unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
and
New Urbanist
New Urbanism is an urban design movement which promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually inf ...
planned development, is a 2,600-household (1,700 acre) development of regional impact southwest of the city of Gainesville, within Alachua County,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, United States.
Community
While the Village Center provides the life of the community, most residents reside within easy walking distance in one of two associations: Haile Plantation Homeowners' Association and Haile Plantation West Homeowners' Association.
Haile Village Center is the neighborhood center within the development. Residents and businesses in Haile Plantation use Gainesville for mailing addresses.
Haile Plantation also includes Publix Market Square, with multiple businesses centering on the
Publix
Publix Super Markets, Inc., commonly known as Publix, is an employee-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and ...
supermarket, including a
UF Health
University of Florida Health (UF Health) is a medical network associated with the University of Florida. It includes two academic hospitals – UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville and UF Health Jacksonville – and several other hospitals an ...
clinic.
History
New construction of the planned development at Haile Plantation started in the late 1970s.
Naming controversy
The development's namesake is Thomas Evans Haile, a
Sea Island Cotton
''Gossypium barbadense'' (''gos-SIP-pee-um bar-ba-DEN-see'') is one of several species of cotton. It is in the mallow family. It has been cultivated since antiquity, but has been especially prized since a form with particularly long fibers was ...
South Carolina planter who developed a plantation here in 1854. Enslaved African-American people lived on and worked the land. The Haile family ancestors include some who served in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. The Historic
Haile Homestead
The Historic Haile Homestead, also known as Haile Plantation House or Kanapaha, is a historic site and museum in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is located at 8500 SW Archer Rd. SR 24. On May 2, 1986, the plantation house was added to ...
, known as Kanapaha, still stands. It was featured in the 1979 movie ''Gal Young 'Un'', based on a
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896 – December 14, 1953) accessed December 8, 2014. was an story.
On August 1, 2020,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
published an opinion piece regarding the controversy of the Haile Planation name. The Haile Plantation West
Home Owners Association
A homeowner association (or homeowners' association, abbreviated HOA, sometimes referred to as a property owners' association or POA), or a homeowner community, is a private association-like entity often formed either ''ipso jure'' in a building ...
formed an exploratory committee to evaluate the removal of the word "Plantation" from the name of the community. On October 26, 2020, the board of the Haile Plantation West Home Owners Association voted to keep the word "Plantation" in the name of the community.