Your Town. Your Life. Your Home

Careful planning, distinctive architecture and attention to natural surroundings continues to win Town of Tioga numerous awards. Each of these awards highlight the multi-faceted nature of this flourishing community. The national Best in American Living Award is the most prestigious ...

Letter from the Publisher

With pride, we present the 2nd annual “Guide to Gainesville.” As new owners of this magazine, it is an honor to put in your hands a free publication that has been representing our community for more than 22 years. My wife, Patti, and I graduated from the University ...

Letter from the Chamber of Commerce President, CEO

Dear Readers: Since 1995, when Money magazine named Gainesville to the top of its list of “Best Places to Live,” our secret has been out. Our temperate climate, outdoor recreational activities, cultural offerings and outstanding educational and health care ...

Letter from the County Commissioner

Go Gators! This rallying cry unites Alachua County, home of the University of Florida. And, to be sure, UF is a dominant force in this northwest Florida county of 218,000. But Alachua County’s personality is broader than the university. The county is ...

Letter from the Mayor

It is my pleasure to extend greetings to all those who will see this 2nd annual special issue of Gainesville Today’s “Guide to Gainesville.” This issue shares with you just some of the special people, places, businesses and activities our community has to ...

A Little History

Spanish explorers found North Central Florida in the 1500s, discovering a land already populated by a complex Native American civilization called Timucuan. The area was exploited until Franciscan priests founded missions, and a cattle ranch was developed on what is now the ...

Gainesville at a Glance

Gainesville, the county seat of Alachua County and the commercial hub for the entire North Central Florida area, is centrally located be-tween the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean in North Central Florida. Within two hours of Gainesville are a host of destinations including ...

Education in Gainesville

The words education and the University of Florida are synonymous in this community. While UF, and Santa Fe Community College, give Gainesville its reputation as a college town, it is also educationally much more. UF, which is celebrating its sesquicentennial (150 years), ...

Where to Stay and Live

The Gainesville-Alachua County area hosts 46 hotels and motels with roughly 3,500 rooms, as well as eight bed and breakfast inns and several fishing camps. A good many of the rooms are within walking distance of UF and the downtown shopping and restaurant area, while others ...

Health Care in Alachua County

Residents of North Central Florida have access to some of the best health care in the United States. The community is home to four hospitals with a total of more than 1,900 beds, and that number is growing. About 1,200 physicians, surgeons, and dentists maintain practices ...

Shopping in Gainesville

The Oaks Mall, the largest retail outlet in the area, located at Newberry Road and Interstate 75 serves as a hub for traditional shopping not only for Gainesville and Alachua County but for all of North Central Florida as well. Anchored by Burdines, Sears, JC Penney, Dillards, ...

National Builder of the Year

Atlantic Design and Construction is also building traditional, neighborhood homes in the Town of Tioga. “The advantage of these portfolio homes is that they look like custom homes but the price is competitive with other homes of their size and in these neighborhoods,” ...

Haile: The Realization of a Vision

25 years ago it was the vision of a small group of people. In the next two years it will become a completed reality, looking remarkably like that quarter-century-old vision. Bob Kramer, Matthew Kaskel and the Fleeman family created a plan in 1978 for a 1,070-acre planned ...

Your Legal Rights Part One

Car accidents. Slip and falls. Dog bites. Such incidents may occur and result in injury to your spouse or your child. Many people are unaware of their own rights as the spouse or parent of someone who has been injured. “Injury to a child or any family member can be very ...

Future Banking, Convenience Today

SunState Federal Credit Union is racing into the 21st Century with new technology that will allow it to provide something from the 20th Century– good customer service. Alachua’s new way to bank is SunState’s newest branch, which just opened on U.S. 441 ...

Curry’s Team, 60 Day Guarantee

If you are looking to buy or sell a home there’s a whole host of real estate professionals to choose from in the Gainesville area. But if it is your hope to buy or sell successfully, then look to Chris Curry of REMAX Professionals, Inc. There are many reasons to consider ...

Ciao Bella! Hello Beautiful!

Although there are many salons, few can attest to years of worldly experience and a constant drive to innovate. The staff possess over a century of industry experience in the fundamentals of hair artistry. In some cases, stagnant styles and outdated looks have become commonplace. ...

Medical Website of the Month

This month’s medical website, sponsored by GainesvilleMedical Directory.com, is www.ahom.com, featuring American HomePatient. Founded in 1983, American HomePatient is one of the nation’s largest home medical equipment providers. American HomePatient supplies home ...

Listen to the Silence

When Mrs. Jones broke her right arm from simply rolling over in bed, it was the first sign of a silent disease. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become so thin that they can break during normal daily activities such as lifting a heavy object or even rolling over ...

About Face

Lately, nothing pumps up the ratings on television talk shows more than “make-overs.” The popularity of these before-and-afters reached new heights recently when the producers of one reality series decided they weren’t content with just dabbing on a little ...

The Art of a Smile

Dental care has undergone rapid advances during the last decade, during which the focus has shifted from merely fixing or patching teeth, to creating vibrant and attractive smiles. At Exceptional Dentistry, Drs. Art and Kimberley Mowery employ the latest technology and ...

Spaaaaaaaahhhh!

For those in need of a little R & R, Cloud 9 is the real deal. The warm relaxed ambiance will force even the most high-strung to unwind. This enchanting yet large spa employs 35 spa professionals to cater to your every need. Impressively, all of the spa professionals hold ...

The Browns and ‘The Painter of Light’

The images of Thomas Kinkade, America’s most collected living artist, have arrived in Gainesville at Peaceful Images Art Gallery located at 3415 W. University Avenue in the Westgate Regency Plaza. Kinkade is known as “The Painter of Light” because of the ...

Meet MEGA Mitch Glaeser

When Mitch Glaeser tells people he is publishing a new phone directory this fall, the typical response is, “Why do we need a third phone book?” But when he tells them he’s publishing the most comprehensive, organized, yet easy-to-read, consumer guide with ...

One of The Great Good Places

Indeed the Third Place Pub & Grille is doing several things good. First is staying true to its name. The Third Place came from a book by Ray Oldenburg called The Great Good Places. Oldenburg describes pre-industrial revolution society where the main gathering places were ...

Wake Up to Permanent Beauty

A special place, appropriately called A’Nu U, can be found in a cozy, relaxing setting, complete with rocking chairs on the front porch. While entering through the beautifully stained-glass door, customers are greeted by a professional staff that is very welcoming and ...

Gainesville’s Garden of Tranquility

One of the most unique and little-known jewels in Gainesville’s retail landscape - Angel Gardens - sits just north of town on U.S. 441. But to simply describe Angel Gardens as a store is just not fair. Angel Gardens is indeed the place to find that extraordinary ...