Gainesville, FL

[Guest jyoti]

I'm in at UF & was wondering about the general lowdown. also, is it easy to get around there w/out a car?

[Guest]

It's pretty hard to get around Gainesville without a car, like any place in Florida. They have a bus system, but it's really only good for getting to and from campus. It's pretty much impossible to run errands or do day-to-day activities without a car, unless you know someone with one.

I've lived in Florida my whole life, and Gainesville is one of the hottest places in the state to live during the summer. I hope you're not from the North. The humidity can be unbearable. The mosquitoes are also pretty bad.

The nightlife is dominated by the large undergrad population. Also, if you like eclectic places Gainesville isn't for you. It's largely dominated by suburban sprawl and strip-malls, like most places in Florida. It has a small downtown section with restaraunts and bars, but nothing too special. It's really your typical college party town in that respect. It does after all have about 50,000 undergrads.

Gainesville doesn't suck totally, but it's definitely not a cool place to live in my book. But you be the judge of that yourself.

They're not all hicks there (like you would expect), at least.

[Guest]

I'm going to disagree with guest, but only a little bit. You'll definitely need a car to get around, both within Gainesville and to travel elsewhere in Florida. I don't think the humidity is that bad, nor do I think the mosquitoes are that bad. You acclimate to both of them. Just be sure to drink plenty of water and dump out standing water.

Gainesville is a special place. It's definitely a college town dominated by the massive undergrad population. During football season, you get a completely different view of the place as alumni and football fans from all over the state go to 'The Swamp' proudly wearing their orange & blue and doing the gator chomp (yes, I'm a UF fan). I would recommend visiting if possible. The Gainesville airport is small and flights to and from there can get pretty expensive (so having a car to drive to the tampa/orlando/jacksonville airports would make out of state travel much easier).

I've never lived in Gainesville so that's pretty much all I can say. Talk to the current grad students and see what they have to say about the town. Look into a used car. One advantage: that part of Florida is very flat so at least you're not hiking hills all the time (as the Florida State students do)

[Guest keenai]

I, too, am moving to Gainesville this summer...sometime.

What about the surrounding areas--towns 10 to 15 mins away. Can you recommend any of those that may be viable to live in? (I have a 7 yo, by the way, so I'm not traveling alone.)

[redice]

I have committed to U of F and I am getting ready to start looking for a place to live. Are there any areas I should avoid (or rental companies). Also, any general comments about the house situation would be appriciated.

[StudyMom]

I'm still waiting for funding confirmation but pretty sure I'll be heading to Gainesville (I HOPE)! Anyone out there know anything about neighborhoods 1 to 2 miles away from UF that would be nice for a family? We have 3 kids and don't want to be in a party/really noisy area. We'll probably fly down and look around before we move but it would be nice for some info.

[sidereal]

Gainesville is not really a commuter town. The towns surrounding it are populated sparsely by rednecks and you'd be lucky to find a Wal-Mart in them. And I'm pretty sure that Gainesville is the only place where UF has a campus (it always amuses me when people say UF-Gainesville around here). People say to avoid Paradigm properties because they're overpriced, but they own most of the big apartment complexes. Museum Walk is my favorite one of those--no idea how much it costs though. There really is a ton of housing options in Gainesville. You might want to check the classifieds at alligator.org. I might have a condo to rent, but I won't know if it's available until May. If it is, I might post it here for you aspiring gators.

[happens]

I'm still waiting for funding confirmation but pretty sure I'll be heading to Gainesville (I HOPE)! Anyone out there know anything about neighborhoods 1 to 2 miles away from UF that would be nice for a family? We have 3 kids and don't want to be in a party/really noisy area. We'll probably fly down and look around before we move but it would be nice for some info.

About a family neighborhood, Haile Plantation is where a lot of professors live. It is really pretty out there and there is shopping and stuff out there. Also if you go farther away from campus a lot of the apartment complexes are more family friendly. Some with daycare and playgrounds on site.

[anovice]

I just accepted at UF and am now looking for a place to live... I've checked into condos at Haile Plantation and they look very nice(much nicer that the student complexes close to campus). Are there any other similar communities in the area? I'm not adverse to driving a bit(~20 minutes) if it means getting a nicer place at a similar rate.

[StudyMom]

Hi happens,

Thanks for the info. We had seen a couple of houses in Haile that looked nice, also directly west of campus and northwest but we aren't sure about traffic. Something a mile or so away can take longer than something 6 miles away depending on traffic lights... Do you know of any roads that are bad for lights/traffic that make getting around difficult?

[lizblizz]

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!

[StudyMom]

Hi lizblizz,

Thanks for the info. We have talked to realtors and don't think we are really the Haile area or strict neighborhood association type people -- too Yankee independent for that! What do you think about the SW 40th Terrace area? It looks close to UF and though there will be traffic it doesn't look very far from 75 for my husband to get to work if he needs the highway. Also considering the neighborhoods on either side of NW 43rd Street -- any thoughts?

[lizblizz]

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.

[StudyMom]

Dear lizblizz,

THANKS so much for your help! I'm older, too, and looking forward to re-entering the academic universe though, honestly, I ran screaming from it about 20 years ago after a horrible MA experience! My husband and I think it will be a fun experience for the kids to be around the university and good exposure for them to be in a different part of the world. We've been a little concerned about moving to a place where there is more crime and danger for them but we don't think it's healthy for them to spend their whole lives in a small seaside village in Maine, either, no matter how absolutely lovely and safe it is. They are quite excited by the prospect of being 2 hours from Orlando though we have explained the realities of cash-flow and time availability to them!

There are a quite a few houses in your neighborhood that are for sale and we hope to get down there by the end of May to check it out. We are hoping to get our under contract by then but it has been a long, snowy winter and the tourists are just starting to reappear.

thanks again,

StudyMom

[crustaceangirl]

Hey StudyMom, I grew up in Gainesville on the NW side of town (where most suburban "townies" and lots of professors live) and I like the area around NW 43rd. I used to work at the Publix at the intersection of 43rd St. and 23rd Ave when I was a high schooler! There are a lot of nice little quiet streets around there. Many have subdivision names but it's not a gated community Stepford Wives kind of thing, just a way to distinguish one neighborhood from the next when you're looking for where to turn. A lot of that area falls into what's called "Suburban Heights" and it's quite nice. The Publix and the natural foods store Wild Harvest are nearby, along with some restaurants.

I live in New England now and I know of its small town charms, but I wouldn't worry about Gainesville being unsafe for your kids. There are some streets where I wouldn't let them go unsupervised, but in the residential areas you're talking about it's VERY safe, kids ride their bikes all around the subdivisions to play at friends' houses and it's all fine, lots of other families with kids will be your neighbors. There are busy streets around, so make sure they know how to cross safely, but you can let them roam without concern.

[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 =)

[StudyMom]

Thanks guys,

We're not super over protective but we do live in a village (pop. 1,000<) and we have taught the kids about "stranger danger" and crossing safely etc. They are fairly reasonable children for being 9 and 10 and boys! We thought the Suburban Heights area looked like it would fit us, too. We have issues about neighborhoods with lots of rules about whether people can see your laundry on the line or your kids playthings in the drive!!

Gainesville sounded really nice but then we started hearing it wasn't so nice and now you've made me feel like we did originally -- it will be a nice place to spend three or four years, study, get a fantastic degree, see some football, and visit "The Mouse" sometimes

Can't wait to get down there and see it for real -- though spring has hit Maine and it is very, very beautiful right now...

Thanks again,

StudyMom

[ICECOLDECON]

I wanted to make some quick comments about Gainesville.

I attended a Summer Session in 2008.

First off, yes it is very hot; but not really much hotter than most of the other places in the state (I have attended both Florida State in Tallahassee and South Florida in Tampa). I actually think Tallahassee got hotter, during the summer, than Gainesville. Humidity is a problem though, Gainesville was by far the most humid of any of the places in FL that I lived.

You most definitely can live at UF without a car. Since I was there during a summer session, the buses were operating on a reduced schedule, but I still found it extremely easy to get to the supermarket and mall using the bus system. Yes, it is inconvenient to live anywhere in FL without a car, but of Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Tampa, Gainesville was by far the easiest (somewhat a product of the small size and compactness of the city). When I was in Tallahassee (2002-2006) practically no students used the city bus system and buses not in the bad parts of town came every half hour at best and usually only on an hourly basis. The same is true in Tampa, only the problem is exacerbated by the length of the routes. In Gainesville, students use the buses, they come pretty frequently, and the routes arent too long. Now, I think the bus situation at FSU may have improved since I left as the university; I think implemented its own bus system b/c no students rode the city buses, but still, Gainesville buses are more than adequate.

The area around campus is also nice. They have the best pizza shop I have eaten at since leaving New York (I love New York Pizza), a ton of lil restaurants, along with the bars and clubs you would expect. Compared to Tallahassee, the area around campus in Gainesville is wonderful (if not a bit too loud). In Tallahassee, I could not walk down Tennessee St without being approached by multiple homeless people begging for money and the Brevard St area straight north of Tennessee St had drug dealers and prostitutes. My first year in Tallahassee, a guy was murdered in my complex a couple of apts down by a local drug gang. (If this was a post about Tallahassee.......and I might copy this post there.....I would mention that Tallahassee has a bad ring around FSU and then is nicer on a second more outter ring).

As someone who has lived in Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Tampa......I would choose Gainesville in a heartbeat over the other two.

[futurePhD]

I'd like to get some more feedback about Gainesville. I have been accepted at UF with a very nice funding package and will be visiting in a couple of weeks. Is there anything in particular that I should do while I'm there to get a feel for the town?

Also, I might look around at some apartment complexes while I'm in the area. Any suggestions on where to look for a one bedroom place close to campus but reasonably quiet?

Thanks in advance...

[Inertiatic]

I'd like to get some more feedback about Gainesville. I have been accepted at UF with a very nice funding package and will be visiting in a couple of weeks. Is there anything in particular that I should do while I'm there to get a feel for the town?

Also, I might look around at some apartment complexes while I'm in the area. Any suggestions on where to look for a one bedroom place close to campus but reasonably quiet?

Thanks in advance...

I've lived in Gainesville for four years now as an undergraduate, and will be leaving at the end of the summer to continue on in my graduate studies. While I do have the perspective of an undergrad, I think that I can give you some useful pointers.

Gainesville is really only the university and the shops and bars that associate with the university. If you drive ten miles in any direction from campus, you enter very small and sparsely-populated towns. Incidentally, most of them are huge speed traps, so beware driving through, for instance, Stark on your way to Jacksonville, if you ever have the need to! That having been said, I've really enjoyed living in Gainesville. I grew up in the massive and dull suburban sprawl of south Florida, so the fact that Gainesville caters specifically towards my kind of lifestyle (as a college student) really endears me to this place. The downtown area is relatively small, but there's plenty to do. For the indie crowd, there's a really nice little coffee shop, Maude's, where a lot of the grad students hang out and which hosts free live jazz shows every weekend. There's several theaters, but you'll want to check out the Hippodrome, where all the independent movies and plays are put on. There's a dozen or so dance clubs and about as many bars in the downtown area. You won't be able to escape the undergraduate crowd on Fridays and Saturdays, but you can find a few of the hang-out spots that cater more to an older crowd (for instance, Lillians and Market Street). My personal favorite bar is Durty Nelly's, a fake Irish pub with live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

The weather in Gainesville is unpredictable - this week alone we've seen from the upper-80's to the mid-20's. The summer is undeniably hot and humid, and I think that's something that needs to be stressed. If someone has never lived in Florida or somewhere with similar weather patterns, the summer might seem like something of a shock. At times the air is so thick and heavy it's like stepping into a swimming pool! You get used to it, and learn to love the months of October through February, when the weather is much more agreeable.

The bus system in Gainesville is fantastic and is free for students. You could probably get by without a car, but I wouldn't suggest it. The buses run on reduced schedules on the weekends and in the summer, which could make things difficult. Traffic in Gainesville is normally fine, but can be horrendous during peak-hours because of the road-layout, which as mentioned above, follows four main roads, Archer, 34th, University, and 13th (which essentially form a square around the campus and surrounding area).

As far as living expenses, I know of graduate students who get by on low-paying stipends. Housing here isn't very expensive, as far as I know, but it really all depends on where you live. If you look around carefully enough, you can probably find a place to live for around $600 (after utilities and internet/cable are included) that's relatively close to campus. On the other hand, I live in a one-bedroom that's close to campus (not close enough to walk, but definitely close enough to ride a bike) in a complex called Piccadilly Apartments. It's an absolutely beautiful complex inhabited mostly by graduate students. The complex itself is fairly old, but expensive because of it's location and quiet atmosphere (I pay $600 a month for a one-bedroom, not included utilities or internet/cable). Gainesville also gauges you on utilities (at least compared to a few years ago, before they upped the rates), so expect to pay around $85 a month for electricity and water for a one-bedroom, even if you're sparing with the air conditioning. There are a few smaller complexes on Old Archer (which is immediately south and parallel to the main road in Gainesville, Archer Rd.) that you might want to look at. If you look further from campus (especially to the north), you'll find some cheaper, quieter complexes.

On Archer Rd., west of 34th, you'll see Butler Plaza, a huge strip-mall with all your normal mass retail companies and chain restaurants. I've heard that they're putting a Whole Foods in there, if you're into that (which I would have loved, but it won't be up until after I leave!). The area immediately north and east of campus on University Rd. has all your independent restaurants, undergrad bars, and quirky shops. The one mall in Gainesville is your standard sized mall, nothing special.

As for the campus itself: I think the University of Florida is beautiful. It's big, but not so big that you should have any trouble walking anywhere on the main-campus. You'll probably spend most of your time around the north-east of campus, where the main academic builds are. The plaza in front of Turlington (the main academic building on campus) and the Plaza of the Americas (the lawn in front of the main library) host most of your typical college protests, sign-waving, and booths, and you can find there the Hare Krishnas, who serve cheap vegan lunch every day. Also, keep in mind that on game days, campus essentially shuts down and most of Gainesville goes into "game mode." College football (and to a lesser extent, Basketball) is huge here, which is hard to find fault in since we've now won four national championships in four years between the two sports. You certainly don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy Gainesville, but it helps!

Overall, I've really loved living here for the last four years and am sad to be leaving. May I ask what field you're going into? That way, I can point out which buildings, areas of campus, etc. you'll be likely to be working in.

[futurePhD]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, especially all of the information on housing. My field is history, if that helps you at all.

One other question I have: How far is the Gainesville Airport to campus? Are there regular buses that run from the airport to the University (and vice-versa) or will I have to take a taxi?

[Inertiatic]

I don't know much about the history department personally, but I've had friends in the major that have nothing but the best to say about the faculty. The office is in the Keene-Flint Hall, I believe, which is on the north edge of campus. The airport is relatively far from campus, but a bus does go out there. Unfortunately, it doesn't pick up at campus, so you'll have to do some bus-hoping. Take a look at www.go-rts.com for the bus schedules and connector routes. For what it's worth, it looks like your best bet is to take the 24 to the main bus hub, then take the 5 to campus (which should put you out right the north edge). It's $1.50 for each bus ride, so make sure to bring a handful of singles!

[djrg]

I have being accepted at UF and am thinking of moving to Gainesville this Fall.

I was thinking on applying for in-campus housing, is this a good idea?

I have seen their web-page and apartments seem nice and more than affordable. Also, I am single and with no kids, so I guess looking for a house would be too much for my specific needs.

Can anyone give me some insight on any cons of living on campus?

[Jakrabite]

Congratulations on your respective admits. I just finished my Master's from UF and miss Gainesville already. On campus housing is good in quality although from what I saw of the graduate student housing, slightly dead in terms of atmosphere. I stayed off campus and never really faced any problems. G'ville in general is not expensive, very friendly, and with a good mix of students. The RTS bus system is very reliable, convenient and, most importantly, free for students.That being said, it is most definitely a small town. So as long as you don't go with unrealistic expectations you won't be disappointed.

[the_lisbon_girl]

Jakrabite, I'm also going to be going to UF and have looked at some apartment complexes online, but I was wondering where you lived/where other grad students you know lived and what the places were like (how quiet,whether it was mostly grads or undergrads or a mix/other people, nice buildings etc.). And just wondering, what MA program were you in?