Gainesville Awards & Recognition

Gainesville is known as an innovative municipal government and an innovative city. Gainesville continues to receive national recognition as a top-rated city. Some of Gainesville's accolades are listed below:

Gainesville ranked no. 19 in nation (no. 1 in Florida) in best commute times in "American Community Survey," a report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, January 2012
Gainesville ranked high in book titled "For the Love of Cities," April 2011
Gainesville ranked no. 7 on the top 25 greenest cities in the U.S. by The Daily Beast, April 2011
Alachua County ranked no. 16 of healthiest counties in Florida, March 2011
Gainesville ranked no. 8 of mid-sized cities on the "2010 State of Well-Being" report by Gallup-Healthways, March 2011
Gainesville ranked no. 9 on the "Top Ten Best College Towns" by ParentsandColleges.com, Dec. 2010
Gainesville ranked no. 14 of "America's Top 25 Smartest Cities" by Portfolio.com, Dec. 2010
Gainesville named one of five cities "Where to Retire," Oct. 2010
Gainesville ranked on the 2010 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index (ranked first in Florida and 86th nationally), Oct. 2010
Gainesville named on the "10 Amazing Local Farmers Markets" list, Livability.com, Sept. 2010
Alachua County named one of the nation's 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise Alliance, Sept. 2010
Gainesville ranked no. 1 "Top 10 College Towns: Great Cities for School & Life After Graduation" by Livability.com, Sept. 2010
Four local high schools (three in Gainesville) ranked on Newsweek's Best High Schools list, June 2010
Gainesville ranked no. 16 of "America's Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities" by Bicycling Magazine, May 2010.
Gainesville named one of the "Best Places to Work Out" by Men's Health, March 2010
Gainesville ranked no. 11 "gayest city" in The Advocate, Feb. 2010
Gainesville ranked no. 4 "small metros" in "The AIER College Destinations Index," Sept. 2009
Gainesville named one of 13 of "America's Best College Towns," Sept. 2009
Gainesville named no. 10 "mighty micro" in "Next Cities: The 60 U.S. Hotspots for Young, Talented Workers," July 2009
Gainesville named nation's first Butterfly City, June 2009
Smithsonian Names Gainesville "Where to Live Next," 2008
Black Enterprise magazine ranks Gainesville 13th on their "Top 20 Best Places to Retire," 2008
Gainesville Ranks #1 in Cities Ranked and Rated, which studied more than 400 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada, 2007
Named the "No. 1 Place to Retire During an Economic Downturn" by SmartMoney.com, 2008
Ranked 22 on Forbes.com's list of "America's Smartest Cities," 2008
Named one of the "50 Best Places to Live and Play" by National Geographic Adventure magazine, 2007
NuWire Investor ranked Gainesville #3 on their list of "Top 10 Small College Towns for Investment," 2007
Gainesville's Eastside High School Ranks Top Six in the Nation, Newsweek's Best High Schools rankings, 2006
Nineteen Gainesville Area Schools Receive Most Improved in FCAT writing scores, 2006
Top Ten Cities in the USA for Outdoor Activities, Sperling's Best Places, 2005
Most Technologically Advanced City in Florida (30th in the nation), 2005
Growth Management Pilot Community, 2005
Downtown Festival & Art Show ranked #40 in nation by Greg Lawler's Art Fair Sourcebook, 2005
Tree City USA, National Arbor Day Foundation, annually since 1984
Silver-Level Bicycle-Friendly Community Award, League of American Bicyclists, annually since 2004
#3 Mid-Market City, 100 Top Deals and Hot Markets, Southern Business & Development Magazine, 2004
#11 of the Top 15 Best Places to Reinvent Your Life, AARP Magazine, 2003
Gold Well City USA Award, Wellness Councils of America, 2003
#1 Best Place to Live in America, Money Magazine, 1995
The History of Alachua School Grades