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Old 09-14-2006, 11:37 AM
jon jon started this thread
 
49 posts, read 268,845 times
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My wife has just accepted an offer in Gainesville. We have 2 children ages 4 and 9. We are relocating from Tampa. Which areas are nice to raise children? Where can you get the most house for your money, we may lease for a short time before buying. I am a youth soccer coach, currently coaching 2 teams here in Valrico. I would like to stay active with the soccer. Any information will be helpful. Thank You, Jon
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Old 09-14-2006, 11:13 PM
 
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Gainesville is very different than Tampa. I personally, love the Gainesville area. The problem with Gainesville is the parking and traffic. Being that you're from Tampa (I live in Pasco), we know about our traffic being horrible. Gainesville has this same problem except they have NO parking. And I can't stress that enough. There is no parking in Gainesville. If you are within a 5 mile radius of the college, you will get towed if you park illegally (you will become anal about where you park and the restrictions of the parking spaces). There are no spots unless you get to the parking garages before 9 am. The bus system is excellent. It's a physically fit town. It's trendy. I like it because everyone works out to some extent or rides a bike. You coach soccer so you are probably into being physically fit. It's very difficult to find a teaching job in Gainesville and this is where a lot of the soccer jobs come from. There are a lot of students everywhere (which you already know). The Oaks mall is very nice to go visit.

Gainesville is an "uppidity" "yuppie" area, but I love it. It's refreshing because you aren't around all these **** losers in this Tampa area that sit around and wait tables their whole lives and work minimum wage jobs. If you are raising kids, stay to the West of the Univ. of Florida. The Eastside of Gainesville is where the most crime is at. It's a major drinking town, so you're kids are going to be exposed to that. I love to party and I feel that the party-atmosphere is offset by the educated people that live there. It's a great town with fun times and nice weather. If I could get up from Pasco County and leave now to go there, I would.

The main knock that people say about Gainesville is that it's "boring" and the job market is fair at best. The reason the job market suffers is because there are mostly service jobs and a HIGH oversupply of UF students. These students are working internships (free labor for employers) and water down the job market. Yeah, there is no ocean around the corner. But if you like nice restaurants Gainesville has those on Archer Rd. And if you like to drink, the bars/nightclubs are unlimited. This is an elitist preppy environment. And it's refreshing to see this in our state.

Outside of Gainesville, there is Ocala and Lake City (boring areas). Ocala has nice Gulf courses, and it's a retirement area. Lake City is a laid-back hillbilly area (nice people, really backwoods).

There is a high turnover rate of people in Gainesville (people come in, get their education, and leave). It is very Fraternity and Sorority oriented (I would say extreme).

I think you are going to really like Gainesville because everything revolves around sports, fitness, education, and the Florida Gators. This is an eliteist town. There are some really nice folks, and there are some pompus folks there as well. The houses can be a bit pricey but you should be okay. Any other thing you want to know, feel free to ask.
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Old 09-15-2006, 06:11 AM
jon jon started this thread
 
49 posts, read 268,845 times
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I really appreciate the information. We are going to look for a home on Monday. My wife is going to working at Shands Hospital as a Pharmacist. I think I have made a connection in the Soccer network. I also enjoy mountain biking and there are several trails up that way Santos and Croom not so far away. I'm hoping our children will adjust after being in Tampa most of their life. Again, Thanks, Jon
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Old 12-01-2007, 08:58 AM
 
15 posts, read 47,566 times
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I also am a pharmacist considering moving to Gainesville. I would be transferring to the VA to work in the outpatient clinic. I would love to be able to contact your wife to learn about pharmacy in Florida. Does she know anything about the VA facility in Gainesville? And what are the salaries like? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ole Miss Rebel
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Old 09-28-2011, 07:58 PM
 
1 posts, read 8,321 times
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I am moving from Gainesville to Tampa.
Came to Gainesville to go to UF several decades ago. Great place to live, raise children and enjoy life. Florida Gators play a big part of life here...if you like sports, it's a lot of fun. I lived in the NW, children went to Talbot Elementary, where I worked for 18 years. Great school, always been an A school, also Blue Ribbon. Hope you enjoy Gainesville as much as we did.
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Old 09-30-2011, 11:56 AM
 
Location: North Florida
509 posts, read 1,672,997 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ole Miss Rebel View Post
I also am a pharmacist considering moving to Gainesville. I would be transferring to the VA to work in the outpatient clinic. I would love to be able to contact your wife to learn about pharmacy in Florida. Does she know anything about the VA facility in Gainesville? And what are the salaries like? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ole Miss Rebel
If you want to know about VA salaries, you can look at USA Jobs and search for VA. You should find what you are looking for. Some areas have a geographic differential pay, so try to find a pharmacy job listed for the VA in Gainesville. The VA medical center is preparing to open a new Bed Tower and significantly increase its size. Salaries, overall, are better there than anywhere else in Gainesville.
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Old 09-30-2011, 07:34 PM
 
5,500 posts, read 10,479,962 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yamahastar View Post
If you want to know about VA salaries, you can look at USA Jobs and search for VA. You should find what you are looking for. Some areas have a geographic differential pay, so try to find a pharmacy job listed for the VA in Gainesville. The VA medical center is preparing to open a new Bed Tower and significantly increase its size. Salaries, overall, are better there than anywhere else in Gainesville.
I hear it's next to impossible to get a transfer there due to the demand.
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Old 10-02-2011, 11:52 AM
 
Location: North Florida
509 posts, read 1,672,997 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatornation View Post
I hear it's next to impossible to get a transfer there due to the demand.
It really depends upon your speciality.
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Old 11-10-2011, 01:02 PM
 
22 posts, read 68,629 times
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I'd like to stress that there are many nice LOCALLY OWNED restaurants in downtown Gainesville. Please check them out. Also, I find it interesting to read these comments because unlike weatherfordfan, I do not feel my town is UPPIDITY or trendy. I think we are very forward thinkers, down-to-earth, and friendly.
There are plenty of things to do outdoors here. Bike trails, recreation parks, springs, etc.
As a parent I feel the school system is one of the best in the state. My daughter is taking courses two levels ahead in high school.
East Gainesville isn't horrible. I understand why some would not choose to live there but compared to other lower class communities I have seen, it is not even close to as dangerous or run down.
The VA is a coveted place for many in the health care system here. It is not easy getting a job there unless you are already military. They pay excellent.
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Old 04-03-2012, 03:06 PM
 
1 posts, read 7,557 times
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I just moved to Gainesville for graduate school a few months ago. I'd say, Gainesville is pretty quiet. It's pretty boring actually. It's a great place to go to school, but... if you're looking for quiet don't live near the university. There's not much to do and the major cities are about a 2 hour drive away. Same for either the coast or the Atlantic.
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