Jacksonville has been a consolidated city since the late 19th century, long before the great consolidation of 1968, La Villa, Brooklyn, Riverside, etc. were all separate municipalities at one time, and they considered it in their best interests to become neighborhoods of Jacksonville, I'm hoping that someday soon Baldwin will choose to become one with the river city.
Looking back, it would have been better for cities like LaVilla, East Jacksonville and Murray Hill to maintain their independence. Once Murray Hill consolidated with Jacksonville, it didn't have another sidewalk built within its borders for fifty years. At the time of LaVilla's absorption into Jacksonville, it was one of the most vibrant urban minority communities in the South. By the late 1990s, it had been completely taken out by political interest from people who lived and had business interest outside of its borders. After merging with Jacksonville, all East Jacksonville got was an elevated expressway bypassing it, a huge expressway interchange taking out its heart and tailgate lots around the Gator Bowl consuming another chunk of it. Looking outside of Duval County, Hamtramck is a city in Michigan, completely surrounded by Detroit. While Detroit has nosedived after 1950, Hamtramck remains a densely populated and fairly vibrant community. I doubt it would have remained that way if it had merged with Detroit. With that in mind, as long as the can stay sustainable, the remaining cities left in Duval County should strive to keep their independence and identity.