthur Barden of New Bern lobbied Congress to appropriate funds for the purchase of about along the eastern bank of the New River. The establishment in 1941 of Marine Barracks, New River, later renamed Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, led to the relocation of 700 families. While the landowners were compensated, many of the families displaced were sharecroppers who did not own the land on which their houses were built, and did not receive compensation for their structures. Some African American families were able to purchase property from Raymond Kellum and established the community of Kellumtown. Other displaced families established communities in Georgetown, Pickettown, Bell Fork, and Sandy Run. The latter communities have since been absorbed by Jacksonville. Colonel Gillette had planned to retire near the small village of Marine, ironically named after a local family whose surname was Marine, but lost his land to the acquisition, as well.

Construction of Camp Lejeune caused a population explosion in the small town of about 800 inhabitants, as new workers migrated to the area. Growth continued to be fueled by both young Marine families and military retirees. Today, Jacksonville's primary industry is retail sales and services. The primary migration draw continues to be the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Bank of Onslow and Jacksonville Masonic Temple, Mill Avenue Historic District, and Pelletier House and Wantland Spring are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2016, Jacksonville became the first jurisdiction to adopt a paid holiday honoring the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which made slavery in the United States and its territories illegal. The resolution of adoption mentions "the prevention of the modern slavery" which it describes as "human trafficking", including child labor and military service.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (13.51%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Jacksonville had a population of 72,723. The median age was 23.3 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 7.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 151.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 165.5 males age 18 and over.

96.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 20,582 households in Jacksonville, including 15,491 families; 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.1% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"

|-

! #

! Employer

! # of employees

|-

|1

|United States Department of Defense

|1000+

|-

|2

|Onslow County Schools

|1000+

|-

|3

|Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

|1000+

|-

|4

|Onslow Memorial Hospital

|1000+

|-

|5

|Onslow County

|1000+

|-

|6

|Walmart

|1000+

|-

|7

|Coastal Carolina Community College

|500–999

|-

|8

|Convergys

||500–999

|-

|9

|City of Jacksonville

|500–999

|-

|10

|Food Lion

|250–499

|-

|11

|Coastal Enterprises

|250–499

|-

|12

|McDonald's

|250–499

|-

|13

|Lowe's

|250–499

|-

|14

|Alorica

|250–499

|-

|15

|Stanadyne

|250–499

|}

Current state of the economy

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from March 2025 to August 2025, there have been slight changes in civilian labor force, employment, unemployment, and unemployment rate values. July 2025, suffer worse declining values compared to the other months mentioned, expected for the unemployment rate, which in that case would be August 2025. Over the course of the 6 months, the general pattern is the unemployment rate has increased over time while people that are employed have decreased over time. <sup>[7]</sup> These factors include a decrease in jobs available and other resources like lack of education, and other resources.

Law and government

The mayor of Jacksonville is Sammy Phillips. The city manager is Joshua W Ray, and the deputy city manager is Ron Massey. The postmaster of Jacksonville is Jamie Thompson.

City Council

The Jacksonville City Council members (as of 2024) are:

Alternative school

  • Onslow County Learning Center

Elementary schools

  • Bell Fork Elementary School
  • Blue Creek Elementary School
  • Carolina Forest Elementary School
  • Clyde Erwin Elementary School
  • Hunters Creek Elementary School
  • Jacksonville Commons Elementary School
  • MeadowView Elementary School
  • Morton Elementary School
  • Northwoods Elementary School
  • Parkwood Elementary School
  • Silverdale Elementary School
  • Southwest Elementary School
  • Stateside Elementary School
  • Summersill Elementary School
  • Thompson Elementary School
  • Dixon Elementary School

Middle schools

  • Dixon Middle School
  • Hunters Creek Middle School
  • Jacksonville Commons Middle School
  • Northwoods Park Middle School
  • New Bridge Middle School
  • Southwest Middle School

High schools

  • Dixon High School
  • Jacksonville High School
  • Northside High School
  • Richlands High School
  • Southwest High School
  • White Oak High School
  • Swansboro High School

MCAS New River is zoned to Delalio Elementary School in MCAS New River and Brewster Middle School and Lejeune High School in Camp Lejeune.

Private schools

  • Fellowship Christian Academy
  • Grace Baptist School
  • Infant Of Prague Catholic School
  • Jacksonville Christian Academy
  • Living Water Christian School
  • Montessori Children's School
  • St. Anne's Day School
  • Shiloh Institute of Learning
  • One World Montessori School

Public magnet schools

  • Clyde Erwin Elementary School (year round school)
  • New Bridge Middle School
  • Northwoods Elementary School (year round school)
  • Onslow Virtual Secondary School

Higher education

  • Coastal Carolina Community College
  • Miller-Motte Technical College - Jacksonville branch
  • University of Mount Olive - Jacksonville branch

Charter school

  • ZECA School of Arts and Technology

Transportation

In 2009, the Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area ranked as the ninth-highest in the United States for ratio of commuters who walked to work (8.1%).

The city's commercial air services are filled by Albert J. Ellis Airport in nearby Richlands.

Notable people

  • Bali Baby, rapper (born in Jacksonville)
  • David Charles Abell, conductor (born in Jacksonville)
  • Ryan Adams, singer-songwriter, who frequently makes reference to Jacksonville in his songs
  • Jones Angell, play-by-play announcer for the North Carolina Tar Heels
  • Troy Barnett, former NFL defensive lineman
  • Art Bell, talk radio host
  • David Braxton, former NFL player
  • Levi Brown, former NFL offensive tackle
  • Joe Cannon, former MLB outfielder
  • Burke Day, Georgia state legislator and businessman
  • Edward B. Dudley, governor, congressman
  • Dave Dunaway, former NFL player
  • Jacob Evans, NBA player
  • Chad Fonville, former MLB player for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox
  • Mike Frier, former NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks
  • David Green, former NFL and CFL player
  • Sara Hickman, singer
  • Marcus Jones, former NFL player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Christina Koch, engineer and NASA astronaut
  • Qasim Mitchell, former NFL player
  • Quincy Monk, former NFL player
  • Donte Paige-Moss, former AFL player
  • Michael R. Nelson, former mayor of Carrboro and first openly gay mayor in North Carolina
  • Dian Parkinson, television personality and model
  • Danielle Peck, singer
  • Andre Purvis, former NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals
  • A.J. Styles, professional wrestler
  • Tyrone Willingham, former head football coach at University of Washington and the University of Notre Dame

See also

  • List of municipalities in North Carolina

References

Further reading

  • Murrell, Stratton C. and Billie Jean. Images of America: Jacksonville and Camp Lejeune, Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
  • Watson, Alan D. Onslow County: A Brief History Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh, 1995.
  • On Cushing's raid: http://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/2012/11/enter-commando-cushings-raid-on.html
  • Jacksonville Daily News Website