Gainesville, FL

[Jakrabite]

Hi Lisbon Girl. I completed a MS at Warrington at UF and lived near butler plaza on 34th street.There is no hard and fast rule for where grad students live off campus. There are very adequate facilities available for graduate students on campus but from what I understand there is a pretty long waiting list. There are apartment complexes available all over the place and personally I feel it's best that you go there in person and then book your apartment instead of booking online. With the profusion of apartment complexes that Gainesville has, it's unlikely that you'd be left in the lurch if you went there without booking first. Hope this helps. Best of luck at UF.

[the_lisbon_girl]

Thanks Jakrabite. Living on campus is out of the question for me because my SO is moving with me, and I definitely plan on looking at apartments in person (when I visit the program in a couple of weeks, and then hopefully another trip with my SO just for apartment hunting). There are a lot of apartment complexes (kind of overwhelming compared to where I am now), and I guess I was just trying to get a feel for what ones people on here had experience with!

And for anyone else on here, you may all have found this already, but it took me some looking to find and it has been a good resource for browsing:

http://www.gainesville-rent.com

[readyforachange]

Here are some other resources for rentals in Gainesville also:

http://gainesville.craigslist.org/

http://www.turlingtonrealestate.com/ren ... esidential

http://www.watsonrent.com/

There's definitely a lot to consider when moving to Gainesville. First, will you be bringing a car? The bus system is pretty good in the heavily student populated areas (some coming every seven minutes during peak times), but less so as you get further away, or depending on what side of town you live on. Do you want to live within walking distance to campus or are you all right driving or parking? I've lived in Gainesville for the last eight years or so, and there are definitely some apartment complexes that I would outright avoid - mainly those with high undergrad populations. Lexington Crossing, Gainesville Place, Cabana Beach, Oxford Manner (some grads there, but a lot of undergrad), The Polos, Campus Lodge, The District on 62nd, Tivoli (has some loud parties but other areas of it can be quiet), University Club are all ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Additionally, if you rent a Paradigm Property, they used to have a nonrefundable "redecorating fee." I'm not sure if they have it now, but if you consider renting from them, get info about what it is and what it covers (perhaps in writing). It can be steep, and will not cover some services (repainting, carpet cleaning, etc) when you move out.

[the_lisbon_girl]

Thanks for the info about the undergrad-heavy apartment complexes, I have been wondering about that. Do you think the landlords/realtors would be forthcoming about who lives in their building? I guess I will find out when I'm down there.

[readyforachange]

Thanks for the info about the undergrad-heavy apartment complexes, I have been wondering about that. Do you think the landlords/realtors would be forthcoming about who lives in their building? I guess I will find out when I'm down there.

If you go to apartment complexes and someone takes you around, they are usually forthcoming about their tenant population. After all, it is an important consideration for many families (who perhaps don't want to be around undergrads), grads and undergrads (some of whom don't want to live in the same complexes as families). As for some of the more specific realty & renting companies, some of them won't even rent to undergrads. I think Turlington only rents to grads and families, as well as some of the Watson properties. Bad experiences as well as perceived levels of maturity have encouraged some companies to restrict their rentals.

[nwitteuf]

Having just graduated from there, I share the sentiments of many above who miss the town already but it was time...I just wanted to add my two cents about the housing situation. I lived in a neighborhood called Point West right off 34th street that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for affordable, close, safe housing. It is really close to campus (especially the graduate parking garage!) and yet a nice, quiet community. It is on the older side but the apartments are large and they have very good super. I lived there as an undergrad but most people there were graduates/families and quiet. Nice landscaping and a nice pool also. I highly recommend it to someone new to town Go Gators!

[the_lisbon_girl]

I have Point West on a list of places I wanted to look, and have looked at some of the Watson houses so it's good to know I'm intuitively making good choices! Thanks for the info readyforachange & nwitteuf!

[futurePhD]

Anyone heard anything about the quality of grad-student housing on campus? Looks like these apartments are pretty cheap, but there seems to be a long wait list.

[Jakrabite]

Anyone heard anything about the quality of grad-student housing on campus? Looks like these apartments are pretty cheap, but there seems to be a long wait list.

On campus housing is fairly good. The waitlist can take about a year or so I was told. If you're lucky you might snag a spot, but the average wait time is steep.

[boggy]

Hello all,

I am starting by MS/PhD program in ECE department this fall.

I have been looking for off campus housing options, and I wanted to ask the opinions of you all.

I am considering the following apartment complexes. I am looking for 1br / 1ba apartments.

Please comment on the apartment complexes you know or heard about.

Thanks to all in advance,

1- Sundowne Villas

2- Palm Bay Apartments

3- Piccadilly Apartments

4- Oasis Apartments

5- Courtney Greens

6- Williamsburg Village Apartments

7- The Brandywine Condominiums

8- Sunrise Villas

9- Summit House Apartments

10- The Estates

11- The Hawaiian Village

[futurePhD]

I am not terribly familiar with Gainesville yet, but I just got back from apartment hunting a few weeks ago. From your list, Hawaiian Village seemed to me like it catered more to undergrads but I could be wrong. Also Williamsburg Village and Mount Vernon (2 Sister Complexes), looked really great online, but I was underwhelmed when I visited in person.

Some other places that you might look at are Point West, Camelot, and Cazabella. Make sure you ask the property managers what the makeup of the community is when you visit. For the most part, people were pretty candid with me if the complex was mostly grads, undergrads, professionals, etc...

[phd_hopeful]

i just got back from apartment hunting as well and agree with the above post . . . those three complexes are all in a great location (easy to take the bus to the university and close to all the necessary stores - grocery, target, walmart, etc) and provide a pretty decent choice of rent costs . . . there are a lot of good deals right now as well because it is such a renter's market.

one other piece of advice - there is a service down there called Apartment Hunters (you can google it). i walked in, told them my criteria and they gave me a personalized booklet of probably 15 different places i would want to look at. then i spent a day driving around checking out maybe 8 of them - the service is FREE for you . . . the complexes end up paying a fee to Apartment Hunters if you tell them you were referred there by Apartment Hunters. i found it really helpful and it saved me a lot of time attempting to get my bearings. you may even be able to use the service remotely, i'm not sure. . .

[checkmate]

Hi,

I'm an international student admitted to the MS Materials Science and Engineering program at UF - Fall 2009. I was browsing through quite a few apartment listings and had a doubt regarding the rent shown. Does the monthly rent indicated for 2/3/4-sharing apartments mean the total rent (in which case, I would have to pay 1/2 or 1/3 or 1/4 of this indicated rent depending on how many people I share it with) or does it mean the rent I would individually have to pay? For example, renting a 4-bedroom property at Lexington Crossing is listed as costing $399 per month - does this mean I have to pay roughly $100 per month or do I have to pay $399?

Would like a quick reply,

Cheers,

Jay

[djrg]

I really think that depends on the company and everything. I think you should ask, however, this is probably $399 per student...

[virga]

My name is Paulina.I come from Lithuania and in August I am planning to arrive in Gainesville FL to attend The Roch School.The problam occurred with a host family.So maybe I can get in touch with somebody who can become a host family for me or can help to find a host family.

[goodboy]

Hi,

I just read futurePhD's comments about being underwhelmed by Mount Vernon and Williamsburg apartments. How exactly do you mean? I'm particularly concerned because after much research on Gainesville apartments, I've pretty much settled to Mount Vernon apartments as it has the best reviews on the internet - and pretty attractive too in terms of price, proximity to campus, security, etc.

Also, I'm planning to rent a 2bedroom, and would need a roommate. Are there any suggestions as to how to go about finding one, especially since I'm an international student, and might not be in Gainesville till the first week of August?

Thank you!

[futurePhD]

Hi,

I just read futurePhD's comments about being underwhelmed by Mount Vernon and Williamsburg apartments. How exactly do you mean? I'm particularly concerned because after much research on Gainesville apartments, I've pretty much settled to Mount Vernon apartments as it has the best reviews on the internet - and pretty attractive too in terms of price, proximity to campus, security, etc.

Also, I'm planning to rent a 2bedroom, and would need a roommate. Are there any suggestions as to how to go about finding one, especially since I'm an international student, and might not be in Gainesville till the first week of August?

Thank you!

Mount Vernon, in particular, seemed to be a little old and run down to me. I think I was disappointed because it seemed so nice online. . . perhaps my expectations were too high. Don't get me wrong, I am sure you would be absolutely fine there. It should be relatively quiet, and it is in a nice location right on Archer road. Personally, however, I looked at a lot of apartments during my visit there, and I came away with the impression that there are better places for similar rent than Mount Vernon. Everyone has their own tastes, so I am sure some people may disagree with me on this. If at all possible, I highly recommend that you visit Gainesville and visit these complexes for yourself. I cannot imagine signing a lease without looking at the place first.

[goodboy]

Mount Vernon, in particular, seemed to be a little old and run down to me. I think I was disappointed because it seemed so nice online. . . perhaps my expectations were too high. Don't get me wrong, I am sure you would be absolutely fine there. It should be relatively quiet, and it is in a nice location right on Archer road. Personally, however, I looked at a lot of apartments during my visit there, and I came away with the impression that there are better places for similar rent than Mount Vernon. Everyone has their own tastes, so I am sure some people may disagree with me on this. If at all possible, I highly recommend that you visit Gainesville and visit these complexes for yourself. I cannot imagine signing a lease without looking at the place first.

Yeah, I plan to visit the apartments before signing a lease. However, like I said, I'm an international student, and might not be in Gainesville till first week of August. So, I'm just trying to settle on an apartment, if possible, before arriving Gainesville, so that it would be a much easier process for me.

Would you please suggest some apartments you think might be good deals in terms of price, proximity to campus, and basic amenities? And exactly how close is Mount Vernon to UF campus? Is it walking distance?

[futurePhD]

As I said in a previous post, Point West, Camelot, and Cazabella are all places that I really liked. You might also look at Town Parc Apartments as well. Your choices really will be endless with the plethora of complexes down there. As someone else mentioned, you might want to visit Apartment Hunters on University Avenue. You can tell them your price range and everything you are looking for, and they will make you a personalized list of places to look at- this service is also Free.

As for Mount Vernon, the location is fairly convenient. They claim that it is within walking distance, but I would not want to make that walk everyday, especially when it is 100 degrees and humid. I am sure you could bike to campus pretty easily from there if you don't mind the heat. I am fairly certain there is a bus stop pretty close to there also- you can use the buses in Gainesville free with your UF student ID.

Good luck, hopefully someone with a little more knowledge about the area will chime in as well. . .

[heatmal]

I currently live in Mt. Vernon and I really like the location. It is on the 9 and 12, as well as 3 other bus lines. It is also close to the campus bus 117. The cons are at peak hours the bus is full and will pass by, however, you can walk over to the 117 and get a ride! The bus ride home is really easy, and fast due to so many bus choices. Also, many people buy cheap scooters and drive those, they are easy to park and a scooter takes 3 minute to get to the main part of campus. It is very quite..no parties the whole 3 years I have lived here, most students are either grad or professional students. And many many people have dogs here. I think it is a pretty good little complex IMHO.

[goodboy]

I currently live in Mt. Vernon and I really like the location. It is on the 9 and 12, as well as 3 other bus lines. It is also close to the campus bus 117. The cons are at peak hours the bus is full and will pass by, however, you can walk over to the 117 and get a ride! The bus ride home is really easy, and fast due to so many bus choices. Also, many people buy cheap scooters and drive those, they are easy to park and a scooter takes 3 minute to get to the main part of campus. It is very quite..no parties the whole 3 years I have lived here, most students are either grad or professional students. And many many people have dogs here. I think it is a pretty good little complex IMHO.

Do you know whether it is still possible to find a place in Mt. Vernon at this time? I'm interested in renting a 2 bedroom with a roommate (don't have one yet). Also, would you please advice on what my best options would be in getting a roommate. I'm arriving Gainesville on the 17th of August.

[heatmal]

Yes, right now they are still renting 2 bedrooms, and I think they have some move-in special as well. As far as roommates, maybe post an add on craiglist?

[Lovelyn]

Hi everyone, I was just accepted to UF's Women's Studies MA program and had a few questions regarding housing. I was hoping to snag on-campus housing (for a partner + pet) but it seems like, due to the wait list, that won't happen for the first year. I'll definitely check out Apartment Hunters, but until then, I was hoping you guys could offer some advice.

Ideally we'd have either a studio or 1 bedroom apartment as close as possible to whichever end of campus I'll be spending most of my time, that's cat friendly, quiet, and most of all cheap. We'll likely only have one car that my partner will take to work, so if I could be walking/biking distance away from classes that would be perfect. Does anyone have any suggestions of places to look at, or places to stay away from?

[anewersevres]

How queer-friendly is Gainesville? Thanks.

[mushpuddle]

How queer-friendly is Gainesville? Thanks.

tbh it's a really progressive town. Craig Lowe, the guy currently running for mayor, is openly gay. There are good gay clubs that do different events on different nights (although I've heard complaints that it's always "the same crowd"). Also, definitely check out the Civic Media Center (they do a lot of queer-friendly events). I guess the areas surrounding Gainesville can be kind of "redneck", but on/around campus, it's an extremely open, welcoming town.

http://www.gainesvillepride.org/index.php

if you need any more info!