Gainesville is a southern American city located in the state of Florida. It is the county seat of Alachua County, though the metropolitan area also extends into Gilchrist County.http://www.gogainsville.com/ It is the only city with more than 10,000 residents in either county.http://www.gogainsville.com/ The area has a sub-tropical climate with high summer humidity and annual average rainfall of 35 - 40 inches. http://www.visitgainesville.com/press/facts.aspx

The city is home to the University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College. http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=8534 The Gainseville Regional Airport services northern Florida with flights from Delta Air Lines, US Airways, and American Airlines. It also serves charter flights and hosts Tropical Helicopters and Sky Chiefs Flight Instruction schools. http://www.gra-gnv.com/index.php

Gainesville is where Gatorade, the world's first and best-selling sports drink, was invented. http://www.visitgainesville.com/press/facts.aspx It is home to the largest occupied bat house in North America and the largest butterfly research center in the world. http://www.visitgainesville.com/press/facts.aspx The area boasts the largest number of high-magnitude springs in the world, which average a temperature of 72F year-round. http://www.visitgainesville.com/press/facts.aspx

The area of Alachua County was named by the Timucuan Native Americans, the first residents of the area. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers plundered the area, and Franciscan missions and cattle ranches were established. http://www.visitgainesville.com/press/facts.aspx In 1824, Florida was annexed to the United states, and Alachua County was established with the town of Alachua as the county seat. http://www.afn.org/~hgi/gnvhistory.htmlWhen the Florida Railroad was being planned, the area residents voted to form a new town as a stop on the railroad line to create a new county seat. http://www.afn.org/~hgi/gnvhistory.html The city of Gainesville was founded to fulfill this purpose on September 6, 1853.

Gainesville is located at latitude 29° 39'N and longitude 82° 19'W.http://www.travelmath.com/city/Gainesville,+FL It is 48 square miles in area, with a population density of 1,981 persons residing per square mile.http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1225175.htmlThe city is located in north central Florida, in a primarily rural area.http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=8534 It is to the north of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and to the east of Newnans Lake, at the junction of Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 441.http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=8534 Gainesville is approximately 129 miles from Tallahassee and 96 miles from Orlando.http://www.visitgainesville.com/press/facts.aspx

• Kanapaha Botanical Gardens: 62 -acre facility with 24 major plant collections and 1 1/2 miles of paved walkways.http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091008/ARTICLES/910081056
• Florida Museum of Natural History: Fossil and history exhibits, 6.400-square-foot screened butterfly enclosure and outdoor gardens http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/
• Devil's Milhopper Geological State Park: National Natural Landmark, a 120- foot deep natural cavity that contains a miniature rainforesthttp://www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper/
• Matheson Museum: Documents Florida history from the Timucuan Indians through the Spanish Occupationhttp://www.mathesonmuseum.org/
• Gainesville Raceway: Drag racing facilityhttp://www.gainesvilleraceway.com/
• Harn Museum of Art: African, pre-Columbian, Asian, American and Contemporary art galleryhttp://www.visitgainesville.com/attractions/item.aspx?id=40

• Maya Rudolph: Actresshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0748973/
• Lisa Nicole Carson: Actresshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004808/
• Michele Boyd: Actresshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1837691/
• Shane McRae: Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0574460/
• Erin Micklow: Actresshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm3072349/
• Brittany Daniel: Actresshttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20100207/MAGAZINE01/100209529
• Faye Dunaway: Actresshttp://www.ufl.edu/facts/
• River Phoenix: Actorhttp://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20106732,00.html
• Joaquin Phoenix: Actorhttp://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20106732,00.html
• Bob Vila: Television hosthttp://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/gainesville-fl/university-of-florida-1535
• Tom Petty: Musicianhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20100716/articles/100719674
• Stephen Arthur Stills: Musician (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)http://stephenstills.com/index-v10j.html
• Darrell Hammond: Comedianhttp://www.allamericanspeakers.com/celebritytalentbios/Darrell-Hammond
• Michael Connelly: Authorhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20080505/MAGAZINE01/940011452
• Nancy Yi Fan: Authorhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20080505/MAGAZINE01/153186307
• Harry Crews: Author, playwrighthttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20060507/DAYBREAK/205070303
• Joe Halderman: Authorhttp://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Gainesville&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AGainesville%2Cp_lbr_one_browse-bin%3AJoe%20Haldeman&page=1
• David Leavitt: Authorhttp://www.english.ufl.edu/faculty/dleavitt/
• Lauren Anderson: Playboy playmatehttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1317881/bio
• Corey Brewer: NBA playerhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20100727/ARTICLES/7271004
• Udonis Haslem: NBA playerhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20090408/articles/904089927
• Taurean Green: NBA playerhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20070530/GATORS02/705300362
• Chris Richard: NBA playerhttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20070530/GATORS02/705300362
• Clinton Portis: NFL playerhttp://www.redskins.com/gen/players/Clinton_Portis.jsp
• Emmitt Smith: NFL playerhttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/434392-emmitt-smith-why-florida-fans-are-mad-at-the-new-nfl-hall-of-famer
• Rodney Mullen: Professional skateboarderhttp://www.huckmagazine.com/features/rodney-mullen-another/
• Robert Cade: Inventor of Gatoradehttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20091008/ARTICLES/910081056