Considering Gainesville

Reviews

What's it like to live in Gainesville?

What's Gainesville, Florida like? What's living there like? What is there to do around for young adults who aren't in college?

I lived in Gainesville for many years. Gainesville is a lovely city with lots of trees. There are a variety of housing options. There are some great parks. Jacksonville is 1.5 hours away. Tampa is 2 hours away. Orlando is 2 hours away. They do love their emergency sirens. There are three large hospitals. Gainesville healthcare is highly respected. Emergency vehicles bring patients into town from outlying areas. Although I never read much about a rash of building fires, the fire trucks seem to stay busy. I counted an average of seven emergency vehicles within earshot of my house every single day. Other than that, Gainesville is very peaceful and laid back.

Even if you do not attend the University, there are all sorts of perks that come with that. You do not need to be a student to enjoy some great speakers for free. I have seen Jerry Rubin and Abby Hoffman debate. I have seen Mikhail Gorbachev. I have seen Bill Clinton. I have seen Dr. Jack Kevorkian. That is a short list of some world-class speakers that come to UF and are open to everyone. There are free concerts. World-class musicians sometimes play there while the university foots the bill and they are free for anyone. There are great libraries. There is a thriving arts community. There are good theater productions. There are some cool little towns around Gainesville. Micanopy (where they filmed Doc Hollywood with Micheal J. Fox) has some interesting stores to browse and casual restaurants. Pearl’s and Blue Highway are both on 441 and should be on anyone’s list of foodie-class food at reasonable prices. High Springs also has good stores to browse. The Great Outdoors restaurant is a must-do after visiting the rivers and springs around High Springs. We also love El Patio which has good Tex-Mex.

There are a shitload of young people. There are three high schools. Santa Fe Community College is also located in Gainesville. I am sure the people watching is as good for women as for men. I know two guys who wrecked their cars while rubber necking. I almost lost my mind looking at all the pretty girls when I was at university. The weather is such that we usually dress with as little as possible. The club and music scenes are vibrant.

My favorite activities revolved around nature. Gainesville is surrounded by natural wonders. Beaches on the east coast are within 1.5 hours. Great oysters can be had in Apalachicola. Great scallops can be had in Steinhatchee. The area has many springs, rivers, and lakes. A little west and north of Gainesville (towards High Springs), the area was the first in the world to award certifications for cave diving. Ginny Springs, Blue Springs, and Poe Springs are amazing. Both Ginny and Blue Springs have camping. They all empty into the Santa Fe River. West of High Springs are the Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, and Suwanee River (yes, as is the old song, "Old folks at home"- Way Down Upon the Suwanee River). Swimming, kayaking, tubing, fishing, and boating are popular activities there. The Suwanee and Santa Fe are both blackwater rivers:

quora
Full Review

What's Gainesville, Florida like? What's living there like? What is there to do around for young adults who aren't in college?

I lived in Gainesville for quite awhile and there is plenty to do if you don't go to UF. As a major university there are plenty cultural activities that go on at the Phillips Center or the Harn Museum. There are nature spots beyond compare at Paynes Prairie, a natural habitat. There are ypur chain restaurants but then there are some excellent non-chain ones like Mark's Steakhouse or Dragonfly. Finally even if you don't go to UF you still should hit up the sports activities at least once. I went to a basketball game and had the BEST time! So that's just a small sample of things to do in G'ville.

quora
Full Review

What are the people like in Gainesville, FL?

We’ve been here since 1992, and raised our three kids here. What impressed us most when we first moved here was how, despite being a small college town, it managed to have a little bit of everything… restaurants, shops, cultural stuff, two good hospitals, and, a rarity in Florida, lots of deciduous trees and even some hills. Throw in UF and all the sports venues and sense of community support for the teams, and it’s a unique mix.

People here seem to realize how special it is to live here and are overwhelmingly kind and generous.

quora
Full Review

What are the pros and cons of living in Gainesville, FL?
·
pros: Diverse culture.

con:A flooding of frats and sororities in bars.

pros:theres always events downtown.

con:parking is a bitch.

pros:Interesting history. Not a huge city compared to new york or jacksonville in terms of urban areas.

con:Urbanization.

pros:Nice folks.

con:you're in Florida. coughfloridamancough

pros:Nice local restaurants and cafes

con:Did i mention parking is a bitch? Even worse so in UF when you have something you need to do in the morning and gonna be there all day and there is no all day parking.

pros:beautiful areas to explore. Depot park for example.

cons:Roads can sometimes be worked on. ESPECIALLY ARCHER ROAD.

pros:You don't exactly have to drive to get anywhere in Gainesville. You can bike or walk.

cons:that is if you're a student.

pros:but biking is nice

cons:but Gainesville is a hilly place. Rip body.

pros:You'll be ripped if you keep a consistent biking route.

cons:Again, florida. HUMID AND HOT AS FUCK

pros:You get to experience all seasons in one day.

cons:You get to experience all seasons in one day.

pros:Nice police folks! Very friendly.

cons:But almost 70-80% of the time do they ever catch the bad guys with ak-47(reference to the bojangles robbery as an example)