City of Gainesville Facts

Gainesville is the largest city and county seat of Alachua County. It serves as the cultural, educational and commercial center for the north central Florida region. The city provides a full range of municipal services, including police and fire protection; comprehensive land use planning and zoning services; code enforcement and neighborhood improvement; streets and drainage construction and maintenance; traffic engineering services; refuse and recycling services through a franchised operator; recreation and parks; cultural and nature services; and necessary administrative services to support these activities. Additionally, the city owns a regional transit system, a municipal airport, a 72-par championship golf course and a utility.

Gainesville is home to Florida's largest and oldest university, and is one of the state's centers of education, medicine, cultural events and athletics. The University of Florida and UF Health Hospital at UF are the leading employers in Gainesville and provide jobs for many residents of surrounding counties. Known for its preservation of historic buildings and the beauty of its natural surroundings, Gainesville's numerous parks, museums and lakes provide entertainment to thousands of visitors. Because of its beautiful landscape and urban "forest," Gainesville is one of the most attractive cities in Florida.

Area: approximately 65.27 square miles (updated Sept. 2023)
Climate:
  • Mild winters, warm summers, 255-day growing season
  • Average of 2,800 hours of sunshine annually
  • January average high temperature: 65 F
  • June average high temperature: 89 F
  • Average rainfall is 35 inches per year.
  • The area basks in gulf breezes that make summer days warm and nights cool, and produce dry and mild winters.

The Weather Channel

National Weather Service (Jacksonville)
Population: 145,812 (BEBR data from 2023 update)
Median Age: 26.4
Median Household Income: $43,783 (Census data from 2023 update)
Taxes:*
  • 7.5% retail sales tax (food and medicine exempt)
  • Homestead Exemption - up to $50,000
  • No state personal income tax
  • No state inheritance tax
  • No franchise tax
  • No inventory tax
Millage Rate:** 6.4297 (for fiscal year 2025)
Industry: Variable from agricultural to manufacturing to technology, academic research, health care, corporate infrastructure, many small/minority business enterprises
Location: On the I-75 corridor halfway between Atlanta and Miami
Cities: (within a 2-hour drive) Jacksonville, Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa, St. Augustine, Cedar Key, Live Oak, Ocala, Lake City
Beaches: (within 75 miles) Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico
Theme Parks: (within a 2-hour drive) Disney World, Universal Studios, and Busch Gardens
Home of: The University of Florida, Santa Fe College, the Gainesville Raceway and The Gatornationals (NHRA)
Famous Residents: (past and present) Bo Diddley, Tom Petty, Don Felder, Bernie Leadon, River Phoenix, Malcolm Gets, Harry Crews, Marty Liquori, Gabriel Schwartzman, Peter Taylor, Mary McCauley, Joe Haldeman, Bob Vila, Maya Rudolph, Tim Tebow
Notable Firsts: Gatorade (first sports drink), nation's first Butterfly City

* - There is an intangible tax, for information call: 1-800-226-3411.
** - For more information on the millage rate or other property taxes, please visit www.acpafl.org.

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