Community Description
Short Description: Alachua, "The Good Life Community is located 12 miles northwest of Gainesville and near the Santa Fe River, 60 miles north of Ocala and 65 miles west of Jacksonville. Pronounced A -la-chu-wa, is a Seminole-Creek Indian word whose actual meaning is in question. Some interpret Alachua as the Indian name for sink in reference to the perception of the lay of the land or the Alachua Jug sinkhole or The Devil's Millhopper. The name has been could have been used from the time the place was first settled by Creeks who came down from Oconee in Georgia.
"Alachua" is a derivative of the Seminole-Creek Indian word "luchuwa," meaning jug or sink and was apparently The "jug" which called forth the name was derived from the regular occurrence of sinkholes due to the porous lime rock underlying most of the area.
When the tracks of the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad were laid from High Springs to Gainesville in the 1880s, a community evolved around the depot built about a mile south of the former Alachua County seat of Newnansville. Whole buildings were moved from Newnansville by businessmen to take advantage of the rail connections and soon the new town of Alachua was platted.
Community events include The Goodlife Jubilee festival.
Nearby communities include High Springs (8.5 miles), Gainesville (12.5 miles), Brooker (12.5 miles), Newberry (13 miles), Archer (17.5 miles), Fort White (19 miles), Lake Butler (19.5 miles) and Waldo (21 miles).
Population: 7,121
Year of Incorporation: 1905
Location: North Central Florida
Elevation: 85 feet
Median Home Price: $106,000
Tax Rate: 5.70
Taxes Levied (per capita): $285.51
Total Area: 46.6 square miles
City Hall: City of Alachua
15001 NW 140th St, PO Box 9
Alachua, FL 32616.0009
386.462.1231; 386.462.1985 Fax
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Chamber of Commerce: Alachua Chamber
PO Box 387, Alachua, FL 32615
386.462.3333
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Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau
30 East University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601
352.374.5231; 352.338.3213 Fax
Library: Alachua Branch Library
14913 NW 140 St, Alachua, FL 32615
386.462.2592; 386.462.5537 Fax
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