What BestPlaces Users Say about Gainesville
Background information:
Gainesville, Florida is a small city located in Alachua County. It is home to the University of Florida and is known for its strong community and vibrant culture. With a population of over 130,000 residents, Gainesville offers a mix of urban amenities and natural beauty, making it an attractive place to live for many people.
User reviews:
According to many user reviews on BestPlaces.net, Gainesville offers a unique and enjoyable living experience. One reviewer, Sarah89, praises the city for its friendly and diverse community, saying, "The people here are incredibly welcoming and there's always something going on for everyone, no matter your interests." Another user, Mark22, highlights the city's affordability, stating, "For a college town, the cost of living here is surprisingly reasonable. I've been able to find a great apartment at a fraction of the cost compared to other cities I've lived in."
However, not all reviews are positive. Noah83 notes that the city can feel crowded and congested at times, saying, "Traffic can be a nightmare during rush hour and it seems like there's always construction going on." Similarly, Alex44 expresses frustration with the lack of job opportunities, saying, "I moved here for the university but have struggled to find work outside of the university setting. This can be a major drawback for those looking to establish a career here."
Despite some drawbacks, many reviewers appreciate the unique charm of Gainesville. Rachel77 describes the city as "quaint and charming," with a strong sense of community. She adds, "I love the local businesses and restaurants, and there is always something fun and interesting happening in the city." Overall, it seems that Gainesville offers a diverse and lively living experience for its residents.
based on 60 ReviewsGet to know Gainesville with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Gainesville
GatorDaze - 5/8/2007
My comments reflect 1/3 a century of knowing the town I did my BSc degree in, and once owned a home in (`73-76).
To some extent it is NOT the fault of Gainesville(GVL) nor the UF, per se. What has happened to GVL has been mirrored in Santa Cruz, Ft.Collins/Boulder, Madison, and Eugene, to name just a few. College towns used to be ideal places to live until about 25 yrs ago, when eventually, enough people told all their out-of-area friends precisely just that.
Then, next thing U know, the ubiquitous & insidious phenomenon begins. First enrollment explodes at the local Univ.; noticing this, transients invade. Not long after, college athletics BOOMS, & the Univ. gains national prominence in one or more sports. Then, working people begin to buy homes there, causing the cost of homes & living to inflate. Next, small high-tech industries try to jump start themselves there, then a WalMart, etc.
Soon thereafter, crime & pollution mushroom...this is all well
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Too many college kids - 4/22/2007
I have lived in Gainesville for 7 years now and cannot wait to move out of town shortly. Northwest Gainesville is nice for families and working adults, but you unfortunately have to venture into the Southwest side of town in order to go to many restaurants and shops (the only Target is over there, for instance). That is where you will be overwhemled by thoughtless college kids who overrun the place. As a 24 year old, I am often the oldest person in a place of business on that side of town, and you can tell. Oh, and almost the entire Eastside is non-livable. I work in downtown, but would not ever want to be caught there after dark. On a good note, there are a lot of outdoor activities to do in and around
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gainesville Florida - 4/16/2007
A University town. Teaching hospital. Close to parks & springs.
Aboout 1 1/2 hrs to beach, and big
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High cost of living in Gainesville FL - 3/15/2007
The cost of living in Gainesville, FL is high. It is difficult to find a 4 bedroom home with over 2000 sq. feet for under $350k. Alachua county property taxes are very high (on avg. 23 mils). The school zoning makes it difficult to find a home in a desirable neighborhood in the desired school district. Couple that with the fact that gas prices are still relatively high (approx. $2.54/gall) and we are surrounded by Publix grocery stores, our predominant source for groceries. Many residents travel 30-40 miles to Ocala, Chiefland or Starke to the Wal-mart Supercenters to save money on groceries. Many families reluctantly rent because they can't afford to pay the annual property taxes even if they were able to buy a home.
This is definitely an environmentally, bicyclists home-friendly, liberal college town. Do not be alarmed by the number of homeless individuals that are staked out at all Interstate exits and in business parking lots. If you are a business owner, you
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Hope to move from Gainesville - 1/9/2007
I count the days till I move out of Gainesville. My family of three moved here four years ago. If you work at U.F. then I guess you might feel connected otherwise there is little elas here. This is very much a college town with little for anyone over 20 something. The housing prices and taxes are thur the roof. There are few large companies here. The pay both professional and non professional tends to be well below average. Some professions (doctors) do well here. There is little to do in Gainesville for families. Most will leave the area on the weekends and travel to the beach, disney. I heard Gainesville was on Money Magazine Best Places in 1995 to Live. Well that was 1995 and now with high housing, high taxes, few good paying jobs outside of working for U.F. or Shands those days are long
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retirement years - 10/28/2006
Hello, we are looking for a good place to retire to and Gainesville came up on the AARP survey for us. We would like to know more about it. Are there good healthe services available? How is travel? Is there a Jewish community in Gainesville? How do the hurricanes impact your area? We are from NYC and like good libraries, museums, etc. do you have these in the area? Thank you for your help, Arlene and
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keep looking - 8/22/2006
after 15 years i am leaving gainesville. all the things i heard were in abundance turned out to be myth. since the university of florida is here, i hoped and was told the schools were good. though exceptions exist, for the most part teachers are marginal at best, facilities are poor, and the schools turn out more functionally illiterate kids than kids really prepared for the next step. wages are very low and real estate prices have gone so high families who have lived here for generations now see their kids unable to buy homes. environmentally this area is beautiful; but now the sky is blighted by smokestacks from concrete plants, the rivers are becoming more and more polluted with wildlife showing signs of stress and disease. the springs are often filled with trash like beer cans, dirty diapers, and plastic bags. the river system is being destroyed by big companies operating water bottling plants with little concern to the damage they will ultimately cause.
though i recognized
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Southern Culture - 8/12/2006
Gainesville has a beautiful, small town, southern like atmosphere. It is a nice place to live with some culture and recreation being a university town and the many lakes, rivers and springs all around.
If you are a west coast person as I am, you may find the culture takes a little bit to adjust to here. Religion and old southern cultural practices are still very strong. After growing up in California most of my life, I have often found my ideas and ingrained California culture was not always accepted easily. East Coast residents that often move down here from New York and other places seem to have a little easier time adjusting to the cultural values of the south found
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Is Gainesville a good city to live? - 6/28/2006
Hello everyone, I wanted to know more about Gainesville. I am a single young man and originally from Fort Lauderdale, FL. The cost of living down here is too much and there is too many old people down here. So when I look at Gainesville, I see that there is a lot more younger people here and cost of living is reasonable. If I moved here, I can easily buy two duplexes here. But I wanted to know other things like how is the society in Gainesville, the economy, and any other things that I should know about this city before I deciding to move here? Please let me know. Anything will useful to me.
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The untold story about Gainesville Florida - 6/22/2006
The property taxes in Alachua county are excessive and the services you receive for those taxes are poor. Though you pay high property taxes the county charges you an additional annual fee if you have an alarm system in your our. The educational system in the county is poor, though it is considered to be the best of all the surrounding counties. You have to be deligent and careful when interacting with Contractors and tradesmen in the county. Their primary interest is not in meeting your needs but in meeting their monetary needs. They charge excessive rates for services. Though you are told the cost of living in Florida is less expensive, this is a myth. Visit there and ask the people working in various establishment and they will tell you they have two or three jobs, to sustain a living. Racial disparity is clear, as a majority of the African-American community lives on the NE and SE areas of
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