ABSTRACT
Gainesville and Alachua County’s development history goes back to before the Civil War, as settlement there began as early as 1821, when the United States acquired Florida. Alachua County grew from 74,000 to 181,596 during this same time, a percentage increase of 145.3%. While this was certainly above the national average for counties over 100,000 population, this is minuscule when compared with Lee, Pasco, and Collier Counties, where the 1960–1990 growth rates were 515.3%, 666.3%, and 863.4%. During the period of 1821–1850, North Central Florida began the process of settlement. By 1860 there were some 8,000 residents in Alachua County, including 3,000 slaves working on several plantations growing high-quality sea island cotton. In 1984, Alachua County adopted a plan in accordance with the requirements of the 1975 Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act. The role of the University of Florida with respect to the quality of planning in Alachua County is interesting.
