Relocation Packet
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Where Nature and Culture Gainesville Meet in North Florida photo by The circa-1920 Thomas Center gene bednarek/SILV is home to art galleries and performance space. ER IM AGE ® p hoto a gency Coming For many outside of Florida, Gainesville may be best known for two things: Gatorade and Tim Tebow. But of Age those who truly know this city understand its depth and its three-dimensional environment — a cool balance Discover Gainesville’s new diversity. By Ted Spiker of nature, culture, business, sports, and education. ➺ usairwaysmag.com 63 Gainesville Linda Demetropoulos, nature and cultural manager of the city’s Division of Cultural Affairs, who spends leisure time kayaking in the area. “Gainesville is one of my favorite places in Florida because of the beauty, especially the tree canopies.” Many also point to Gainesville as a city that supports new business and technology. The new Innovation Square located next to the UF campus will develop into a place where science, technology, and business merge to bring new ideas to the marketplace. “What you find here is a community that’s From top: Future plans incredibly entrepreneurial in nature,” says for Innovation Square; Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the tubing on the Ichetuck- Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. nee River; Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at “Gatorade was the university’s product that Hippodrome University of Florida State Theatre gave it fame and fortune in the marketplace, but now the university is even more committed to find more Gatorades, whether it’s in the life-science field, the green-energy field, or the information-technology field.” ome to the state’s oldest university, the Uni- busy in Gainesville Part of that spirit comes from the constant and Alachua County. photo influx of young minds into all areas of the com- versity of Florida (UF), Gainesville retains Spend the S munity, whether it’s business, arts, or athletics. (c L its funky, college-town vibe. But many say its afternoon at the ockw Part of it also comes from the one-degree-of- circa-1920 Thomas separation residents feel with each other. When is appeal is much more diverse nowadays. Center, a restored e fro popular pizza place Satchel’s temporarily Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe. “Gainesville M Mediterranean top closed after a kitchen fire, supporters raised has a very diverse population and a large c orporat “It used to be a hippie town — a really cool, Revival–style manse filled with art galleries, L more than $35,000 to help pay out-of-work international community. It’s a midsize city H eft) by very grassroots little town, but also very progres- history exhibits, and 1920s period rooms, all employees. (Satchel’s plans to reopen in June.) with many things you find in a large city, but I on, sive,” says Stephanie Ivey, owner of Ivey’s Grill surrounded by landscaped gardens. Then head gene bednarek/SILV “There’s a constant feeling of vitality, and you still maintain the quality of life that’s so visi and a resident since 1987. to the downtown district to savor Asian and Pan- t ga we’re seeing that more than ever before,” says special to us.” I Today, Gainesville Latin–inspired dishes (see dining on page 88). ne offers many of the Afterward, check out the live-music scene or svill e, un amenities of a larger catch a play or film at the Hippodrome State ER IM iv er city (championship- Theatre, housed in a historic Federal Building. AGE si ty of f level sports and a rich Culture vultures will enjoy the new Asian ® p arts community) wing at The Harn Museum of Art in UF’s hoto L or a without some of the Cultural Plaza. And kids (and the young at gency, courte I da, hassles (rush hour). heart) will love the teaching zoo at Santa Fe Fl or Located in the College, where they can stroll the 10-acre forest I da da d epart north central part of and commune with cuddly critters from fur to S y of the state about half- feathers (monkeys to parrots). u M n ent of way between the Nature lovers can also get a close look at iv er si Atlantic Ocean and local wildlife in nearby Paynes Prairie Preserve e ty of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park n vi Gulf of Mexico, the State Park, home to bison, horses, sandhill ron Fl or city has a population cranes, and more than 270 bird species. Many M enta I of about 125,000. Served by the Gainesville visit Gainesville’s nearby parks and waterways da d L e p V rotect Regional Airport, the area is convenient to for hiking, biking, snorkeling, and canoeing. e L op popular destination spots like Orlando. But “We love the Ichetucknee River for the clarity M ent I visitors and residents find plenty to keep them of the water and the beauty of the scenery,” says on 64 usairwaysmag.com Welcome to Gainesville and Alachua County Gainesville is where nature and culture meet. Here you’ll nd one-of-a-kind outdoor adventures alongside world-class museums and premiere performances. Explore a tropical oasis of flowers and waterfalls with hundreds of living butterflies from around the world... I-75 Exit 384, Gainesville n Request a Visitor Guide at visitgainesville.com or call 866.778.5002 3215 Hull Road, on the UF campus Open daily! n $10.50 adults $9 Fla. residents and seniors 62+ n $6 ages 3-17 Prices subject to change. of NATIONALLY1 2 Spend the Day! ACCREDITED Teaching Historic Micanopy Zoos {Florida’s oldest inland settlement} R MUSEUM OF ART UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Antiques :: Gis :: Art—20 Shops Museum :: Cafes :: B&B 26,000 Square Foot Wing 10 miles South of Gainesville, I-75 exit 374, US 441 S Asian-inspired Gardens 680 Works of Art On View FREE ADMISSION 3259 Hull Road Gainesville, Florida 32611-2700 www.harn.ufl.edu left: Korea, Gilt Wood Seated Bodhisattva, Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) 17th century, museum purchase, gift of Michael and Donna Singer MicanopyChamber.com right: China, Covered Jar, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), 18th century, museum purchase, gift of a private donor visitgainesville.com visitgainesville.com Gainesville_Coop.indd 2 3/30/12 1:25 PM Gainesville_Coop.indd 3 3/30/12 1:25 PM Gainesville It All Starts Downtown 26 Restaurants | 14 Nightclubs | Free Valet Parking There’s always something happening here! Researcher at Innovation Square Reaching www.downtowngainesville.net From high tech to higher ed, The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Gainesville is on the cutting Affairs offers many opportunities to get out and play! edge. By Chris Eversole Our quality programs and one-of-a-kind special events unfold across thousands of acres of natural, cultural and Higher recreational sites year-round. Don’t miss our parks, pools, community centers, galleries, concerts, historic sites, art festival, medieval fair, and 18 hole par-72 championship photo courte golf course just a couple of minutes from the airport! hen Augi Lye graduated from the years, Lye pursued the technical side of a www.cityofgainesvilleparks.org 352-334-5067 S University of Florida (UF) in 2006, more artistic pastime y o f — the cello. He u n he got offers from across the country. iv launched his first com- er si ty of But the 2006 grad decided not to move. pany, ToneRite, which makes a device that Fl or Lye decided to stay in Gainesville to work for increases tone, playability, and balance in string I da da W d Prioria Robotics, a company founded by UF instruments. Lye then started a computer gam- e V e grads that builds portable unmanned aircraft. ing company, Trendy Entertainment, which has L op M “I took a big pay cut from what I could have grown to employ 30 techies — thanks to the ent c made in a big city, but I figured that Prioria was success of its Dungeon Defenders product. orporat getting started like all big companies get start- UF researchers and graduates like Lye have ed,” Lye says. His gamble on Gainesville paid long defined Gainesville’s economy. The late I on off. After working for Prioria for two and half Dr. J. Robert Cade, a UF scientist, created us a i r w a y s m a g . c o m 69 visitgainesville.com Gainesville_Coop.indd 4 3/30/12 1:25 PM Making connections that change the way people experience their lives. Trendy Entertainment’s office in Gainesville enrollment of 50,000 students and employs more than 13,800 full-time workers, as well as an additional 12,500 student and part-time workers. Health care closely follows higher educa- tion’s impact on the local economy. The cor- nerstones are Shands at UF, the university’s academic medical center, and North Florida Regional Medical Center, both of which U.S. News & World Report regularly ranks within the top 50 in various medical specialties. photo “Health care is one heck of an economic Gainesville is home to the University S engine,” says Brent Christensen, president and (fro of Florida, one of the nation’s ten M CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of L Innovation Hub Commerce. “Like higher education, health eft) courte largest public universities. care buffers us from extremes in the economy.” The University of Florida - By the Numbers And so does diversity: Insurance adds an- S y of If it’s happening in higher education, Gatorade in the 1960s to keep Gator football other important ingredient to the economic u n chances are it’s happening at UF.