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I'm writing this for all those 22-40 year old married or single professionals who have traveled quite a bit, consider themselves cultured, and have lived in at least two parts of the US/world already: If you are considering moving to Gainesville, Florida, DO NOT DO IT. This is a horrible place, incredibly boring, and somewhat of an enigma since it appears to be diverse because of the university, but yet EVERYONE IS THE SAME (even the "alternative people"). So far, I have lived in CA (LA, Santa Barbara, and San Fran), NYC, NJ (Hoboken), TN (Nashville), FL (Gville and Orlando), IL (Chicago), CO (Denver) and Madrid, Spain and this place is BY FAR the worst place I have ever experienced. And, sadly, I spent the best young hip years of my life in this hell hole (25-30). People who live here will tell you the following "positive" aspects of Gville, which I will debunk one by one. 1) "It's a great place to raise a family" - no, it isn't. It's disturbingly racist (from all sides), the crime is really bad and not like typical urban crime...scary rural crime, and it's like raising children in a bubble. All they do is socialize with the same people, do the same things over and over, and see the SAME stuff year in and year out - NO preperation for the real world. Yes, people think it's safe and that their children are protected, but they confuse this "protection" with putting their kids in a bubble of sameness. 2) "UF Gator Spirit is Contageous" - at first, yes. Then it only becomes annoying because you realize that 90% of the people in Gville went to UF and have never "grown up." They still tailgate every weekend, their lives revolve around the games, and in my opinion, it's really sad to see adults, ages 26-90 (yes 90) partying with the college kids. They have nothing else going on and it's sad. I have no objection to having school spirit, but COME ON! Find something else to occupy your time other than a dream you once had and now are too old for. 3) "It's a beautiful city with great nature" - no, it really isn't. Maybe it's me, but all I see is overgrown brush and marshlands and spanish moss hanging off everything. After living in NJ, CA, and CO, Gville is NOT aesthetically pleasing (and for those who are wondering about NJ...if you actually have lived there and know the state, you know what I'm talking about). The nature hikes suck in Gville too...it's Florida...which is synonomyous with FLAT. 4) "Gville is a big city with a small town feel" - NO and NO. It is NOT a big city. It probably has THE worst urban planning I have EVER seen. The traffic is ridiculous and there are NO back roads to get anywhere. I think the motto here when traffic gets bad is "add another traffic light"??? I could at least appreciate small town charm, but Gville doesn't even have that. There are not any cute "boutique shops" or mom and pop restaurants (and believe me, I've tried it all...even the places people have sworn are "the best secrets" like Satchels and many more I can name, and sorry, NO NO NO NO!). Everything is chain chain chain and those who think downtown is charming have not really seen a real downtown. Gville's downtown is dirty, disgusting, and BORING!!! And, as a sidebar, this town has THE WORST FOOD I've ever had anywhere. Seriously. It's terrible. Everywhere. 5) "The weather is great" - ok. This is definitely up for debate. I hate the weather here because in my opinion there are no seasons and it's HOT all the time. But, I seem to be in the minority on this one. The town is smack in the middle of the state and 80% of the year, it's stifling hot. This does not make me smile. 6) "The people are sooo nice" - I'm on the fence about this one because yes, the people are nice. However, I've experienced more often than not, that this "niceness" is also fake. Lots of smiles and waves, but also lots of whispering and backstabbing. And check your honesty and sarcasm at the door because they are NOT appreciated here. You are better off just smiling and nodding like everyone else. There is definteily an eschelan of those who think they are upperclass here (the yuppies raising families here who also went to UF and never left). This is very annoying and if you move here from anywhere else (especially the North), you will ALWAYS be an outsider and plan on losing any anonymity you have. Everyone is all up in YOUR **** and everyone else's ****. It's like highschool for adults. Lots of whispering... 7) "It's a great place to meet someone" - NO IT IS NOT. If you are over 25, you are in NO MAN'S LAND. And GOD help you if you are over 30 and single...especially if you are female. Everyone looks at you as if you are some pity case. And, they are always ready to set you up with their friends who are on their second marriage (at least), who always end up being psycho, and who make it clear that they never want to leave Gville. It's a nightmare here to date as a single person. You should just sign up for every online dating service you can within a 200 mile radius (at least) of this town and you might get lucky...
Okay, so that about covers the major stuff. I can go on, but I'm sure I've already acquired some haters because, in addition to the above, you are NOT allowed to speak out against Gville and have a different opinion without being bombarded with negative and nasty comments. So I expect them. It's okay. I"m used to it. I will say here at the end that OF COURSE what I write sounds like generalizations and hey, they may be. But I've been here five years (moving by Spring THANK GOD!!!!) and everything I have mentioned above, I have experienced first hand and have heard the same complaints from others. As I wrote above, I have lived many places and traveled to about eight times those places all over the world, and I always LOVE to experience new people, cultures, and places. I felt that way when I ventured down here, and I still feel that way moving on to my next city. But, I have never left a place saying "I HATE IT HERE and can't wait to leave" until I moved here. But, hey, maybe I'm the problem...I seem to be since most of those I talk to love it here...everyone except those of my friends and family who visit...they can't wait to leave too....
If your life is boring only you can change it. Go somewhere get away from the same repitious crowds. There is so much to do and see get off your butt & do something & quit complaining!!!
I lived there from 18-23 while I was in school, and I agree with most of the post. It's a fantastic town to go to college at that age, but it is far from a family town or a singles town after that age. Although the east side of town is horrible, there is crime everywhere, and drugs are even more common. These are reasons I think it's a horrible family town - there's too much of the 'dropped out of college' atmosphere to raise kids in. In fact, the only people I know who remained in town are the ones who didn't finish school. All college friends I had who graduated have moved elsewhere - either back to their hometowns to be near family, or off to other larger metro areas for careers. After Gainesville I moved to Orlando, and although I feel there are many better places to live than Orlando, it was a major step up for activities and single life over 23 than Gainesville.
However, I strongly disagree with your point about older folks partying during football games. Perhaps you just hate football (or just the Gators) and that's the reason behind it, but many of these people who have "never grown up" actually have done a lot of good in their lives. There's nothing wrong with visiting their alma mater six times a year to fully enjoy all a football game has to offer. As for the football crowd being a young party, well it's not like there's a choice of who's there for the alumni.
As for food, my favorite Mexican food in all of Florida is in Gainesville - Las Margaritas on 43rd street just north of 23rd avenue on the west side of the street. Leonardo's 706 was always excellent. Wine & Cheese is another great place that I didn't know about or visit until recently. Maude's was a great first date for coffee and desserts. Emiliano's and Liquid Ginger are also great restaurants. For its size, Gainesville definitely isn't bad for local food selection - you just cant compare it to major cities like LA, Chicago, NYC, etc.
I also take offense to the tailgating comment. The active alumni, which are they ones you are seeing, are the ones that have done the most for UF. And the older they are, the more they've done. I see nothing wrong with returning to remind yourself of why you love the school, and what you're putting in that money and time for.
As for the food, all I can say is if you don't like the places in Gainesville (and I'm not talking about the chains, I'm talking about the list that ucfjtm gave, and more), it does NOT get much better anywhere else for that price range. Sure, you can probably pay $50+ per person and get a better meal somewhere else. I'm sure it's just that you've been eating at the same places for how many years now? It has good places, but there's only so many a town that size can actually support.
That "overgrown bush, marshlands", etc. IS Florida nature. Especially around water, like Lake Alice, which I can only guess is your primary reference for this statement, due to the fact that there are several parks with trails close by that are much more woody, and thus less marshy and bushy. Try Devil's Millhopper to start.
Note that I would agree with your conclusion, that Gainesville is not a great place to be in after college. I completely agree that those who are there and not affiliated with the university or their own business are, by majority, either natives or dropouts. I just want fair representation for it. It seems like a lot of your negative feelings have spilled over into categories that don't deserve it.
I'm writing this for all those 22-40 year old married or single professionals who have traveled quite a bit, consider themselves cultured, and have lived in at least two parts of the US/world already: If you are considering moving to Gainesville, Florida, DO NOT DO IT. This is a horrible place, incredibly boring, and somewhat of an enigma since it appears to be diverse because of the university, but yet EVERYONE IS THE SAME (even the "alternative people"). So far, I have lived in CA (LA, Santa Barbara, and San Fran), NYC, NJ (Hoboken), TN (Nashville), FL (Gville and Orlando), IL (Chicago), CO (Denver) and Madrid, Spain and this place is BY FAR the worst place I have ever experienced. And, sadly, I spent the best young hip years of my life in this hell hole (25-30). People who live here will tell you the following "positive" aspects of Gville, which I will debunk one by one. 1) "It's a great place to raise a family" - no, it isn't. It's disturbingly racist (from all sides), the crime is really bad and not like typical urban crime...scary rural crime, and it's like raising children in a bubble. All they do is socialize with the same people, do the same things over and over, and see the SAME stuff year in and year out - NO preperation for the real world. Yes, people think it's safe and that their children are protected, but they confuse this "protection" with putting their kids in a bubble of sameness. 2) "UF Gator Spirit is Contageous" - at first, yes. Then it only becomes annoying because you realize that 90% of the people in Gville went to UF and have never "grown up." They still tailgate every weekend, their lives revolve around the games, and in my opinion, it's really sad to see adults, ages 26-90 (yes 90) partying with the college kids. They have nothing else going on and it's sad. I have no objection to having school spirit, but COME ON! Find something else to occupy your time other than a dream you once had and now are too old for. 3) "It's a beautiful city with great nature" - no, it really isn't. Maybe it's me, but all I see is overgrown brush and marshlands and spanish moss hanging off everything. After living in NJ, CA, and CO, Gville is NOT aesthetically pleasing (and for those who are wondering about NJ...if you actually have lived there and know the state, you know what I'm talking about). The nature hikes suck in Gville too...it's Florida...which is synonomyous with FLAT. 4) "Gville is a big city with a small town feel" - NO and NO. It is NOT a big city. It probably has THE worst urban planning I have EVER seen. The traffic is ridiculous and there are NO back roads to get anywhere. I think the motto here when traffic gets bad is "add another traffic light"??? I could at least appreciate small town charm, but Gville doesn't even have that. There are not any cute "boutique shops" or mom and pop restaurants (and believe me, I've tried it all...even the places people have sworn are "the best secrets" like Satchels and many more I can name, and sorry, NO NO NO NO!). Everything is chain chain chain and those who think downtown is charming have not really seen a real downtown. Gville's downtown is dirty, disgusting, and BORING!!! And, as a sidebar, this town has THE WORST FOOD I've ever had anywhere. Seriously. It's terrible. Everywhere. 5) "The weather is great" - ok. This is definitely up for debate. I hate the weather here because in my opinion there are no seasons and it's HOT all the time. But, I seem to be in the minority on this one. The town is smack in the middle of the state and 80% of the year, it's stifling hot. This does not make me smile. 6) "The people are sooo nice" - I'm on the fence about this one because yes, the people are nice. However, I've experienced more often than not, that this "niceness" is also fake. Lots of smiles and waves, but also lots of whispering and backstabbing. And check your honesty and sarcasm at the door because they are NOT appreciated here. You are better off just smiling and nodding like everyone else. There is definteily an eschelan of those who think they are upperclass here (the yuppies raising families here who also went to UF and never left). This is very annoying and if you move here from anywhere else (especially the North), you will ALWAYS be an outsider and plan on losing any anonymity you have. Everyone is all up in YOUR **** and everyone else's ****. It's like highschool for adults. Lots of whispering... 7) "It's a great place to meet someone" - NO IT IS NOT. If you are over 25, you are in NO MAN'S LAND. And GOD help you if you are over 30 and single...especially if you are female. Everyone looks at you as if you are some pity case. And, they are always ready to set you up with their friends who are on their second marriage (at least), who always end up being psycho, and who make it clear that they never want to leave Gville. It's a nightmare here to date as a single person. You should just sign up for every online dating service you can within a 200 mile radius (at least) of this town and you might get lucky...
Okay, so that about covers the major stuff. I can go on, but I'm sure I've already acquired some haters because, in addition to the above, you are NOT allowed to speak out against Gville and have a different opinion without being bombarded with negative and nasty comments. So I expect them. It's okay. I"m used to it. I will say here at the end that OF COURSE what I write sounds like generalizations and hey, they may be. But I've been here five years (moving by Spring THANK GOD!!!!) and everything I have mentioned above, I have experienced first hand and have heard the same complaints from others. As I wrote above, I have lived many places and traveled to about eight times those places all over the world, and I always LOVE to experience new people, cultures, and places. I felt that way when I ventured down here, and I still feel that way moving on to my next city. But, I have never left a place saying "I HATE IT HERE and can't wait to leave" until I moved here. But, hey, maybe I'm the problem...I seem to be since most of those I talk to love it here...everyone except those of my friends and family who visit...they can't wait to leave too....
Wow...I hope you have left or intend on doing it soon! Noone should have to be that miserable! It's all I have ever known and yes it's far for the best but thankfully I can find more happiness here then that! Good Luck! Might I ask where you/your family are originally from? Also, make sure you do better job of research for the next city you pick to live in, don't waste your life being miserable!
I'm moving there, but partially for school, so it may not be forever. But, this thread is funny and worth reading. It's always good to get different perspectives.
(I tried to edit this in, but it didn't show up.)
I'm not as well-traveled, so maybe I'll like it better!?
LOL, too funny. Gainesville is a little boring but in a nice quiet way. IT IS NOT FOR YOUNG SINGLES! There really isnt too much to do here and the job market stinks. Far as not being a family friendly, I have two young children and there are young families everywhere. There isnt a lot of crime and the East end of town is still a 100 times safer than a lot of areas in bigger cities such as Tampa, Jax or Miami. If you get bored Orlando is 2 hrs away or you can drive an hour in either directions East or West and go to the Gulf or the Atlantic.
I'm writing this for all those 22-40 year old married or single professionals who have traveled quite a bit, consider themselves cultured, and have lived in at least two parts of the US/world already: If you are considering moving to Gainesville, Florida, DO NOT DO IT. This is a horrible place, incredibly boring, and somewhat of an enigma since it appears to be diverse because of the university, but yet EVERYONE IS THE SAME (even the "alternative people"). So far, I have lived in CA (LA, Santa Barbara, and San Fran), NYC, NJ (Hoboken), TN (Nashville), FL (Gville and Orlando), IL (Chicago), CO (Denver) and Madrid, Spain and this place is BY FAR the worst place I have ever experienced. And, sadly, I spent the best young hip years of my life in this hell hole (25-30). People who live here will tell you the following "positive" aspects of Gville, which I will debunk one by one. 1) "It's a great place to raise a family" - no, it isn't. It's disturbingly racist (from all sides), the crime is really bad and not like typical urban crime...scary rural crime, and it's like raising children in a bubble. All they do is socialize with the same people, do the same things over and over, and see the SAME stuff year in and year out - NO preperation for the real world. Yes, people think it's safe and that their children are protected, but they confuse this "protection" with putting their kids in a bubble of sameness. 2) "UF Gator Spirit is Contageous" - at first, yes. Then it only becomes annoying because you realize that 90% of the people in Gville went to UF and have never "grown up." They still tailgate every weekend, their lives revolve around the games, and in my opinion, it's really sad to see adults, ages 26-90 (yes 90) partying with the college kids. They have nothing else going on and it's sad. I have no objection to having school spirit, but COME ON! Find something else to occupy your time other than a dream you once had and now are too old for. 3) "It's a beautiful city with great nature" - no, it really isn't. Maybe it's me, but all I see is overgrown brush and marshlands and spanish moss hanging off everything. After living in NJ, CA, and CO, Gville is NOT aesthetically pleasing (and for those who are wondering about NJ...if you actually have lived there and know the state, you know what I'm talking about). The nature hikes suck in Gville too...it's Florida...which is synonomyous with FLAT. 4) "Gville is a big city with a small town feel" - NO and NO. It is NOT a big city. It probably has THE worst urban planning I have EVER seen. The traffic is ridiculous and there are NO back roads to get anywhere. I think the motto here when traffic gets bad is "add another traffic light"??? I could at least appreciate small town charm, but Gville doesn't even have that. There are not any cute "boutique shops" or mom and pop restaurants (and believe me, I've tried it all...even the places people have sworn are "the best secrets" like Satchels and many more I can name, and sorry, NO NO NO NO!). Everything is chain chain chain and those who think downtown is charming have not really seen a real downtown. Gville's downtown is dirty, disgusting, and BORING!!! And, as a sidebar, this town has THE WORST FOOD I've ever had anywhere. Seriously. It's terrible. Everywhere. 5) "The weather is great" - ok. This is definitely up for debate. I hate the weather here because in my opinion there are no seasons and it's HOT all the time. But, I seem to be in the minority on this one. The town is smack in the middle of the state and 80% of the year, it's stifling hot. This does not make me smile. 6) "The people are sooo nice" - I'm on the fence about this one because yes, the people are nice. However, I've experienced more often than not, that this "niceness" is also fake. Lots of smiles and waves, but also lots of whispering and backstabbing. And check your honesty and sarcasm at the door because they are NOT appreciated here. You are better off just smiling and nodding like everyone else. There is definteily an eschelan of those who think they are upperclass here (the yuppies raising families here who also went to UF and never left). This is very annoying and if you move here from anywhere else (especially the North), you will ALWAYS be an outsider and plan on losing any anonymity you have. Everyone is all up in YOUR **** and everyone else's ****. It's like highschool for adults. Lots of whispering... 7) "It's a great place to meet someone" - NO IT IS NOT. If you are over 25, you are in NO MAN'S LAND. And GOD help you if you are over 30 and single...especially if you are female. Everyone looks at you as if you are some pity case. And, they are always ready to set you up with their friends who are on their second marriage (at least), who always end up being psycho, and who make it clear that they never want to leave Gville. It's a nightmare here to date as a single person. You should just sign up for every online dating service you can within a 200 mile radius (at least) of this town and you might get lucky...
Okay, so that about covers the major stuff. I can go on, but I'm sure I've already acquired some haters because, in addition to the above, you are NOT allowed to speak out against Gville and have a different opinion without being bombarded with negative and nasty comments. So I expect them. It's okay. I"m used to it. I will say here at the end that OF COURSE what I write sounds like generalizations and hey, they may be. But I've been here five years (moving by Spring THANK GOD!!!!) and everything I have mentioned above, I have experienced first hand and have heard the same complaints from others. As I wrote above, I have lived many places and traveled to about eight times those places all over the world, and I always LOVE to experience new people, cultures, and places. I felt that way when I ventured down here, and I still feel that way moving on to my next city. But, I have never left a place saying "I HATE IT HERE and can't wait to leave" until I moved here. But, hey, maybe I'm the problem...I seem to be since most of those I talk to love it here...everyone except those of my friends and family who visit...they can't wait to leave too....
Geez, bitter much. You make a lot of broad generalizations which really discredit a lot of your post. You make a fair amount of good points but your small sample of experiences don't exactly prove much.
I've been an unofficial "meeter and greeter" at my church in Gainesville since childhood. It WAS fun making new friends and learning from new cultures. But I haven't met anyone new to the area in years who likes it here. The answer is simple, and requires constructive effort where it's welcomed appreciated, in contrast to...well...
STAY WHERE YOU ARE, or come here and choose to ENJOY a different way of life!
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I agree with starieyed
