Gainesville is one of the southernmost
cities in the United States and the county seat for Alachua County. The
city is also an important way station for automobile travelers, as it is
located nearly midway between Atlanta and Miami, five hours from Miami,
and five from Atlanta. Gainesville's
fortunes took a major turn for the better, however, when the University
of Florida was created by the Florida Legislature in 1905. Gainesville
was chosen, beating out other cities who saw their colleges close, such
as Lake City and Bartow. Fortunately, the city had the foresight to
construct a modern municipal water, sewer and electric system and was
able to offer these services to a new university location for free. A
site
 was
selected at a location then considered about a mile west of town. The
first classes were held at Buckman Hall in the fall of 1906.
All of the Gainesville urban area, inside or outside the city limits,
is served by the School Board of Alachua County, which has some 75
different institutions in the county, most of which are in the
Gainesville area. Gainesville is also home to the University of Florida
and Santa Fe Community College. The University of Florida is a major
financial boost to the community, and hundreds of thousands of dollars
in additional revenues are created by the athletic events that occur at
UF, including SEC football games.
The property taxes are high to offset the cost of the university, as
the university's land is tax-exempt. However, the median home cost
remains slightly below the national average, and Gainesville residents,
like all Floridians, do not pay state income taxes.
This city's job market scored only 6 points out of a possible 100 in
the Cities Ranked and Rated guide, as the downside to the low
cost of living is an extremely weak local job market that is
oversupplied with college-educated residents. The University of Florida,
the Shands Healthcare system (a private-public-university partnership),
and the city government are the only major employers for the city. The
median income in Gainesville is slightly below the U.S. average.
The Timucua were a American Indian people who lived in
Northeast and and southeast Georgia. The various groups of Timucua
spoke dialects of the Timucua
language. At the time of European contact, Timucuan territory
stretched from the Altamaha River in present-day Georgia as far south as
Orlando in the interior, and from the Atlantic coast to the Aucilla
River, yet never reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The prairie became the
stronghold of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe under chief Ahaya
the Cowkeeper in the 18th century. It is named for the Cowkeeper's
eldest surviving son, Payne. Spanish colonists began cattle ranching in
the Payne's Prairie area using Timucua labor and the largest ranch
became known as LaChua. Though the ranch was eventually destroyed by
British raiders, it nevertheless gave its name to the Alachua band of
the Seminole tribe who settled in the region in the 1700s under the
leadership of the great chief Ahaya the Cowkeeper. Payne's Prairie has
had had times when the prairie's drainage become so blocked that
it flooded, causing the formation of a lake. The most recent such
occurrence was in 1871, and lasted until 1886. During this period,
steamboats were a frequent sight on what was called Alachua Lake.
Gainesville was the scene of small-scale fighting in the Civil War.
On February 15, 1864, a skirmish erupted when about 50 Union troops
entered the city intending to capture two trains. The Second Florida
Cavalry successfully repulsed this raid. The raiding party was
eventually defeated at the Battle of Olustee five days later. Later that
year, the Battle of Gainesville took place on August 17, 1864.
Three-hundred Union troops occupying the city were attacked by the
Florida Cavalry. The Federals were driven out of town and suffered
significant casualties.
Following the civil war, the city prospered as a major citrus growing
center, with direct rail access to ports on the Atlantic and Gulf of
Mexico. However, this prosperity ended when the great freezes of 1894
and 1899 destroyed the entire crops, and citrus growing moved
permanently south to the Orlando area. Other attempts to replace this
lost industry included phosphate mining, turpentine production and tung
oil had only moderate success.
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Gainesville
Florida Is Alachua County's Governmental Seat
