A Brief History of Gainesville

We thought it would be fun this week to do some digging into the history of Gainesville, FL. The town has a rich and ongoing tradition, and it is important to know where one came from to move forward.

Here it goes:

1. In 1824 Florida is annexed to the United States and Alachua County was created. Newnansville, at the time, was deemed the county seat.
2. When the Florida Railroad was proposed the county voted to create a new county seat, and in 1853 Gainesville was founded.
3. Following the Civil War, Gainesville saw pushes in cotton production and education, with Gainesville Academy and the Union Academy being two new schools in the local area.
4. In 1906 the University of Florida began operating outside of the town, and subsequently the population grew and economy improved. 
5. After World War 2, Gainesville saw a large amount of expansion, including the growth of the University, the installation of new businesses, and the building of a new Courthouse and other public buildings.
6. Moving beyond the 1970's a large push to preserve the original nature of the town succeeded in the creation of the historic district and efforts in this light continue.

There is plenty more to discuss, and plenty of local knowledge to learn from. If you have more to add, we urge you to write your experience or knowledge in a comment below!