2026 Compare Cities Rankings:
Gainesville, FL vs Fayetteville, NC

#15 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#44 Best Green Cities

#56 2005 Best Places to Live

#88 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Mid-Size Metro Areas)

#96 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Mid-Size Metro Areas)

#217 Best Green Cities

#250 2005 Best Places to Live

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  More

Lovely diverse city! People is nice and there is always something to do. Outdoors activities are awesome! The springs are beautiful and there are plenty of hiking  More

Gainesville has the highest taxes and electrical rates in the state. The city is run by a bunch of liberals who have no idea what they are doing. Crime and homelessness  More

I have lived in Fayetteville for 21 years and I LOVE IT! Fayetteville is a military town and that is what brought my husband and I here originally. Since January 2000  More

I've lived in the area for a little over ten years - after moving around to many, many places in my career - and I find that Fay is overall pretty much average. Most of  More

I've lived in the area for a little over ten years - after moving around to many, many places in my career - and I find that Fay is overall pretty much average. Most of  More