Doing Business in Alachua County

Alachua County is located in the North Central part of Florida, approximately 85 miles from the Georgia state line, 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and 67 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

Alachua County is centrally located between major cities including Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, and is bordered by 8 Florida counties, including Bradford, Clay, Union, Putnam, Marion, Levy, Gilchrist, and Columbia.

Alachua County encompasses 969 square miles. Gainesville is both the county seat, and the largest city in Alachua County, which includes the following municipalities:

• City of Alachua
• City of Archer
• City of Gainesville
• City of Hawthorne
• City of High Springs
• Town of LaCrosse
• Town of Micanopy
• City of Newberry
• City of Waldo

Alachua County is Florida’s 23rd most populous county. The County has an estimated year round population of 265,246 with a population density of about 282.7 persons per square mile, including more than 50,000 higher education students from the University of Florida students and Santa Fe College.

Alachua County’s geographic location affords visitors a comfortable climate year round. Temperatures are moderated by the wind from the Gulf, producing mild winters and relatively cool summer nights. The July high is around 92 degrees, and the January low is around 44. On average, there are 222 sunny days per year in Alachua County. The average rainfall in the county is 52 inches of rain per year.

Additional information may be found at Current Weather in Alachua County.

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• Construction & Maintenance

Alachua County is a haven for leisure travelers who wish to discover the natural beauty of Florida. The county is home to large prairies, waterways, and forests, accessible through our parks or the Florida State Park system. Alachua County has natural attractions, such as prairies, sinkholes, waterways, waterfalls, pine forest, flora, and fauna, among others.

Many opportunities for sports and recreational activities can be found in abundant can be found here, in addition to the scenic beauty of the area's flora and fauna. Alachua County also offers a sophisticated experience to the area's superlative cultural attractions, rich historical sites, and the engrossing programs offered year round at the University of Florida.

Information about attraction, activities, and events in Alachua County is available at Visit Gainesville.

The first Timucuans, a group of hunters and farmers, living off the vast fertile soil of Paynes Prairie.

In the 1500's, Spanish explorers, perhaps most notably, Hernando De Soto, plundered this area and the native settlers. Franciscan missions and vast cattle ranches soon arrived, but by the 1700s the Spanish found it difficult and costly to maintain dominance in the region, unable to stop the influx of English settlers and the Seminole Indian tribe.

Subsequent skirmishes and the establishment of the Florida railroad through the state’s interior brought new settlements and trading to the area. Around this time, Gainesville was named in honor of General Edmund P. Gaines, commander of U.S. Army troops in Florida during the Second Seminole War.

The town grew steadily, thanks to the Florida Railroad Company extending its line from Cedar Key to Fernandina Beach, Florida. But the real boom began when the Florida Legislature created the University of Florida, recognized today as one of the largest universities in the United States. The development of this educational institution brought an influx of young students, cultural programs and a major medical center, enabling the city to steadily continue growing even in the depths of the Great Depression and World War II. The University and Gainesville have continued to develop in tandem, complementing each other as they grow.
 

For a more detail overview of Alachua County History prepared by the Alachua County Historic Trust and the Matheson Museum, Inc. visit Alachua County History.