lizblizz

I was going to comment on the crime thing as well - I've never felt unsafe in Gainesville. The only places I've ever felt "on edge" or tried to be especially aware of my surroundings is when I'm downtown late at night, and that's mostly because that's where all the bars are and thus, where all the drunken idiots are. But otherwise, I've always felt very safe in Gainesville. In fact, for a good chunk of time we left our front door unlocked because we couldn't find our key. I've heard of cars being broken into before, but that's about the extent of it. And I see kids out playing in our neighborhood all the time! Lots of families going on strolls, riding bikes and walking their pets =)

SW 40th Ter. is actually a block away from my house. So that's exactly the neighborhood I was describing above! lol I also like the 43rd area. I don't really know anything about the neighborhood, but I do know that it's much more of a trek to and from campus. Still, it seems quiet and not very many students venture on that part of town. It's just far enough away to detract most of the student renters, as far as I can tell. Since my boyfriend and I are a bit older than the average Gainesville crowd, we visit this area frequently for a cute little cluster of shoppes called Thornebrook. Both locations have a Publix, CVS and various restaurants nearby. I've actually walked to the Publix near our house before (although I wouldn't do so regularly). I'd say the two neighborhoods are about a five minute drive apart, unless you're looking really far North on 43rd St. And the Interstate is easy to get to from both areas, but unfortunately Newberry Rd. (heading to I-75) has some of the worst traffic in the evenings. It can take about 45 minutes to go the three-ish miles from our neighbor to the Interstate at 5 p.m. However traffic heading toward the neighborhood from I-75 isn't usually an issue.

There are four main roads that take you everywhere you need to go in Gainesville. Archer Rd., University, 34th, and 13th. During the middle of the day, none of these are difficult to navigate. But at peak times early in the morning and from about 4 p.m. - 6:30 or so (maybe longer on Fridays), these can all become unbearable. But it also depends on which direction you're heading. The flow of commuter traffic is pretty obvious, and is easily avoided once you learn the patterns. My tip for navigating Gainesville would be to familiarize yourself with the back roads as soon as possible. Gainesville is on a grid, so it's really easy to take shortcuts pretty much everywhere you need to go, except for the Oaks Mall. There is really no convenient way of getting there. Stay away from the 20th/62nd area off of 34th. There are tons of apartments in this area, but the traffic is absolutely horrible in the evenings. Plus they're working on construction right now, so it's even worse than normal. But since you're looking for more family-oriented areas, you probably weren't looking in that area anyway. I did a couple years of living in apartments in the student areas, but for the past two years my boyfriend and I have been renting a house in a lovely, quiet neighborhood that's still really close to everything we need. There are tons of families in the area, and although I do see other college students jogging around, we never have noise issues and parties are extremely few and far between. I can't even remember the last time there was one in the neighborhood, aside from the celebrations post the numerous National Championships There are always houses for sale/rent in this neighborhood, so if you'd like to check it out as an alternative to the more pricey Haile Plantation (for the record, Urban Meyer lives in Haile, as well as the President of the University), it's off of Newberry Rd across from the Regal Royal Park movie theater. The neighborhood is well kept, and has a nature trail and a park within walking distance with a jungle gym, swings and various walking paths. Plus, it looks as if they've set up a community garden! It's a couple miles from campus, but is definitely an easy bike ride away. A 15 minute drive to campus (max with traffic); 15 minute drive to any of the other businesses you might want to go to, unless it's rush hour. If you're interested in looking more into the area, I can give you a more specific address to look up. I'm renting through Gore-Rabell properties. You might want to look at their Web site as well!

I still haven't heard ANYTHING from one of my schools. This school also had a January 1st deadline, and I submitted my application in early December. This is just ridiculous.

I completely agree.

I feel for you. I'm in the same boat with Arizona State. I tried contacting them at the start of last week, and I still haven't heard anything back. I went ahead and accepted another offer, but it bugs me not knowing!

I was wondering that myself, regarding ASU. I haven't seen anyone update on the results search from the ASU Anthro Masters program, so I'm figuring that since my application is still "under review" that it means I'm on the maybe list. I survived the initial nos, but I wasn't an overwhelming yes either. Which further supports my decision to accept from the school who wanted me weeks ago! I think I'm going to go ahead and accept that offer tomorrow.

I'm still waiting for ASU. It's driving me nuts, especially since my deadline at my top choice is coming soon - I'm just waiting to hear from ASU on the off chance that they decide to give me complete funding or something else spectacular. Although I think the odds of that are slim right now, so I'll probably just accept my other offer.

I was just accepted to the University of Denver and would like some advice on where to look for housing. Right now I'm searching in the Englewood/Littleton area. I visited briefly last Fall so I have a decent concept of the areas surrounding the campus. Where would be the best place for me to look? For reference, I'm not interested in the party scene and would like to live in quiet area more geared toward young professionals/grad students. Any other tips for a Floridian moving across the country for the first time would be helpful as well! P.S. I know it's going to be cold. I actually hate Florida and the heat, so I'm looking forward to the change, even though I'm a little nervous about driving in snow!