Alachua County, Florida - info, facts, communities on Key to the City

Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau
30 East University Avenue
Gainesville, Florida 32601
Phone: 352-374-5231
FAX: 352-338-3213
email: acvacb@ns1.co.alachua.fl.us

Size: 965 square miles

Population: 208,000, this figure includes approximately 44,000 University of Florida students.

Climate and Weather:
The county has a moderate climate. Winds from the Gulf of Mexico help produce mild winters and cool summer evenings.
Average Temperature: 70.1 degrees F.
Summer Highs: 90's
Winter Lows: 40's
Sunshine: 2,803 hours each year!!
A weather page for the Alachua County area.

Location:
in north-central Florida 85 miles south of Georgia and 50 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico. It is also only 67 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean.

History:
Gainesville, the County seat, was established in 1854 on land that was part of a grant that the King of Spain gave to Don Fernando Arredondo in 1817. The name "Alachua" is a Seminole world that means "jug", and the County probably takes its name from the sinkhole in Paynes Prairie. Micanopy, the second oldest town in Florida, was an Indian settlement when DeSoto passed through the County in 1539. Due to its strong heritage, here are several areas in the County that are on the National Register of Historic districts.
Museums and historical sites in the area.

Alachua County Library District

School Board of Alachua County
620 E. University Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32601
Phone: (352) 955-7300

Attractions in the area.

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This page was last updated on 24 April 2009 at 12:16 pm

This page was created 9 August 1999