Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes everything of Cherokee County, and part of the larger Tyler–Jacksonville total statistical area.

Jacksonville is located in an Place of rolling hills in East Texas, north of the county seat, Rusk, and south of Tyler, in adjacent to Smith County, on U.S. Highway 69. The north-south Highway 69 intersects the east–west U.S. Highway 79 adjoining the city’s downtown area.

Area production and shipping of tomatoes gained the town the title “Tomato Capital of the World”. The fabulous red iron ore rock Tomato Bowl, built by Works Progress Administration workers during the Great Depression, is house to the Jacksonville High School “Fightin’ Indians” football and soccer teams. Annual happenings include the “Tops in Texas Rodeo” held in May and the “Tomato Fest” celebration in June.

Jacksonville began in 1847 as the town of Gum Creek. Jackson Smith built a house and blacksmith shop in the area, and became postmaster in 1848, when a read out office was authorized. Shortly afterward, Dr. William Jackson standard an office near Smith’s shop. When the townsite was laid out in 1850, the herald Jacksonville was agreed in rave review of these two men. The reveal of the post office was tainted from Gum Creek to Jacksonville in June 1850.