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Compare towns

Alachua vs Freeport

223 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+211.3 pts in Freeport) and rent (+45% in Freeport).

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Alachua, FLAn outdoors townFlorida · 10,743 people
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Freeport, FLAn outdoors townFlorida · 6,689 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $240 more a month in Freeport

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Alachua$1,970/mo
Typical home $327K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $1,284/mo · Housing →
Freeport$2,210/mo
Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,859/mo · Housing →

The difference: $240 a month, about $2,900 a year, between Freeport and Alachua.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Alachua places higher on 11 of 20 FL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AlachuaFreeport
Snow a year0″0″
January low40°F40°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)255d275d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)68th92nd
Outdoors & history
AlachuaFreeport
Conserved land15%5.3%
Settled18841830
National Register places21
Archive photos—2
Famous people born here—2
Community
AlachuaFreeport
Library hours a week50 hrs46 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

223 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Alachua ↔ Freeport223 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AlachuaFreeport
People
Population 10,743Highest 6,689Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +16.7%Lowest FL: +14.6% +228%Highest FL: +14.6%
Median age 37.9±4.1Highest 11% below FL 36.9±3.3Lowest 13% below FL
Alachua and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.8%±4Lowest FL: 19.5% 28.2%±5.7Highest FL: 19.5%
Freeport and Alachua are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.6%±3.9Highest FL: 21.3% 12.3%±2.8Lowest FL: 21.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 41.2%Highest FL: 34.1% 32.7%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±2Highest FL: 6.1% 3.4%±1.6Lowest FL: 6.1%
Alachua and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $83,464±$11kLowest 12% above FL $91,985±$14kHighest 23% above FL
Freeport and Alachua are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $299,200±$24kLowest 17% below FL $407,800±$23kHighest 14% above FL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,284±$113Lowest 23% below FL $1,859±$136Highest 11% above FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,834Highest 4% above FL $2,304Lowest 16% below FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 37%±11.4Lowest FL: 60.1% 50.8%±17.4Highest FL: 60.1%
Freeport and Alachua are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.5%Highest FL: 12.6% 7.4%Lowest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.8%Highest FL: 67.6% 71.8%Lowest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1996Lowest 8 yrs newer than FL 2014Highest 26 yrs newer than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 13% below FL 37 minHighest 33% above FL
Work from home 21%±6.1Highest FL: 15.7% 17.5%±6.3Lowest FL: 15.7%
Alachua and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.9%Highest 7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miLowest 18.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.00Highest 0.78Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Gainesville (45%)Miramar Beach (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FreeportFew work in Alachua
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15%Highest 5.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 21.3 miLowest 31.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 1.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.0Lowest 23.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #301 of 488 in FL#167 of 488 in FL
School district ALACHUAWALTON
High school in town Santa Fe High SchoolFreeport Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school 24.1Highest 16.1Lowest
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Alachua neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alachua’s Town Square.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

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Bordering Alachua

Towns like Alachua

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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