Best PlacesUniversity Park-Gainsville, Gainesville, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville, 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.
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville ranks 3,349th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
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.
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville's strengths and weaknesses
Where University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville ranks high
- Short commute13.4 minutes each way, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
Where University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville ranks low
- Household income$20,116 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
A household needs to earn about $99,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $20,116, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville's effective rate of 1.05%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville.
Who works in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville, and how
Work in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 58%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 28%
Life in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville, month by month
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville sees roughly 105 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 70, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 55° | 42° |
| April | 84° | 70° | 55° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 61° |
Flying in and out of University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
The nearest airport, Gainesville Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
Schools across University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville average a B+, better than 77% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Carolyn Beatrice Parker ElementaryB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kanapaha Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
- Westwood Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Gainesville High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville 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 University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville
Is University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville ranks 3,349th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, biking, and transit, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $367,312. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $20,116 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville safe?
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville is safer than 30% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $420 per resident a year.
Compare University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville 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.
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville 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.