Gainesville. 1 City (2020 pop. 141,085), seat of Alachua co., N central Fla.; inc. 1869. The Univ. of Florida is a major source of employment in the city. Agriculture and the manufacture of electronic equipment add to the economy. Points of interest, in addition to the huge campus of the university and the museums there, are Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's home in nearby Cross Creek, and many natural sinkholes, such as Devils Millhopper (said to be the largest in Florida). 2 City (2020 pop. 42,296), seat of Hall co., N central Ga., on Lake Lanier, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mts.; inc. 1821. It is a trade center for NE Georgia and has poultry-processing, clothing and textile, lumber, furniture, and pharmaceutical industries. Brenau Univ. is there. Riverside Military Academy and Chattahoochee National Forest are nearby. 3 Town (2020 pop. 17,394), seat of Cooke co., N Tex., on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River; inc. 1873. It is the commercial and industrial hub of a farm and oil area. Electrical equipment; metal, plastic, and fiberglass products; and tools are among its manufactures. Gainesville was founded (1850) on the California Trail; later it became a stopping point on the Chisholm Trail. Historical markers are on various houses, churches, and sites of early Native American raids. 4 Town (2020 pop. 18,112), Prince William co., NE Va. Named for early settler Thomas Gaines, the town became a major road and railroad hub for shipping grain, livestock, and lumber. The nearby Thoroughfare Gap served as a major crossing through the Bull Run Mountains, and was hotly contested during the Civil War. Beginning in the 1990s, the area saw a growth in residential development.
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