Not a bad place to live
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11/16/2022
I've lived here most of my life. It's changed a lot, and a lot of the locals don't like it. Because it's home to one of the largest universities in the country, we see a lot people come and go from all over the world, so diversity is a bonus. Unfortunately, we have the same problems as any college town. I won't go into details, just google it. But, we also get touring shows and concerts; you'll have to drive to Orlando if you want to Hamilton, but the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts gets great shows, and the local community theaters aren't bad either.
There's nature everywhere, but you're the furthest you can get from a beach, which is only an hour and a half drive, but it sucks to to live in Florida and be so far from the ocean. Public Transportation is useless unless you're a student, and even then, it helps to have a scooter or a zipcar. I repeat, if you're living and working off-campus, you NEED a car. Fortunately, due to the size, it rarely takes more than 30 minutes to drive across town.
It's hot and super humid in the Summer, which can last up to 9 months, but sometimes it only lasts 7, but the winters are mild. Also Gainesville is probably the safest place in the state when it comes to Hurricanes!
I've never experienced any serious crimes here. I don't leave my door unlocked all the time, but I probably could. Keep your car locked, but the worst that's happened is someone slept in my car one night when I forgot to lock it, but that was when I was living downtown.
While people complain about the taxes and the utility costs, it's what you expect from a city this size, but the general cost of living isn't too bad. Trust me, I'd MUCH rather live here that Jacksonville or Ocala. You have a lot of locals who hate how much it's changed or that it's more liberal than the rest of Florida.
james | Gainesville, FL