North Central Florida


North Central Florida is a region of the Southern U.S. state of Florida which comprises the north-central part of the state and encompasses the Gainesville Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the North Florida counties of Bradford, Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee and Union. The region's largest city is Gainesville, home of the University of Florida, while the largest metropolitan area is the Ocala Metropolitan Area. Other major cities in the region include Lake City, and Palatka. As of 2010, the region had a population of 873,189.
Like the Florida Panhandle, this region is often recognized as part of the Deep South, as compared to the rest of the state.
The landscape and climate of North Central Florida are distinct from the sub-tropical environment most associated with Florida. The landscape of North Central Florida has gently rolling hills dominated by magnolia trees and large Southern live oak hammocks draped with Spanish moss.
The region also has large expanses of pine tree forests. The climate is quite mild throughout the year but has very distinct winters with temperatures dropping below freezing quite often.

Location

North Central Florida's southernmost county, Marion County, borders northern Central Florida and some regions of the Nature Coast area. Many other counties in the region border the Nature Coast area, Alachua, Gilchrist and Hamilton included. North Central Florida is not affected by hurricanes as much as its neighboring counties to the east and west

Cities and towns

North Central Florida has a few cities and many small towns or settlements, some of which are along rivers and lakes.
Incorporated
Community		DesignationCountyPopulation
AlachuaCityAlachua9,272
BelleviewTownMarion4,509
BellVillageGilchrist549
BrookerVillageBradford334
Fort WhiteVillageColumbia556
GainesvilleCityAlachua126,047
GreenvilleVillageMadison824
HamptonVillageBradford495
HawthorneTownAlachua1,428
High SpringsTownAlachua5,494
InterlachenTownPutnam1,396
JasperTownHamilton5,452
LaCrosseVillageAlachua360
Lake CityCityColumbia12,099
LawteyVillageBradford730
LeeVillageMadison386
Live OakCitySuwannee6,919
MadisonTownMadison2,769
MicanopyVillageAlachua606
OcalaCityMarion56,945
PalatkaCityPutnam10,472
Pomona ParkVillagePutnam908
ReddickVillageMarion508
StarkeTownBradford5,405
TrentonTownGilchrist1,988
WaldoTownAlachua1,022
WelakaTownPutnam600

Attractions in North Central Florida

Unlike Central Florida and the Suncoast area, North Central Florida does not have many amusement parks or large theme parks. Instead, it features many parks with nature as their theme. North Central Florida also has many small turn-of-the-century towns that represent the culture of the Deep South.
A significant attraction of North Central Florida is that it is the main location of the University of Florida, and the site of the stadiums for its sports teams, the Florida Gators.