Area Information

Gainesville. the largest city in the North Central Florida region and home to the University of Florida, features a booming cultural scene. With plenty of live music, art exhibits and theater productions, you?ll find plenty to see and do here.

Gainesville has been voted one of the ?Best Places to Live and Play? in the U.S. (National Geographic, 2007), the ?Healthiest Community in America" (Wellness Councils of America, 2007), and the No. 1 "Best Place to Live in North America" (Cities Ranked and Rated, 2007).

Living in Gainesville gives you easy access to Jacksonville and a number of lovely small towns, including Hawthorne. Melrose and Newberry. Commuters favor I-75, which conveniently runs through the city, or make use of Gainesville Regional Transit System buses, which run on 35 routes and often include late-night service.

Renting in Gainesville, FL

Apartments for rent in Gainesville are priced middle-of-the-road; you?ll get a decent amount of space and will enjoy a bustling metropolitan lifestyle. Apartments are generally not as affordable as nearby Ocala. which is about 45 minutes south, but they're not as expensive as the higher-end neighborhoods in Miami. either.

• The Fest. A premier independent music festival, featuring hundreds of bands performing over three days
• Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. A National Natural Landmark, this preserve is home to a wide range of wildlife, from bison and wild horses to alligators.
• Ginnie Springs Outdoors. This spring-fed river is a great place to camp, picnic or just relax with friends and family.
• Devil?s Millhopper Geological State Park. A National Natural Landmark that features a walk-in sinkhole and a miniature rain forest.

Chacala Trail in Paynes Prairie Reserve State Park. Photo credit: Miguel Vieira / Flickr