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| Location | Newberry, Florida, US |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°37′14″N82°35′58″W / 29.620679°N 82.599463°W |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2011 |
| Built | 2011/2012 |
| Opened | June 30, 2012 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Nations Park is an open invitational baseball tournament complex located in the city of Newberry, Florida. The park was formed with partnerships between the City of Newberry, Nations Baseball Florida Inc., and the Alachua County Tourism Development Board. [1] The facility has 16 stadiums.
Lou Presutti, founder of Cooperstown Dreams Park came to the City of Newberry in 2009 to establish the park. It completed construction in 2012, but the grand opening was delayed until March 2013.
Nations Park is a $7 million baseball tournament complex that is built on 40 acres of land donated by the Davis family on the corner of US 41/27 and SW 30th Ave. [2] [3] In July 2011, the construction of Nations Park came to a brief stop upon discovery of several endangered Gopher Tortoises. The construction remained on hold for several weeks while experts were brought on site to relocate the protected species to a tortoise sanctuary. [4] The 16 fields for Nations Park are completed as of April, 2012 and are ready to play for the inaugural 2012 tournaments. [5] [6]
The 16 stadiums at Nations Park are built for multiple age groups, 8- to 14-year-old baseball players and 12- to 14-year-old girls fastpitch softball players. The stadiums are fully enclosed and have natural grass outfields and synthetic turf infields. In each stadium, the mounds and basepaths are all adjustable to accompany the correct age group and boasts 220' foot walls and a scorer's tower.
Nations Park hosts week-long summer and holiday tournaments for American and Canadian boys' baseball and girls' fastpitch softball teams.
The park was expected to have huge economical impact on the small city of Newberry. Nations Park is projected to attract between 90,000 and 120,000 people to Newberry each summer. Once completed, the park may pump an estimated $20 million into the local economy. [7] [8] The park will help generate an additional 50,000 to 80,000 local room nights per year that will supplement the city's tourism revenue. [9]
There are plans in the future to expand Nations Park to 32 fields. The city of Newberry, Nations Baseball Florida Inc., and the Alachua County Tourism Development Board will have to gain more tourism revenue needed for an expansion. [10] [11]
Alachua County is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus opened with 106 students.
Alachua is the second-largest city in Alachua County, Florida and the third-largest in North Central Florida. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,574. The city is part of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in 2020.
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in 2020.
Hawthorne is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States, incorporated in 1881. Indigenous peoples of the Americas had been living in the area since around 100 CE; Hawthorne grew around their trading trails. Throughout its history, Hawthorne has been known for its agriculture, railroad, and rural lifestyle. Hawthorne's population was 1,478 at the 2020 census, with an area of 7.38 sq mi (19.1 km2).
Micanopy is a town in Alachua County, Florida, United States, located south of Gainesville. The population as of the 2010 census was 600. The oldest community in the interior of Florida that has been continually inhabited, it has a downtown that is designated as the Micanopy Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It contains a number of antique stores, as well as several restaurants, a library, firehouse, and post office. The town's unofficial slogan is "The Town that Time Forgot."
Newberry is a city located in the southwest corner of Alachua County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,342 as of the 2020 Census. Much of the city borders neighboring Gilchrist County, to the west. The current Mayor is Jordan Marlowe.
Gainesville Regional Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of Gainesville, in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is owned by Gainesville-Alachua Co. Auth. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.
USSSA Space Coast Complex is a baseball stadium and 13 diamond multi-sports facility in Viera, Florida, owned by Brevard County, Florida. Under its original name, Space Coast Stadium, it served as the spring training facility for the Florida Marlins (1994–2002), Montreal Expos (2003–2004), and Washington Nationals (2005–2016) and as the home field of the Brevard County Manatees (1994–2016). After a full year of renovations, it officially reopened in 2017 with its new name as a baseball/softball venue – part of a new multi-sport complex operated by the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA). Since 2017, it has been the home field of the USSSA Pride women's professional fast-pitch softball team.
North Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida which comprises the north-central part of the state and encompasses the North Florida counties of Alachua, Marion, Putnam, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Union. The region's largest city is Gainesville, home of the University of Florida and center of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which is the largest metro area in North Central Florida. As of 2020, the region had a population of 575,622 people.
Jesse Johnson Finley was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida, following the reconstruction era. He also served as mayor of Memphis, Tennessee; an volunteer officer in the United States Army during the Second Seminole War; a member of the Arkansas Senate; a member of the Florida Senate; and a Circuit Court Judge in Florida.
Oak Hall School is a private school in Gainesville, Florida, that was founded in 1970.
The Old Gainesville Depot is a historic site at 203 Southeast Depot Avenue in Gainesville, Florida. It is located along the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail State Park.
Rochelle is an unincorporated community in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It was found in the 1830s on a former native settlement and mission site. and was built around the Plantation of Madison Starke Perry.
State Road 26 is a 62.172-mile-long (100.056 km) east–west route across North Central Florida.
The Alachua County Library District (ALCD) is an independent special taxing district and the sole provider of public library service to approximately 280,000 citizens of Alachua County, Florida. This includes all of the incorporated municipalities in the county. It maintains a Headquarters Library and four other branches in Gainesville. There are branch locations in seven of the eight other incorporated municipalities in the county. ACLD also operates a branch at the county jail, and two bookmobiles.
Cynthia Moore Chestnut is an American Democratic politician who served on the Gainesville, Florida City Commission from 1987 to 1989 and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1990 to 2000, representing the 23rd District. After unsuccessfully running for the Florida Senate in 2000, Chestnut was elected to the Alachua County Commission in 2002, where she served until she lost re-election in 2010.
Gatorback Cycle Park is an off-road motorcycle park located northeast of the city of Newberry, FL. This track has gained fame among off-road motorcycle enthusiasts and hosts several American Motorcyclist Association Motorcross events throughout the year, including the famous Mini-O's. It hosted a round of the AMA Motocross Championship from 1983 to 1997.
Glen Springs is a 5th magnitude hydrological spring in Gainesville, Florida, United States, located at 2424 NW 23rd Boulevard. Formerly a popular swimming and recreation area, the property closed to the public in 1970 and is no longer maintained for swimming.
The Matheson History Museum Complex is located in Gainesville, Florida. It includes the Matheson History Museum, the Matheson Library & Archives, the 1867 Matheson House, and the Tison Tool Barn.
Parkway Bank Sports Complex, also known as the Ballpark at Rosemont, is an outdoor baseball park used for fastpitch softball and baseball located in the American city of Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It hosted the National Pro Fastpitch Women's Softball team Chicago Bandits. It is located neighboring the Rosemont Dome, and is near Allstate Arena and newly constructed Impact Field, a larger ballpark used by the Chicago Dogs professional baseball team. The stadium opened in 2011 and has a seating capacity of 2,000.
