New Haven, Gainesville FL

[FrontlineWarrior]

edit: chose and matched in Gainesville! now seeking housing options below.

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original message:

So I'm looking at several jobs and one of them is in New Haven, the other in Gainesville. Does anyone have experience with these places?

Is it culturally/ethnically diverse?
How often is it cloudy in New Haven?
How hot does it get in Gainesville... unbearable or no?
Is Gainesville "The South"?
Where would you rather live?

I'm looking for a place that's culturally vibrant, ethnically diverse, doesn't have much prejudice. I'm going to be spending up to 7 years there so it's important.

 

[gooseman]

I lived in North Haven, CT for a while. New Haven is ok but nothing special. It's claim to fame is that it is the home of Yale University. There is also a pizza place that serves some of if not the best New York Style pizza on the planet.

 

[Reel]

Gainesville:

Is it culturally/ethnically diverse? Somewhat, not tremendously and more focused on the campus than the city.
How hot does it get in Gainesville... unbearable or no? In the summer, it gets really hot and humid so it feels hotter. I enjoy the heat and it was a bit rough for a bit of the summer to be outside doing anything.
Is Gainesville "The South"? It is more like a pocket of the other Florida big cities placed down in the south. Drive 30 minutes and you can find rednecks easily but most people are students so it has a college town atmosphere.
Where would you rather live? Can't compare without full knowledge.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

New Haven is a good town, but like every larger-ish city its got some really poor neighborhoods too. Plenty of restaurants, clubs, music, shopping, etc. New England weather is unpredictable. You can have heatwaves in January and cold snaps in June. Culturally vibrant and ethnically diverse I'd give the nod to New Haven over Gainesville.

 

[thawolfman]

Currently living in Waterbury, CT and I have to agree with what GH has to say. New Haven is a good town, but definitely has it's poor neighborhoods. There's also plenty to do in the area, in addition to Yale being practially a city within New Haven.

As far as the weather goes, we definitely get both extremes. Hot & Humid summers and Cold Winters. Spring and Fall are usually pretty nice though

http://www.nhregister.com/ is the local newspaper in New Haven if you're interested in reading up on anything in the area....Being from CT I'll have to go :thumbsup: to New Haven

 

[preslove]

I grew up in Gainesville and lived there for a few years after college. It's a college town, which means it is highly educated, has nice restaurants, isn't the "South," and is a vibrant place, even though it is a relatively small town. There are more awesome restaurants then most cities twice its size & it has many different night spots. The main problem with gainesville are its low wages and high unemployment because it has only one major employer, UF, and a large number of highly educated people looking for work. On the flip side, however, if you have a good job lined up, the low cost of living will help out a lot. $50-60k in g-ville is a lot of money. Also, Florida doesn't have an income tax (don't know if CT does), so gainesville might mean even more $.

It gets to the 90's in the summer and isn't TOO bad, but August does definately suck. The winters are very mild.

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

So I matched in Gainesville, and I'm looking to buy a condo or house. I'm not married and don't have any kids, so I think a 2 bedroom 1 bath will suffice. I'll be working at Shands. Where are some good locations to live? It seems there is a huge variation in price of homes and I can't really figure out why. For example I see lots of 3bed/2bath homes for 150-200k, and some that are 250-300k, and some even higher (500+). Plus these huge houses are more than what I need now (single, no children, no long term significant other).

 

[aphex]

I miss Gainesville....

 

[aphex]

BTW, we used to own a townhouse in Rockwood Villas, right near the Mall off I-75... About 10-15 minutes to Shands (depends greatly on the traffic)... Might be worth a look, when we sold it the prices were still decent... Nice neighborhood as well, most Grad students so it was decently quiet compared to some other places...

It was a 3 bedroom, 3 bath.... built in the mid 90's... sold it for $160ish

 

[FlashG]

Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
So I matched in Gainesville, and I'm looking to buy a condo or house. I'm not married and don't have any kids, so I think a 2 bedroom 1 bath will suffice. I'll be working at Shands. Where are some good locations to live? It seems there is a huge variation in price of homes and I can't really figure out why. For example I see lots of 3bed/2bath homes for 150-200k, and some that are 250-300k, and some even higher (500+). Plus these huge houses are more than what I need now (single, no children, no long term significant other).

It's probably the area. location - location. Iv'e lived if Florida since 1981 (S Fla 13 years and Jacksonville since 92). Just make sure that you don't buy in a transition area.

 

[ultimatebob]

I voted for New Haven, since they have better pizza!

Besides, it gets too damn hot during Summer in Florida!

 

[CptObvious]

Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
I'm looking for a place that's culturally vibrant, ethnically diverse, doesn't have much prejudice. I'm going to be spending up to 7 years there so it's important.

Is it too late to change your choice? Seriously, of all the places I've been to, the north Florida region (where Gainesville is) is one of the last places I'd pick for culture, diversity and tolerance. I'm a native Floridian and lived in Gainesville for 7 years, and while the UF area has some culture and diversity, it's pretty barren everywhere else.

 

[toolboxolio]

Originally posted by: aphex
I miss Gainesville....

word

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

Originally posted by: CptObvious

Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
I'm looking for a place that's culturally vibrant, ethnically diverse, doesn't have much prejudice. I'm going to be spending up to 7 years there so it's important.

Is it too late to change your choice? Seriously, of all the places I've been to, the north Florida region (where Gainesville is) is one of the last places I'd pick for culture, diversity and tolerance. I'm a native Floridian and lived in Gainesville for 7 years, and while the UF area has some culture and diversity, it's pretty barren everywhere else.

unless i no longer want to practice medicine, yeah it's too late.

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
So I matched in Gainesville, and I'm looking to buy a condo or house. I'm not married and don't have any kids, so I think a 2 bedroom 1 bath will suffice. I'll be working at Shands. Where are some good locations to live? It seems there is a huge variation in price of homes and I can't really figure out why. For example I see lots of 3bed/2bath homes for 150-200k, and some that are 250-300k, and some even higher (500+). Plus these huge houses are more than what I need now (single, no children, no long term significant other).

Check out the biven's arm area. It's expensive, but it is close to shands and has some awesome homes. Of course, if you are practicing medicine, the expense might not be that bad. What's your budget?

 

[ISAslot]

I've lived in Gainesville for 26yrs. I really like it here, but I have not lived anywhere else for comparison. Politically the city is liberal island in a sea of red (the surrounding counties). There are rail trails if you like biking, natural areas to visit like Paynes Prairie.

I work at UF and commute by bike. Parking at UF is crazy. If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM.

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

Originally posted by: preslove

Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
So I matched in Gainesville, and I'm looking to buy a condo or house. I'm not married and don't have any kids, so I think a 2 bedroom 1 bath will suffice. I'll be working at Shands. Where are some good locations to live? It seems there is a huge variation in price of homes and I can't really figure out why. For example I see lots of 3bed/2bath homes for 150-200k, and some that are 250-300k, and some even higher (500+). Plus these huge houses are more than what I need now (single, no children, no long term significant other).

Check out the biven's arm area. It's expensive, but it is close to shands and has some awesome homes. Of course, if you are practicing medicine, the expense might not be that bad. What's your budget?

I'm going to be fresh out of medical school, making a little over 40k a year. I'll have some help from my parents towards a down payment though. Budget is probably less than 200k, though I'm not too sure. I'll check out biven's arm area.

Thanks to all for the suggestions thus far.

Are there corners of the town that are better or worse? Northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast, etc?

 

[ISAslot]

UF is in the SW of the city and the area around it is oriented towards various student housing, or expensive pockets of close-to-uf housing. The western portion of town is the more affluent side. Homes on the northeast side will be quite a bit cheaper, but the neighborhoods are not as desirable to those with $.

 

[monk3y]

Hey how's it going... I live in Gainesville and have for quite a while. I actually work at Shands as a Bio scientist. My gf and I are actually looking to buy a house soon. As far as the corners of town are concerned... I know that the Northeast is cheap but not very good neighborhoods, mainly low income areas. The northwest-west is probably the most expensive and generally 'safer' neighborhoods.

If a house is too large or something look into getting a condo... the only unfortunate thing is that the supply is WAY over the demand right now. I'm sure eventually the prices will drop. A huge plus with condos is that you will always be able to rent it out to college students should you ever move out and are not able to sell but then you do have to deal with college student bs.