Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gainesville’s mean commuting time is 38 minutes, where Alabama’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only one of the 188 Alabama towns we compare has a higher share of residents below the poverty line than Gainesville. Its National Register listings include Col. Green G. Mobley House and Colgin Hill. Gainesville has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Gainesville beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,500 in 1850, 172 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1989 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gainesville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Gainesville.
In Gainesville, the FEMA hazard score is 78 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Gainesville after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. 42% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 23%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Gainesville’s typical July afternoon high comes in at 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Livingston (12%), Tuscaloosa (9%) and De Kalb (5%). Commuting out is the norm in Gainesville: 4% of working residents work locally. For half of commuters, work is under 44 miles away.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gainesville: 43% of adults worry about having enough food, above both the Alabama town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). No town among the 188 in Alabama we compare has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Gainesville. The share of adults in Gainesville who smoke cigarettes: 22%. In addition, among 188 Alabama towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Gainesville.
| Gainesville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 24% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 39% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 15% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Gainesville | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.1% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 23.3% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Gainesville; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Gainesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
8 places in Gainesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Gainesville.
Town in Alabama, United States
Gainesville is a town in Sumter County, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1832, it was incorporated in 1835. As of the 2020 census, Gainesville had a population of 172. Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest surrendered his men near Gainesville on May 19, 1865, at the Civil War's end.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gainesville has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
5 notable people were born here, including Buck Buchanan and Jaybird Coleman.
