[mikeyalvaa]

Hello all,


My name is Michael and I currently live in Middletown, NY (about an hour 1/2 from NYC). A buddy of mine just graduated Binghamton University and will be finishing his graduate school at UF. He just presented an opportunity for me to move to Gainesville with him. The rent is CHEAP (compared to NY) but I am sort of on the fence about it.

There are many things I need to take into consideration before I make the big move. I am a 23 year old latino (I dont look at all latino, however) who will be turning 24 in September. I am also a very cultured on things like art, music and fashion. NOW, I am very aware that Gainesville will be nothing like NYC and that is a little worrisome for me. I love how diverse and more specifically cultured the city is.

I have been doing some research on the city and I am hearing a lot of different things.

I hear that the city is fairly racist and stuck in their ways. I went to school in Cortland, NY and experienced what this could possibly feel like. I swore to myself that I would never return to a place like that ever again.

I also hear that this is not an ideal place for people over 24. I do not plan on starting my career there, but finally finishing my BA would be nice.

I am a very open minded and honest individual. I am also VERY easy to get along with, but I do not get along with ignorance. I am a musician, artist & producer. I always need to feed my creativity.



I know the population is roughly 127,000 (NYC is roughly 8 Million). & I do know that it is a college town mainly driven by UF. And I am okay with all of those things.

My BIGGEST fear however is how the people are. As I stated above, I am a very cultured individual and need to be surrounded by people who are also cultured with similar tastes.

I was wondering if anyone who lives in Gainesville or has lived there can give me insight on the city.



Thankkkkks!!

[projectmaximus]

I went to UF for 5 years, from 2002-2007, and now only go back a few times a year just for the day.

My impression was that it was a typical large college town…on the large side both in size of the city and size of the university. There are certainly aspects of the college town atmosphere that can feel conservative, dated, and perhaps even racist, but on the whole I would not imagine it would affect you on a regular basis if you stay in near the school and developed areas (which would be most of the city)

I am a minority and musician as well and loved my time there. I would not have any issues doing it all over again. Of course, I did not come from a NYC background (though I am a city guy and well-traveled) and I was college aged so your experience may be different. I would think, though, that you'll be accepted just fine and there are plenty of creative outlets down there. It actually was an excellent music and arts scene back when I was there.

[City Guy997S]

You will be fine, but you don't really mention what you will be doing there as far as education/employment.
It is a college town, lots of fast food restaurants/sports bars and chain stores.

[mikeyalvaa]

Ah forgot to mention that. I will be finishing my BA in Communications at UF. As far as employment goes, im currently employed by a credit union. I was hoping I could get another credit union job in Gainesville. But that may be wishful thinking

[kyle19125]

There area a good number of banks and credit unions in Gainesville and it seems banks in particular are always hiring, so wouldn't sweat that. I also will say living within a smaller community of creative individuals opens up more a sense of camaraderie you could very well find a welcome change after living in NYC. Good luck!