RESIDENCY PROGRAM

About Gainesville

Gainesville, Florida is nestled in the heart of North Central Florida, about 60 miles from both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Nature lovers enjoy the fact that 65% of the county's 969 square miles consists of wilderness and forests with breathtaking springs, lakes, and wetlands. Big-city lovers will also appreciate that Gainesville is less than 2 hours from Orlando, 1.5 hours from Jacksonville, and 5 hours from both Miami and Atlanta, GA. But because Gainesville is not a big city, we can proudly say we are recognized as the #1 bike-friendly city in Florida due to our many bicyclists, bike paths, and bike trails. Sperling's Best Places ranked Gainesville among its top ten cities in the U.S. for outdoor activities in October of 2005, and in February of 2005 it was voted by Popular Science magazine as the most technologically advanced city in Florida, 30th in the U.S.

The University of Florida is a major educational center and host to cultural arts, sports, and world-renowned speakers. The university's cultural facilities include the 1,800 seat Center for Performing Arts as well as the Harn Museum of Art and The Florida Museum of Natural History. The Stephen O'Connell Center is frequently used for nationally recognized speakers as well as sports events. The nationally recognized football team plays on Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, which is more commonly known as The Swamp. The ups and downs of the beloved Florida Gator sports teams are frequent topics of conversation around the department's water cooler.

The local economy is a reflection of the university as it is the area's largest employer. Health care is the second largest industry; not only is Shands a major health care provider in all of North Central Florida, but a Veterans Medical Center and a private hospital also serve the area. Other economic influences include high-tech research, environmental engineering, and agriculture.

Gainesville boasts one of the most affordable economies in Florida. The average home price is around $135,000 (approximately $40,000 less than the national average) and the average rental is approximately $450 a month. To learn more about economic issues and other aspects of local life, visit the Web sites for the City of Gainesville , Chamber of Commerce, or The Gainesville Sun, our local newspaper.

The North Central Florida area is rich in attractions which include numerous parks and springs that are availabe for scuba diving, camping, picnicking, hiking, and just plain fun. Some of these are Silver Springs,   Ginnie Springs,   Rainbow Springs State Park,   Blue Springs, San Felasco Preserve State Park, and O'Leno State Park.

And, yes, Gainesville is only two or three hours away from several world-famous theme parks, including Disney World, ,  Sea World, Universal Studios, and Busch Gardens. As a Florida resident, you can purchase discount annual passes to all these parks that make it worth your while even if you visit them infrequently.

Gainesville Life

The Great Outdoors

North Central Florida abounds in natural attractions including numerous parks and springs that are available for hiking, camping, picnicking, scuba diving, and other outdoor activities. You can check out sites for the Florida State Park System (Paynes Prairie, San Felasco Hammock, and the state geologic site Devil's Millhopper are in the Gainesville area and many others are nearby), the Ocala National Forest (which contains several notable springs and remnants of the disappearing Florida scrub habitat), and the City of Gainesville Nature Operations Division.

Shopping

Well, it ain't Atlanta, Orlando, or Miami, but we have adequate shopping facilities for most purposes. The Oaks Mall and surrounds (west of town on Newberry Road, SR 26) and the Butler Plaza conglomeration (west of town on Archer Road, SR 24) are the two largest shopping areas. Smaller shops are always popping up around town, and Gainesville and its surrounding areas have some of the best antique and thrift stores in the south. The Waldo Flea Market just 20 minutes north of Gainesville is a popular shopping location for great deals and unique items.

Weekends, Night Life, and The Arts

You can read all about art and culture in Gainesville at the Division of Cultural Affairs' Web site. Gainesville's night-life is always on the up and up. The Downtown Community Plaza hosts free concerts and other types of events (like outdoor movies) every Friday night. During the winter, you can go ice-skating at the Downton Ice Palace (also set up in the Community Plaza).

Gainesville has a large bohemian community, which brings with it great writers, musicians, and artists. In fact, the April 2004 issue of Esquire magazine voted Gainesville as #5 on its list of Cities that Rock. From jazz to folk and punk rock, several musical performances happen every night at the local clubs and bars, and most musicians touring through Florida stop in Gainesville because of its enthusiastic music lovers who always give them a warm welcome. Gainesville is proud to be the home of many musicians, like blues legend Bo Diddly, Stephen Stills, punk bands Less than Jake and Hot Water Music, and rock band Sister Hazel. Other celebrity notables of both past and present include: Tom Petty, Malcolm Gets, Isaac Brock, Don Felder, Bernie Leadon, River and Joaquin Phoenix, Harry Crews, Marty Liquori, Gabriel Schwartzman, Peter Taylor, Mary McCauley, Joe Haldeman, Bob Vila, and Maya Rudolph. 

Theater lovers will appreciate that Gainesville has several community theaters, as do the surrounding towns. One of Gainesville's most prized gems is the Hippodrome State Theater. In addition, UF has an active theater department that performs several plays and musicals a year. In regards to other artsy activities, we have both a fall and spring Arts Festival, as well as several smaller festivals throughout the year. And each spring, the Gainesville Raceway becomes home to The Gatornational drag races, a local and national tradition since 1970.

The Weather

Because of Gainesville's peninsular location, weather is more moderate than in more northern locations. Hot summer days often end in late afternoon rain showers leading to cooler summer nights. Winter temperatures rarely drop below freezing, and snow flurries are an exciting once-a-decade event. BUT WHAT ABOUT HURRICANES? Well, hurricanes and tropical storms occasionally threaten North Central Florida, but nowhere near as often as the more southerly coastal areas. When they do, they are generally in the mild tropical storm category before coming this far inland. Of course, we do not have the ocean storm surges or severe flooding that might affect the coastal areas. In general, with modern forecast technology, we are warned well in advance of any threat and have time and information to make appropriate preparations. Compared with earthquakes out west or midwestern tornadoes, hurricanes are a rare event here.

Gardeners will delight in a 255-day growing season. Also, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at UF has many excellent online resources for both the weekend gardener and master gardener.

Wildlife

Alligators live in local ponds, lakes, and streams. You can go to Lake Alice on the UF campus and see an alligator most any time. They are wild, carniverous animals. Do not feed them. Do not swim with them. Do not tease them. Do not let your children do these things. Be careful where you take your dog for a swim. Alligators move very fast in the water and surprisingly fast on land. In other words, respect them and exercise common sense. Mostly, they just want to eat fish and soak up the Florida sunshine.

One note of caution: The alligator is the mascot of the University of Florida. Do not bad-mouth alligators in public. You'll be surprised by the number of "Gator" restaurants and businesses you find here. They are not really referring to the reptiles.

Practical Stuff

Utilities (electricity/natural gas/water/telephone):

Automobile Information

Vehicle Registration

Driver's Licenses

Insurance

Florida requires that after 90 days of legal residency, resident's vehicles must be covered by insurance. For more information, call 1-800-342-2762.

 

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University of Florida Location: http://www.med.ufl.edu/radonc//RADONC/residency_program/aboutgville.shtml
Updated: Jan 13, 2006, © 2005 University of Florida