Temperatures reaching 100 ☏ (38 ☌) or falling below 20 ☏ (−7 ☌) are rare, having respectively last occurred on June 4, 2019, and January 11, 2010. Like the rest of the state, cold temperatures are almost always accompanied by clear skies and high pressure systems snow is therefore rare.
The daily average temperature in January is 54.8 ☏ (12.7 ☌) on average, the window for freezing temperatures is December 4 to February 24, allowing a growing season of 282 days, although the 1949-50 winter season did not record a freeze. Traces of snow were also recorded in 1977, 1996, 20. The all-time record low of 6 ☏ (−14 ☌) was reached on February 13, 1899, and the city experienced light snow and freezing rain on Christmas Eve, 1989.
In the cool season, Gainesville experiences 15 nights of temperatures at freezing or below and sustained freezes every few years. Average temperatures range from the low 70s (21–23 ☌) at night to around 91 ☏ (33 ☌) during the day. During the hot season, from roughly May 15 to September 30, the city's climate is similar to the rest of the state, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms and high humidity. Due to its inland location, Gainesville experiences wide temperature fluctuations, and it is part of USDA Plant hardiness zone 9a. Gainesville's climate is defined as humid subtropical ( Köppen: Cfa), with tropical-like summers, warm to hot shoulder seasons, and mild winters. The area is dominated by the University of Florida, which in 2008 was the third-largest university by enrollment in the US, and as of 2016 was the fifth-largest. The city is characterized by its medium size and central location, about two hours' driving time from either Jacksonville or Orlando, three hours from Tampa, and six hours from either Atlanta or Miami. Gainesville is the only city with more than 10,000 residents in the Gainesville, Florida, metropolitan statistical area (Alachua and Gilchrist counties), and it is surrounded by rural area, including the 21,000-acre (8,500 ha) wilderness of Paynes Prairie on its southern edge. A 2016 ecological assessment indicates Gainesville's urban tree canopy covers 47 percent of its land area. Gainesville's tree canopy is both dense and species rich, including broadleaf evergreens, conifers, and deciduous species the city has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation every year since 1982 as a "Tree City, USA". According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 62.4 square miles (161.6 km 2), of which 61.3 square miles (158.8 km 2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km 2) is water. The University of the State of Florida was moved from Lake City to Gainesville in 1906 and its name was simplified to University of Florida in 1909. The town of Gainesville was incorporated in 1869 and chartered as a city in 1907. Gainesville was established in 1854 and named after Edmund P. The Spanish ceded Florida to the US in 1821. European contact diminished the numbers of native peoples (through disease, enslavement, war) and Spanish colonists began cattle ranching in the Paynes Prairie area in the 18th century. They were descendants of the Alachua culture people. When Europeans made first contact in the area, the Potano lived in the area.
These migrants evolved into the Alachua culture and they built their burial mound on top of the Deptford culture campsite. The Deptford people who remained in the Gainesville area were displaced by migrants from southern Georgia sometime in the seventh century. The Deptford people moved south into Paynes Prairie and Orange Lake during the first century and evolved into the Cades Pond culture. A Deptford culture campsite existed in Gainesville and was estimated to have been used between 500 BCE and 100 CE. There is archeological evidence, from about 12,000 years ago, of the presence of Paleo Indians in the Gainesville area, although it is not known if there were any permanent settlements. Main articles: History of Gainesville, Florida and Timeline of Gainesville, Florida