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The City of Gainesville and the Stephen Foster Neighborhood
What Happened to the Beauty of Gainesville?
Gainesville, Florida was once recognized as one of the state’s most livable cities as it flourished in the heart of beautiful North Central Florida. In 2007, Gainesville was ranked Number One in Frommer's 'Cities Ranked and Rated,' and Number Three on NuWire Investor's list of 'Top 10 Small College Towns for Investment' and one of the '50 Best Places to Live and Play' according to National Geographic Adventure Magazine."
The Stephen Foster neighborhood was annexed by the City in 1961. Located in Northwest Gainesville, Stephen Foster offered residents a quiet neighborhood conveniently located close to shopping and excellent schools. The Stephen Foster Elementary School is an integral part of the neighborhood where residents’ children can easily walk or bike to school. Several “A” rated schools serve the neighborhood and residents routinely cite high quality schools as one of the neighborhood’s greatest assets.
The neighborhood is located close to employment opportunities particularly along 13th Street and 39th Avenue. The neighborhood is also roughly equidistant from downtown and the University of Florida. Residents can easily bike or ride the bus to and from work.
Several distinctive natural features can be found within the neighborhood area. The Hogtown and Springstead Creeks provide residents a natural setting to relax, bird watch, and be close to nature. A well-developed tree canopy provides a pleasantly shady backdrop for a leisurely stroll or bike ride. Click here for a detailed map in PDF format.
Unfortunately, this idyllic piece of America has become an unbelievable location where unusually large numbers of families and residents living within the midst of an EPA designated Superfund Site since 1983 has seen some of the worst cases of unusual and rare cancers, birth defects, tumors and other unexplained disorders. What happened? Does the fact that these families, living within a stone’s throw from an industrial site where some of the most carcinogenic chemical s know to mankind have been extensively used over the decades to treat the various wood products used by the railroads and municipalities a possible reason underlying the U.S. EPA’s investigation and inquiry into the method of use and waste management practices related to these super toxic substances? Ask the citizens of Gainesville and the Stephen Foster Neighborhood – where property values have plummeted leaving homeowners unable to sell their property without incurring major losses relative to what they paid for it. In fact, finding a buyer these days who has been warned of the nearby Superfund Site location, which is all but hidden behind beautiful trees, hedges and shrubs, is next to impossible. The neighborhood of yester-year has become a suspect zone of danger to the health and welfare of these families. Until the Superfund Site is cleaned up and remediated according to EPA mandates – scores of “For Sale” signs will continue to serve as a stark reminder and an urgent plea by the neighborhood residents to restore this once beautiful community to Florida’s piece of Eden.
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