Small is Cool:
A huge research university + a small city = A densely talented community with a thriving culture of entrepreneurship, art and music. In 2013 Fast Company rank Florida #1 in America for innovation. Learn all about us at GainesvilleConnect.
Cool Rankings and Recognitions:
Community
- Fast Company magazine named Florida the No. 1 “Innovation State” (2013)
- Forbes ranked Gainesville #1 in Florida for Best Places for Business and Careers (2012)
- Portfolio magazine ranks Gainesville as one of the “smartest” cities in U.S.
- Amazon ranked Gainesville 8th “most well read city”
- Gainesville predicted to have biggest percentage growth of “creative class” jobs in U.S. over next decade
- DailyBeast.com ranked Gainesville #7 for Greenest Cities in America (2011)
- The National Business Incubator Association named the University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotech Incubator the #1 business incubator for 2013 in an international competition
Education
- The University of Florida is the #1 single public university in North America at commerializating its research (with over $600 million research annually), and the only AAU member in Florida
- Five Alachua County high schools are included in the Washington Post’s 2013 list of the most challenging high school in the country
- Students in Alachua County public schools earn the highest SAT scores in the state, well above national averages
- The school district has the highest rate of passed Advanced Placement tests in the state
Quality of Life
- Gainesville ranked 8th in Gallup-Healthways Well-being Index (2011) for mid-sized cities
- It’s home to nationally accredited museums of art and natural history and award-winning performing arts programs
- UF’s award-winning Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator is located in Progress Park in Alachua, near Gainesville
- Most UF-related bioscience companies are located in the City of Alachua
- Alachua, a small town with international and Fortune 500 companies, hosts regional and national sporting events
