Blood, Trauma, and Biohazard Cleanup in Jacob City, FL

Jacob City is a small incorporated city in Jackson County in the Florida Panhandle, and it grew out of Jackson County's first Black community, the mid-1800s settlement known simply as Jacob.

Jacob City takes its name from Jacob Jones, a white landowner who sheltered formerly enslaved African Americans on his property, so that newcomers would tell their friends, "Let's go to Jacob's."

The community's roots reach back to 1752 under Spanish Florida, and in the early 19th century many formerly enslaved people moved there from Webbville to escape harassment, building a permanent settlement far from the county seat of Marianna, where Black people were not welcome.

St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church, built on what is now Main Street in the late 19th century, still serves the community and is commemorated by a Jacob City historical marker.

Jacob City was incorporated in 1983, when the community became the City of Jacob City, joined the Florida League of Cities, and built its own city hall.

The 2020 census counted 217 residents in Jacob City living in 122 households, down from a peak of 281 residents in 2000.

Jacob City remains predominantly African American, with Black residents making up about 88% of the population in the 2020 census.

Jacob City's children once attended St. Paul's School near Campbellton, an elementary and high school established in 1953 that operated until 1972; students now attend school in Cottondale or Graceville.

Jacob City has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers, mild winters, and roughly 51 inches of rain a year.

The city's official motto is "Where Generations Take Pride in Calling this Home."