I definitely like Gainesville more than Ocala if it doesn ' t hurt your drive times much . Your drive times seem right traffic isn ' t a big deal here if you are going anywhere other than campus , and even then it isn ' t bad . Don ' t sweat hurricanes . I ' ve lived here since ' 09 and have only been through two . They both were horrible on the coasts , but just felt like a storm in Gainesville . Check out Gamesville Tabletop ' s website and social media . They have a big Magic community , but there are also some great board gamers there who are friendly and inviting to new people . The owner of the store Callie is great too and can put you in touch with the right groups to play with . If you like Florida , I think Gainesville is a great place to be ! It can be a very transient town with the University here , but even the short friendships are great , and you ' ll meet some people who own houses and have careers here too !