Best PlacesFlorahome, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Florahome, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Florahome ranks 42,688th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Florahome
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Florahome's strengths and weaknesses
Where Florahome ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 99% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 96% of towns
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 129 pleasant days a year, better than 85% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than 77% of towns
Where Florahome ranks low
- Household income$41,772 median, better than only 3% of towns
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 6% of towns
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 6% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than only 7% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 8% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Florahome
A household needs to earn about $34,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Florahome home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $41,772, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Florahome's effective rate of 0.69%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Florahome
Florahome's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Florahome.
Who works in Florahome, and how
Work in Florahome centers on construction and admin & support services. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Florahome
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Florahome.
What the weather is like in Florahome, month by month
Florahome sees roughly 129 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 54° | 44° |
| April | 81° | 69° | 58° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 71° | 63° |
Flying in and out of Florahome
The nearest airport, Gainesville Regional, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 52 miles away.
The best schools in and around Florahome
Schools across Florahome average a C, better than 35% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Melrose Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- James A. Long Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Robert H. Jenkins Jr Elementary SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Q.i. Roberts Jr. - Sr. High SchoolA · 76% proficient
- Interlachen Jr-sr High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Palatka Jr - Sr High SchoolD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Florahome school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Florahome measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Florahome against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Florahome
Is Florahome a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Florahome ranks 42,688th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and low crime, and lowest on low incomes and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Florahome expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $132,512. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $41,772 median income, cost of living beats 8% of towns.
Is Florahome safe?
Yes, Florahome is safer than 93% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $108 per resident a year.
Compare Florahome with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Florahome. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Florahome represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Florahome detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Florahome: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Florahome: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Florahome: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Florahome: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Florahome detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.