Gainesville is located in Alachua County, in the north central part of Florida. The city is an urban island in a mostly rural area, and acts as a regional center for shopping, culture and the arts. It is the home of the University of Florida, the largest of the state's public universities. Nearby cities include Ocala to the south and Lake City to the north as well as smaller municipalities such as Alachua, Archer, Williston, and Starke. This category may contain sites in topical sub-categories as well as links to other geographic categories.