Best places to live near Gainesville FL?

[Mariemulholland1]

My daughter is starting Univ of Fl this fall and I'm planning to move to Florida to be closer to her but I don't know the areas near Gainesville. I'd love to live near the water, prefer the ocean but lakeside ok too. Can anyone recommend towns to look for a home (apt, condo or house)? We're going to orientation next week, would love to have a better idea of where to look. So far thinking St Augustine but wondering if I should look closer to Gainesville.
Also need a good realtor.
Praying for guidance...
Thanks so much for any help you can give,
Marie

 

[Gravy0558]

It really depends on what you want. How close do you want to be? Gainesville has a lot to offer for a small city. Do you want a big city with ocean? Tampa is great for this, depending on how much money you wish to spend. Do you like more of a country feel? Ocala is good for this. Explore some different neighborhoods/cities around the area to get an idea.