What might have been...

[iMarvin]

Other than cowford it has been all of those names.  Cowford was a place to cross the river shown on a map but not the name of the area.  It is like saying the Landing there are ship landings in many place that is not the name of a place.

Oh, well honestly I would rather live in area called Jacksonville than Fort Caroline or any of those other names. Just doesn't sound like Florida...

[Riverrat]

What if JAX had used it's early-to-mid-century clout to move the capital from Tallahassee?
What if the City had never consolidated with Duval County?
What if the City had never sold out to the bus companies and held onto its streetcar system?

I meant to add your first one to my original list And amen to your other two as well!

[north miami]

It is the bad decisions knowingly made in the face of opposition,predictive capability that really sting.

Down clay County way I distinctly recall then Clay County Planning Director Dick Post prophetic warnings of "buying the farm" and harming the county's future.
Only a couple of decades later,the Clay 'conservative' mantra morphed to:"Don't worry-this project won't happen in twenty five years....."

Also frustrating is the dynamic whereby poor decisions made (and even opposed) in relative obscurity only reveal themselves to the general public once it is 'too late'.

[Timkin]

What if....

Most of the Grande Hotels that once graced our downtown were still there?

Or the Department Stores?

Or the Theaters?

[DavidWilliams]

...Or the brothels? 

[dougskiles]

What if the Jaguars had never come to town?

What if we still had the foul smell from the mills?

What if UF and Georgia never agreed to play one game a year in Jacksonville - or had decided not to renew?

[Riverrat]

What if the Jaguars had never come to town?

What if we still had the foul smell from the mills?

What if UF and Georgia never agreed to play one game a year in Jacksonville - or had decided not to renew?

There are absolutely a long list of positives as well...but there are just some really interesting "what if/why didn't that happen" situations that go under the category..."things that make ya go hmmmm"

[obie1]

Good thing Jacksonville didn't subsidize the move downtown of one of those shady for-profit Art Institutes and its useless scammy programs. They are being sued by the government for fraud to which I say better late than never: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/education/09forprofit.html

[Keith-N-Jax]

Other than cowford it has been all of those names.  Cowford was a place to cross the river shown on a map but not the name of the area.  It is like saying the Landing there are ship landings in many place that is not the name of a place.

Oh, well honestly I would rather live in area called Jacksonville than Fort Caroline or any of those other names. Just doesn't sound like Florida...

I agree I think Jacksonville is ok, Ft. Caroline sounds like a city in Carolina

[MusicMan]

Here's one: What if Florida Coastal Moved into the old JEA Tower near the new courthouse?  I would give it to them in return for a promise to permanently move their campus there.