How Racial Housing Practices Still Shape Gainesville Today
In Gainesville, Florida, a city praised for its academic reputation and vibrant community, there remains a stark truth too often ignored: our housing landscape is deeply shaped by a legacy of systemic racism.
Redlining may have been outlawed more than 50 years ago, but its impact is still visible in the neighborhoods we live in, the homes we can or can’t afford, and the institutions that still bear the names of those who built power on the backs of the oppressed.
These aren’t just historical wounds, they are open, ongoing divides. And if we want a Gainesville that’s fair and just, we must first understand how we got here.
The Roots of Redlining in Gainesville
In the 1930s, the federal government, through the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), created color-coded maps to rate the “risk” of investing in certain neighborhoods. Communities with Black residents or racially mixed populations were labeled “hazardous” and outlined in red, effectively cutting them off from mortgages, credit, and public investment.
In Gainesville, neighborhoods like Pleasant Street, Porters, and parts of the east side were historically redlined. Over time, this led to neglected infrastructure, lower property values, and disinvestment that still affects residents today.
The Data That Tells the Story
A 2023 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that previously redlined neighborhoods have 167% more housing code violations than those historically labeled “best” or “still desirable.” This isn’t an abstract statistic, it translates to poor plumbing, mold, structural hazards, and higher risks for families simply trying to survive.
In Alachua County, Black households are 46% more likely to experience severe housing problems, including overcrowding, unsafe conditions, and unsustainable rent burdens. That’s not by chance. It’s the result of decades of exclusion and unequal investment.
Climate, Health, and Living Conditions
Redlined areas aren’t just more neglected, they’re literally hotter. These neighborhoods often lack green space, trees, and cooling infrastructure. In a city like Gainesville, which faces intensifying heat from climate change, that’s more than an inconvenience, it’s a serious health risk.
These areas also report higher instances of asthma and stress-related illness, tied directly to environmental conditions and housing quality. Generational disinvestment doesn’t just live in property values. It lives in bodies.
Schools, Streets, and the Names We Still Use
While housing conditions tell one part of the story, the names we live among tell another.
J.J. Finley Elementary, once named after a Confederate general, was finally renamed in 2020 to honor Carolyn Beatrice Parker, a Black physicist from Gainesville. That change was a powerful moment, but many names that reflect our city’s racist past still remain.
Haile Plantation, a prominent Gainesville neighborhood, sits on land once worked by enslaved people. The Haile family enslaved over 750 individuals, yet their name is still used in real estate branding, business names, and social clubs, while the names of those enslaved are largely forgotten.
Even the name Gainesville deserves reconsideration. The city is named after General Edmund P. Gaines, a military figure involved in the violent destruction of Negro Fort in 1816, where over 270 free and formerly enslaved Black people were killed. Naming the city after a man who ordered the massacre of Black families is not a neutral act, it’s a reflection of what and who was once valued.
We can’t move forward without facing what these names still represent.
Moving Forward: A Call for Accountability
Gainesville has an opportunity to lead. But that starts with acknowledging our past and the systems that still hold power over our present.
We need to:
Invest in historically marginalized neighborhoods without displacing their residents
Enforce fair housing and safety standards equitably
Confront the historical legacies in our public spaces and naming conventions
Support efforts for local truth-telling and community-led research
Justice isn’t just about new laws, it’s about shifting the foundations we’ve built our cities on.
Truth in Place
At GNV4ALL, we’re committed to uncovering the stories that have been buried and advocating for a Gainesville built on transparency, equity, and respect for all its people, not just those historically in power.
If you have a story to share, want to get involved, or are curious about our work, connect with us here.
Let’s rewrite the future by facing the truth of the past, together.
