A boom for Jacksonville's economy?
A new day may be dawning in Jacksonville. Long a home for north Florida and south Georgia farmers looking for a better economic future, Jax has been a "deep South" stronghold in Florida.
The blue collar roots run deep. Passions about football (both the annual Florida/Georgia game and the NFL's Jaguars) define the die hard mentality of its people. It is hard to think of the Van Zant family ever being from another Southern city. Still, Jacksonville has struggled to keep up with the rising wages across the rest of Florida. However, there is hope on the horizon.
The Florida Times-Union reported this week about Jacksonville's bright future as an international trade center. Japanese shipping conglomerate Mitsui O.S.K chose the city as its East Coast hub. This represents the first direct link between Jacksonville and Asia. Now it looks as though other large US companies are strongly considering Jax for distribution facilities.
Let's hope that Mitsui brings more high paying jobs to the Jacksonville region. It is time for Jax to reclaim its "port city" roots with a dynamic trade economy.
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