Welcome to the capital of Gator Nation.
Gainesville might be best known as the home of the reigning college football national champions, but there is much more than the pomp and pageantry of fall football Saturdays as seen on ESPN.
The city of about 114,000, 90 miles south of the Georgia border, has nationally known museums of art and natural history, and lush botanical gardens. Just out of town, guides in 1930s-style garb lead visitors through the home of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author from that era. Theaters on and off campus offer plays and concerts. Restaurant fare includes succulent coconut curry chicken and Caprese pizza.
Before setting out to explore, take note: In this city, a G.P.S. unit may be your best friend. Gainesville is divided into quadrants — southwest, southeast, northeast and northwest — and street signs can be confusing.
Indian tribes and Spanish settlers were the area’s first inhabitants, followed by farmers from Georgia and the Carolinas who arrived in search of more fertile land. Because of its location midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and between Jacksonville and Tampa, the city became an important railroad junction in the early 1900s, said Kevin McCarthy, a former professor of English and linguistics at the University of Florida and the author of several books on Florida history. Its inland hurricane-resistant location also encouraged growth.
The University of Florida, set on 2,000 acres with an enrollment of over 52,000, is the heartbeat of Gainesville. But that pulse wasn’t always a sure thing. The university was originally located in Lake City, 30 miles away. Gainesville’s promise of free water — which Lake City couldn’t match — lured the institution down the road. It opened in Gainesville in 1906. These days, the business of education is the largest employer in town, serving Gators as well as nearby Santa Fe College’s 16,588 students.
