Gainesville is located in the state of Florida, situated in Alachua County. It is the seat of the County goverment, the Alachua County Commision. Gainesville is essentially the "capitol" of Alachua County, with the majority of other towns in this region being very small and rustic.
The population is just a little over 200,000 (counting the "transient" students that of course never really go away).