Jacksonville

Jacksonville, city, Pulaski county, central Arkansas, U.S., 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Little Rock. The locality was settled before the American Civil War but did not develop until the 1860s, when a local resident, Nicholas Jackson, offered land for a Cairo and Fulton (now Union Pacific) Railroad depot. The town, named for him in 1870, became a distribution point for farm produce. The economy diversified after World War II, especially with the dedication of Little Rock Air Force Base, immediately to the north, in 1955. Manufactures include aluminum cookware, construction lasers, wood cabinets, and wallpaper. Inc. 1942. Pop. (2000) 29,916; (2010) 28,364.