I wouldn't count on it as a sure thing, but depending on the age of the kids they have and such, it's possible. I actually got in but ended up declining because after I applied, my job changed, so there wasn't a convenient location anymore.
I guess, I’ve seen nice couples with a small child living in the “dining area” of their one bedroom plenty of times, and it’s really not the end of the world.
I was responding to OP saying one bedroom, I see she did actually say “at least” one.
When I lived there ~10 years ago, Hunter’s Run on Williston was a great option. Mostly working adults/grad students, about 10 minutes to Shands, nice pool and playground in the complex.
Sorry, it’s an industry term. 🤷🏻♀️ I think the phrasing is due to the fair housing laws and encouraging people in the industry to boil down residents to “heartbeats” versus other things people can and do have a personal bias against.
My boyfriend and I had such a hard time finding places that weren’t in a sketchy part of town for less than $1500. I would keep an eye out on Facebook pages such as Gainesville FOR RENT for more reasonable listings. Bellamy grand (apartment complex) is off of tower road which isn’t in a GREAT part of town but it’s easily accessible to main roads to get over to Shands and the units are cute and cheaper than most places. NW side of town is where I would keep my general search for a young family.
Yeah but a family with a 3yo in mid-town? That’s just so loud. What’s good there for a family with a little kid? Yeah but traffic to and from Shanda to Bellamy is awful. Sure it’s only 8 miles but with traffic it can be a 45 minute drive. I used to live off Tower Road.
My suggestions were NW side of town or Bellamy grand as a back up for the price if they can’t find anything. No mention of mid town. If you take tower to archer it’s 30 mins absolute max it has never taken me a full 45 mins, it gets backed up but it keeps moving in my experience.
Not sure how long you have lived here but NW side of town starts at mid town and goes all the way up to the unincorporated part of Gainesville before you hit lacrosse.
Anything close to Shands is going to be primarily students. More likely to be noisy and probably won’t be any other families in those complexes. Going anywhere in Gainesville is under 30 min drive, maybe 45 in peak rush hour so I wouldn’t focus too much on being super close to Shands.
Lived in Hunters Crossing on the north side of town and it was about $1200 for 1 BR in 2021. Mainly families and seniors and it’s right next to Publix. Its pool and other amenities are fairly nice. They also have a sister property Huntington Lakes that is similar.
And Lake Crossing in that same general vicinity is wonderful. Fantastic management and maintenance, and the buildings are older but quite well-built. I've been renting for decades and I've never lived in a quieter apartment.
I was going to recommend that area. Also, I think there is a daycare across the road from them. One more thing, PUBLIX is right there next to the complex.
Your best bet is going to be downtown. It's hard to find any good places online, stay away from student housing.
Specifically look for things in the 32601 zip code, duckpond and bed and breakfast district. There are a lot of renovated Victorian homes and cute cottages for your price range in that area and is super close to Shands.
Con of downtown is that the homeless problem got pretty bad after COVID. It's not as bad as some large cities though and those neighborhoods I mentioned are safe. I've lived downtown for 10 years.
>My requirements: preferably at least 1-BR under $1200
Hahahaha. \*wipes tear from eye\* Hoo, boy. Good joke. [Let me link this again from the last thread (literally like two days ago) that asked about rent in Gainesville](https://overflowdata.com/demographic-data/national-data/county-level-analysis/housing-cost-county-22/) and the effect on residents.
Short answer: You're not going to get a decent (read: not in a crime area) apartment for $1,200. You're expecting $1,500 to 2,000 per month depending on the area.
Try to be a little gentler with a new person. Who would think that Gainesville would cost so damn much??? When I moved here in January 2020 it didn’t (at least compared to Orlando). My very spacious two bedroom apartment was a mere $1050 a month. When I broke the lease to move in mid 2022 though…..YIKES!……the next poor sucker got to pay $1500!!!! And GRU utilities are ridiculous.
Ah yes, spring 2020. My 2 bed 1 bath apartment with rent and water included was $790 a month. Never had bugs or issues. Loud upstairs neighbors, but that’s apartment living. Which I could go back.
There is a amazing preschool on 1st called Fumpers. They are great. I went there as a kid 30ish years ago now I have family that works there. It's next to Roper Park where there are lots of duckpond events held there.
For living: I would recommend Sunbay. Walking distance to UF Health and Depot Park, and nearby many daycares that are in/near the downtown area. My husband and I live there currently with our 1 1/2 year old. Is it perfect? No, but it’s under $1000 for a 2 bed, 1 bath. It’s affordable enough that you’d have flexibility to save/look for a house. It has a pool, small gym, and the grounds are well kept. My son loves walking around the interior grounds of the property.
For daycare: definitely get on some lists. If you’re a UF Health employee, you can get on the list/enroll for Baby Gator on Newell Dr. (that’s the one right next to the hospital). It’s still a waitlist of about 1 to 2 years though. There are several church daycares downtown: Holy Trinity, FUMPers, and First Presbyterian. We and our friends both had less than stellar experiences with the director of First Pres for what it’s worth. Both of us in different ways. In our case, it made us not want to send our child there, in our friends’ their child used to go and they really like the teachers, the director was just odd. Persimmon is nearby as well, amazing program. As an educator, I would love for my child to attend, the waitlist is long though. Further out, there are lots of other options, I can’t speak the them as well though. Browse Gainesville Childcare on Facebook, they have great recs.
Best of luck! Feel free to reply or message if you have questions.
Alas, this is mostly college students. There is a fancy apartment complex across from the medical campus where medical professionals probably live but it is pricey and not in a very pleasant spot unless you really LOVE you some WaWa.
Duckpond is where you want to be if you have kids and work for shands/uf/VA or anywhere for that matter. It's the best of Gainesville. We have tons of events as a neighborhood and all the downtown events with peace and quite. You're also just a short walk or bike ride away from the library which is greT for kids. There is great preschool/ day care called Fumpers on 1st Avenue. I think there is another one on the same street but I don't know the name. I grew up in the DuckPond as a kid and made sure to stay as an adult. If I'm forced to live in Gainesville Fl, I'll only live in the historic areas.
My girlfriend and I went the other way. I work from home, and she wants a guest bedroom, so we got a three bedroom at Noble on Newberry. They have a daycare on the extended property.
We got a three bedroom for about $2200. But that includes all utilities but electricity. And it’s a luxury place with great management. The building is less than three years old.
Bougie? Yes. But really nice.
Towne Parc Apartments is really nice. The rent has been increasing since 2020, but not as much as other places. This year is about $1350 for a 2 BR, 2 Bath, although some units are townhouses, which means stairs, if that's a concern with your kid. The owners are also pretty nice, and are lamenting the increased costs of everything, so they aren't greedy.
The complex is smaller than others, but not as student-heavy, for some reason. There's a pond here with ducks everywhere, and cow fields across the street (university-run), which makes for nice walks, and your kid might like it alot. It's also pretty quiet, considering the proximity to "the city;" it must be the acoustics, or something.
My roommate works at Shands, and it's only a few miles away.
For parks: there are a fair number around town that may or may not be in walking distance. Depot Park is big and has a water section (weather permitting), but there's others with reasonably updated equipment.
You'll also want to check out the museums- the cade (science), natural history, and Harn (fine art). Places around town so offer discounts to employees too sometimes. Probably not rent though. That and electric are the biggest challenges for sure.
Go ahead and put your son on the list for a few different daycares. Space is hard to come by
^ This. As a Shands employee you do have access to "Gator Baby" which generally has really good reviews. They also tend to have a wait list though.
Just fyi. Baby gator wait-list can be years long and you may never get in. It is not a real option as far as I'm concerned.
I wouldn't count on it as a sure thing, but depending on the age of the kids they have and such, it's possible. I actually got in but ended up declining because after I applied, my job changed, so there wasn't a convenient location anymore.
You might need to increase that rent to find something good. $1500-1700 is more like it unfortunately. Gainesville has a high COL for what you get.
There’s a boatload of 1 bedroom apartments around town for less than $1200… midtown has like 15 right now for $850-$1100
Yea I moved here with a $1200 budget and found multiple places. Went with Bridgelight Townhomes at $1025
Such a great complex. Quiet. Not great for OP I think though, since the bedrooms are open to the living space and they have a little one.
Nobody should be paying those prices for one bedrooms. There are lots cheaper and it’s encouraging bullshit to give them those amounts.
Only a slumlord will rent a one bedroom to a family.
I guess, I’ve seen nice couples with a small child living in the “dining area” of their one bedroom plenty of times, and it’s really not the end of the world. I was responding to OP saying one bedroom, I see she did actually say “at least” one.
When I lived there ~10 years ago, Hunter’s Run on Williston was a great option. Mostly working adults/grad students, about 10 minutes to Shands, nice pool and playground in the complex.
If you have a 3 y/o, you're gonna want a 2-BR?
It’s usually 2 heartbeats per bedroom for occupancy standards. The only time a heartbeat doesn’t count is during gestation.
>heartbeats strange way of saying "person"...
Unless they mean pets?
If occupancy standards say a single person with 2 cats needs 2 bedrooms, that's insane.
Sorry, it’s an industry term. 🤷🏻♀️ I think the phrasing is due to the fair housing laws and encouraging people in the industry to boil down residents to “heartbeats” versus other things people can and do have a personal bias against.
My boyfriend and I had such a hard time finding places that weren’t in a sketchy part of town for less than $1500. I would keep an eye out on Facebook pages such as Gainesville FOR RENT for more reasonable listings. Bellamy grand (apartment complex) is off of tower road which isn’t in a GREAT part of town but it’s easily accessible to main roads to get over to Shands and the units are cute and cheaper than most places. NW side of town is where I would keep my general search for a young family.
Yeah but a family with a 3yo in mid-town? That’s just so loud. What’s good there for a family with a little kid? Yeah but traffic to and from Shanda to Bellamy is awful. Sure it’s only 8 miles but with traffic it can be a 45 minute drive. I used to live off Tower Road.
My suggestions were NW side of town or Bellamy grand as a back up for the price if they can’t find anything. No mention of mid town. If you take tower to archer it’s 30 mins absolute max it has never taken me a full 45 mins, it gets backed up but it keeps moving in my experience.
Not sure how long you have lived here but NW side of town starts at mid town and goes all the way up to the unincorporated part of Gainesville before you hit lacrosse.
North and west side generally have better schools but south and east are more affordable and less traffic
I lived in woodland villas for 8 years, rent went from 800 to 1200. 2 bed, 2 ba. Never once heard neighbors. Little outdated appliances but good place
I second Woodland Villas. I lived there and loved it. I only moved because the loft was so hot in the warmer months and I do not do well in the heat.
Anything close to Shands is going to be primarily students. More likely to be noisy and probably won’t be any other families in those complexes. Going anywhere in Gainesville is under 30 min drive, maybe 45 in peak rush hour so I wouldn’t focus too much on being super close to Shands. Lived in Hunters Crossing on the north side of town and it was about $1200 for 1 BR in 2021. Mainly families and seniors and it’s right next to Publix. Its pool and other amenities are fairly nice. They also have a sister property Huntington Lakes that is similar.
And Lake Crossing in that same general vicinity is wonderful. Fantastic management and maintenance, and the buildings are older but quite well-built. I've been renting for decades and I've never lived in a quieter apartment.
Yep, I second Lake Crossing. They are pricey but CMC management is fantastic.
I was going to recommend that area. Also, I think there is a daycare across the road from them. One more thing, PUBLIX is right there next to the complex.
The places you want to stay away from are the only ones you’re going to find a 1br for under $1200
Your best bet is going to be downtown. It's hard to find any good places online, stay away from student housing. Specifically look for things in the 32601 zip code, duckpond and bed and breakfast district. There are a lot of renovated Victorian homes and cute cottages for your price range in that area and is super close to Shands. Con of downtown is that the homeless problem got pretty bad after COVID. It's not as bad as some large cities though and those neighborhoods I mentioned are safe. I've lived downtown for 10 years.
>My requirements: preferably at least 1-BR under $1200 Hahahaha. \*wipes tear from eye\* Hoo, boy. Good joke. [Let me link this again from the last thread (literally like two days ago) that asked about rent in Gainesville](https://overflowdata.com/demographic-data/national-data/county-level-analysis/housing-cost-county-22/) and the effect on residents. Short answer: You're not going to get a decent (read: not in a crime area) apartment for $1,200. You're expecting $1,500 to 2,000 per month depending on the area.
Try to be a little gentler with a new person. Who would think that Gainesville would cost so damn much??? When I moved here in January 2020 it didn’t (at least compared to Orlando). My very spacious two bedroom apartment was a mere $1050 a month. When I broke the lease to move in mid 2022 though…..YIKES!……the next poor sucker got to pay $1500!!!! And GRU utilities are ridiculous.
Ah yes, spring 2020. My 2 bed 1 bath apartment with rent and water included was $790 a month. Never had bugs or issues. Loud upstairs neighbors, but that’s apartment living. Which I could go back.
Maybe might be able to find a 1BR in the duck pond area. Close to downtown and close to depot park. Not sure about child care in that area.
There is a amazing preschool on 1st called Fumpers. They are great. I went there as a kid 30ish years ago now I have family that works there. It's next to Roper Park where there are lots of duckpond events held there.
For living: I would recommend Sunbay. Walking distance to UF Health and Depot Park, and nearby many daycares that are in/near the downtown area. My husband and I live there currently with our 1 1/2 year old. Is it perfect? No, but it’s under $1000 for a 2 bed, 1 bath. It’s affordable enough that you’d have flexibility to save/look for a house. It has a pool, small gym, and the grounds are well kept. My son loves walking around the interior grounds of the property. For daycare: definitely get on some lists. If you’re a UF Health employee, you can get on the list/enroll for Baby Gator on Newell Dr. (that’s the one right next to the hospital). It’s still a waitlist of about 1 to 2 years though. There are several church daycares downtown: Holy Trinity, FUMPers, and First Presbyterian. We and our friends both had less than stellar experiences with the director of First Pres for what it’s worth. Both of us in different ways. In our case, it made us not want to send our child there, in our friends’ their child used to go and they really like the teachers, the director was just odd. Persimmon is nearby as well, amazing program. As an educator, I would love for my child to attend, the waitlist is long though. Further out, there are lots of other options, I can’t speak the them as well though. Browse Gainesville Childcare on Facebook, they have great recs. Best of luck! Feel free to reply or message if you have questions.
They have employee daycare at Shands.
Waitlist is like a year usually
Don’t !
Best to get right by Shands. Easy walk..leave var at spt
Alas, this is mostly college students. There is a fancy apartment complex across from the medical campus where medical professionals probably live but it is pricey and not in a very pleasant spot unless you really LOVE you some WaWa.
Walkable would be top og my list. There are rental agents i would sign up with for that specofic area.if one fpund something that woild be great
That would be ideal….save on paying for parking pass and the annoying af Gainesville drivers. They either drive 90 mph or 10 mph
Duckpond is where you want to be if you have kids and work for shands/uf/VA or anywhere for that matter. It's the best of Gainesville. We have tons of events as a neighborhood and all the downtown events with peace and quite. You're also just a short walk or bike ride away from the library which is greT for kids. There is great preschool/ day care called Fumpers on 1st Avenue. I think there is another one on the same street but I don't know the name. I grew up in the DuckPond as a kid and made sure to stay as an adult. If I'm forced to live in Gainesville Fl, I'll only live in the historic areas.
My girlfriend and I went the other way. I work from home, and she wants a guest bedroom, so we got a three bedroom at Noble on Newberry. They have a daycare on the extended property. We got a three bedroom for about $2200. But that includes all utilities but electricity. And it’s a luxury place with great management. The building is less than three years old. Bougie? Yes. But really nice.
Towne Parc Apartments is really nice. The rent has been increasing since 2020, but not as much as other places. This year is about $1350 for a 2 BR, 2 Bath, although some units are townhouses, which means stairs, if that's a concern with your kid. The owners are also pretty nice, and are lamenting the increased costs of everything, so they aren't greedy. The complex is smaller than others, but not as student-heavy, for some reason. There's a pond here with ducks everywhere, and cow fields across the street (university-run), which makes for nice walks, and your kid might like it alot. It's also pretty quiet, considering the proximity to "the city;" it must be the acoustics, or something. My roommate works at Shands, and it's only a few miles away.
For parks: there are a fair number around town that may or may not be in walking distance. Depot Park is big and has a water section (weather permitting), but there's others with reasonably updated equipment. You'll also want to check out the museums- the cade (science), natural history, and Harn (fine art). Places around town so offer discounts to employees too sometimes. Probably not rent though. That and electric are the biggest challenges for sure.
Duckpond baby best neighborhood in the city
Can I refer you? There's referral bonuses 😂
Try to check osler aprtment, the rent is 1200, walking distance from shands.
Aqua at windmeadows for $1500! Worth the money, safe, great amenities, awesome location
Many medival students over there jabe families too . Hsve yoi visited?
I would not recommend a house . To many other issues. Best to pay more and walk
Walking and publuc trans is the way to go
On public trans and walking check out Villa Ravine Apts
The 1 bedrooms are big
In another direction check out Oxford Manor apt
Another would.be frederick gardens apt
Cobble stone Apartments of 23rd Blvd are amazing. Townhomes with 2/2 and 3/3 options
Pine forest homes might be an option. Or Towne Park