Northwest Gainesville
Northwest Gainesville is known for quiet, tree-lined neighborhoods and a family atmosphere. The boundary starts at 8th Avenue and heads north to 39th Avenue. It extends west from 13th Street all the way to Santa Fe College. It’s home to many Santa Fe students, college professors and other local residents, as well as some nice shopping areas.
Perks: This large area has a nice variety of homes and condos for sale or to rent. While the area has a good variety of apartments, you will not be able to find the massive student housing communities that are common in other areas of town. The only exception to this is in the immediate vicinity of Santa Fe College.
Northwest Gainesville is very quiet and picturesque – think “suburbia” with more trees (and more centrally located). For example, the east/west Glenn Springs Road is lined with oak trees; NW 16th Avenue runs parallel and features crepe myrtles in the medians.
There’s also usually less traffic in this area. On the southern border, 8th Avenue is a popular east/west corridor that has less traffic and stoplights than University Avenue. And both 13th Street and 43rd Street are popular veins for traveling north/south.
In Northwest Gainesville, you can find everything from large chains like Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and Publix to specialty boutiques. Centrally located, Thornebrook Village is home to things like a gourmet bakery, specialty grocery store, chocolatier, salon, jewelry stores and women’s boutiques.
Things to Consider: Some parts of this area of town don’t get as much bus service as more student and UF-central locations, so a car would be useful. Due to the mostly quiet neighborhood atmosphere, there aren’t as many restaurants, bars or chain stores to choose from. And most of your neighbors would likely be adults or SFC students, as it’s more removed from the UF mindset that dominates the areas south of it.
How to Get to School: Most people heading to UF or Santa Fe College would likely take a car or bike to school. RTS does serve the area with bus routes that can be more or less convenient, depending where you live. Specifically, the 10 and 43 run through Northwest Gainesville from SFC to UF. Other routes are the 6, 8, 15, 29.
Attractions: Northwest Gainesville offers the Gainesville Community Playhouse right in the middle, plus the walking trails of Alfred A. Ring park in the east and Devil’s Millhopper State Park just northwest of the area. Magnolia Parke hosts the Greater Gator Beer Festival, and the SFC Planetarium and Zoo are pretty unique too.
Businesses: Favorites include the delicious Southern comforts of Adam’s Rib Co, the gourmet grocer Fresh Market and the Bagel Bakery in Millhopper Shopping Center. Gator Domino’s has two locations in this region: one on NW 39th Ave. and another on the SFC campus.
