Duckpond, Gainesville: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. Sources: the City of Gainesville’s neighborhood layer, address points, historic preservation page and parks layer; Alachua County Public Schools’ 2026-27 zone maps; the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades; Zillow Research; the Regional Transit System’s fall 2026 schedule data; and OpenStreetMap.

Duckpond is the neighborhood just northeast of downtown Gainesville. Most of it is the city’s Northeast Residential Historic District, one of five local historic districts the City of Gainesville lists on its historic preservation page.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Eastside High for every address, a C school in Florida’s 2026 grades. Check yours on the district’s Find My School page.
• Home value: $261,658 in ZIP code 32601 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest I-75 exit: exit 384, Archer Road, about 5.6 miles by road.

Part of our Gainesville neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The city’s neighborhood layer draws Duckpond as about 279 acres running from East University Avenue north to Northeast 13th Avenue, between Northeast First Street (Northeast Second Street at the north end) and Northeast Ninth Street. City Hall, 200 E. University Ave., falls inside its southwest corner, and downtown is across University Avenue to the south.

The city’s address data lists 1,176 addresses inside that line, 1,043 of them homes. About three in 10 homes carry an apartment or unit number; the rest are houses. Every address is in ZIP code 32601.

The historic district

According to the city’s historic preservation element (PDF), the City Commission approved the Northeast Residential Historic District as a historic preservation overlay on July 8, 1985, and expanded it in the spring of 1998 to take in two more areas with about 150 buildings. On the city’s district map it covers about 72% of the neighborhood and almost all of the district lies inside Duckpond. The city has a map of the district (PDF).

Design review for properties in a local historic district follows Section 30-112 of the city’s Land Development Code, and the Historic Preservation Board meets monthly, the historic preservation page says. Questions go to the Planning Division, 352-334-5023.

Schools

How Duckpond’s homes fall in Alachua County Public Schools’ attendance zones for the 2026-27 school year, with each school’s 2026 grade from the Florida Department of Education:

The percentage after each grade is the share of possible points the school earned. The district drew new zones for 2026-27, so check an address on its Find My School page, which links the zone maps. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP code 32601 was $261,658 in August 2026, up 0.4% from $260,732 in August 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, single-family homes and condos together, not a sale price, and it covers the whole ZIP code, which also takes in downtown and the neighborhoods west of it. Zillow’s figure for the city as a whole was $295,760, down 1.2%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

From the city’s parks layer:

• Roper Park, 400 block of NE Second Street, inside the neighborhood, with a playground and picnic tables.
• Historic Thomas Center and Gardens, 302 NE Sixth Ave., a city landmark with gardens.
• Sweetwater Park, 500 E. University Ave., on the south edge, with a playground and a paved trail.
• Thelma A. Boltin Center, 516 NE Second Ave., a city center inside the neighborhood.
• Northeast Park, also called Tom Petty Park, 501 NE 16th Ave., about a tenth of a mile north, with tennis courts, a ball field, a dog park and a paved trail.

More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• I-75: exit 384, Archer Road, about 5.6 miles by road, or exit 382, Williston Road, about 5.7 miles.
• City Hall: 200 E. University Ave., in the neighborhood’s southwest corner.
• Gainesville Regional Airport: about 4.6 miles.
• These are distances on the OpenStreetMap road network, measured with the OSRM routing engine, not drive times.
• Bus: RTS routes 5, 10, 11 and 15 stop in or at the edge of the neighborhood, in the RTS fall 2026 schedule data.

More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap:

• Publix, 1302 N. Main St., about a tenth of a mile west
• Walgreens, 1120 E. University Ave., about a quarter of a mile east

How we drew this area

This page uses the Duckpond outline in the City of Gainesville’s neighborhood layer, which the city says is not an official boundary. Address counts come from the city’s address points inside it, matched to the district’s 2026-27 zone maps on Oct. 8, 2026. Store and road locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Duckpond neighborhood in Gainesville?

Just northeast of downtown. The city’s neighborhood map draws it from East University Avenue north to Northeast 13th Avenue, between Northeast First Street and Northeast Ninth Street. All of it is in ZIP code 32601.

Is Duckpond a historic district?

Most of it is. The Northeast Residential Historic District, one of the city’s five local historic districts, covers about 72% of the neighborhood. The City Commission approved it on July 8, 1985, and expanded it in 1998.

What schools serve Duckpond?

On the district’s 2026-27 zone maps, every home is zoned for Metcalfe Elementary and Eastside High. The middle school is split: 61% of homes are zoned for Lincoln Middle and 39% for Bishop Middle.

What is the typical home value in Duckpond?

Zillow does not publish a figure for the neighborhood. The typical value for ZIP code 32601, which covers all of Duckpond and much more, was $261,658 in August 2026, up 0.4% on the year.