University Park, Gainesville: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. Sources: the City of Gainesville’s neighborhood layer, address points and parks layer; the city’s historic preservation element (PDF); 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.

University Park is the large neighborhood across West University Avenue from the University of Florida campus. It is the biggest area in this guide by land and by homes, and it takes in College Park and the other older subdivisions the city’s historic preservation plan groups as the neighborhoods related to the university.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Gainesville High for every address, a B school in Florida’s 2026 grades. Check yours on the district’s Find My School page.
• Home value: $419,262 in ZIP code 32603 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest I-75 exit: exit 387, Newberry Road, about 4.5 miles by road.

Part of our Gainesville neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The city’s neighborhood layer draws University Park as about 774 acres running from West University Avenue north to Northwest 16th Avenue, from Northwest 13th Street west to around Northwest 22nd Street. South of Northwest Eighth Avenue it reaches farther west, to the edge of Loblolly Woods near Northwest 26th Street. The Fifth Avenue neighborhood is across 13th Street to the east.

The city’s address data lists 3,711 addresses inside that line, 3,428 of them homes, the most of any area in this guide. About two in three homes carry an apartment or unit number. The College Park plat is the largest single subdivision, with 752 homes. By address, 85% of the neighborhood is in ZIP code 32603, 8% in 32605, 5% in 32607 and 2% in 32601.

The neighborhoods near campus

The city’s historic preservation element (PDF) calls this part of the city the University Related Residential Thematic Area and names College Park, College Court, Hilldale, Hibiscus Park, Palm Terrace, Annis Terrace and University Park among its subdivisions. It describes a mix of single-family homes, garage apartments, duplexes and two-story walk-up apartments near the campus. None of these subdivisions is a local historic district; the plan judged a College Park district unsuitable because of the number of newer and altered buildings.

Schools

How University Park’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. Parker Elementary is inside the neighborhood. The district drew new zones for 2026-27, so check an address on its Find My School page. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP code 32603 was $419,262 in August 2026, up 1.5% from $413,147 in August 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. That is the highest of the nine Gainesville ZIP codes in Zillow’s file. 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. For the smaller parts of the neighborhood, 32605 was $302,487 (down 0.9%) and 32607 was $287,934 (down 1.5%). 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:

• Hibiscus Park, 300 block of NW 26th Street, a small park with picnic tables at the west edge.
• Loblolly Woods Nature Park, 3315 NW Fifth Ave., about 161 acres of nature trails and boardwalk that begin at the neighborhood’s west edge.
• Alfred A. Ring Park, 1801 NW 23rd Blvd., about a quarter of a mile north, with a nature trail, boardwalk and playground.
• Albert “Ray” Massey Westside Park, 1001 NW 34th St., about half a mile west, with tennis and basketball courts, a playground, a skate park and the Westside pool next door.

The University of Florida campus is across University Avenue. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• I-75: exit 387, Newberry Road, about 4.5 miles by road, or exit 384, Archer Road, about 4.6 miles.
• City Hall: about 2.2 miles.
• Gainesville Regional Airport: about 6.4 miles.
• These are distances on the OpenStreetMap road network, measured with the OSRM routing engine from the middle of the neighborhood, not drive times.
• Bus: RTS routes 5, 8, 10, 13, 43 and 126 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, 203 NW 13th St., across 13th Street at the southeast corner
• CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens, both on NW 13th Street near the northeast corner
• Winn-Dixie, 1459 NW 23rd Ave., about four-tenths of a mile north

How we drew this area

This page uses the University Park 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 University Park in Gainesville?

North of the University of Florida campus. The city’s neighborhood map draws it from West University Avenue north to Northwest 16th Avenue, between Northwest 13th Street and the Loblolly Woods area around Northwest 22nd to 26th streets.

Is College Park part of University Park?

On the city’s neighborhood map, yes. The College Park plat is the largest subdivision inside the University Park outline in the city’s address data, with 752 homes.

What schools serve University Park?

Every home is zoned for Parker Elementary, Westwood Middle and Gainesville High on the district’s 2026-27 zone maps. In Florida’s 2026 grades Parker and Gainesville High earned a B and Westwood a C.

What ZIP code is University Park in?

Mostly 32603, which holds 85% of its addresses; the rest are in 32605, 32607 and 32601. Zillow put the typical value in 32603 at $419,262 in August 2026, the highest of the nine Gainesville ZIP codes in Zillow’s file.