The city is home to Jacksonville State University, which is a center of commerce and one of the largest employers in the area.

Jacksonville was founded in July 20, 1833, on land purchased from Creek Indian Chief "Du-Hoag" Ladiga.

First called Drayton,[3] the town was renamed to honor President Andrew Jackson in 1834.

An EF3 tornado hit Jacksonville on March 19, 2018, causing extensive damage to the city and the university of almost $42 million.

[4] The relatively low number of casualties – just four injuries – was attributed by some to the fact that the university was on spring break at the time.

Dr. John Beeler, the university's president, said "It's a joyous event generally because you're celebrating the accomplishments of all your graduates, but it's an even more joyous event because to me it's a celebration of how far we've come in a short time in recovering from these tornadoes.

[8] It lies in a valley between Choccolocco Mountain to the east and smaller ridges to the west.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,385 people, 4,518 households, and 2,472 families residing in the city.