Gainesville, Florida wants to be like Austin, and already is in some ways: university town, music scene, similar climate, etc. But:

For one, Austin has about 675,000 people — about six times bigger than the Gainesville's population. But perhaps more significantly, some Gainesville residents say Austin has a greater commitment to supporting local music and businesses and protecting the environment.

"Gainesville is very good for interesting things — but Austin has everything," said Matt Pollock, an Austin resident who graduated from University of Florida in 2005.

Gainesville even has its own city-owned electric utility, just like Austin, but AustinEnergy does more with solar and wind energy.

-jsq