Green is My City
January Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Hometown Pride”
City places braided with green spaces.
Gainesville, Florida, is a city that appreciates and nurtures green spaces that all can enjoy. Our population is less than 150,000, but we have 34 public walking trails, 26 hiking trails, and 18 running trails, as well as more than a dozen nature preserves, parks, and wetlands.
Some trails are dirt and curl through deep forests. Some are boardwalks circling wetlands, lakes, and rivers. Some, like the one above in my neighborhood, are paved and meander by homes and backyards. In fact, there are two walking/biking trails within three blocks of my home.
I am proud to say that in 2016, voters in our county approved a one-half percent sales tax to be collected from 2017 through 2024 to purchase, preserve, and improve environmentally-sensitive properties and to create and maintain parks and recreational areas. In 2022, that sales tax was extended through 2032.
Although the local university may claim that our city is orange and blue (the color of their sports teams), I say our city is green.
© Dennett 2023
