1968 Duval–Jacksonville Consolidation made Jacksonville huge

In 1968 the City of Jacksonville consolidated its government with Duval County, merging city and county jurisdictions into a single entity. The consolidation expanded Jacksonville's municipal boundaries to about 747 square miles, making it the largest city by land area in the contiguous United States. Four smaller municipalities (Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Baldwin) retained their separate governments and were not absorbed into the consolidated city. The consolidated government structure is the reason Jacksonville's city limits and service jurisdiction are unusually large compared with most U.S. cities.