[fengxg]

Originally Posted by flyboytampabay

Ocala, also Dade City, Plant City, Lakeland

IMO these places are not safe for 34 single lady. Horse and social life are normally controversial, unless you are rich. I would suggest some compromise at south treasure coast. Rural enough for horses and about one hour from downtown. If you don't care much about Miami then space coast around Melbourne might be good. There are some intelligent middle class men there.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by fengxg

IMO these places are not safe for 34 single lady. Horse and social life are normally controversial, unless you are rich. I would suggest some compromise at south treasure coast. Rural enough for horses and about one hour from downtown. If you don't care much about Miami then space coast around Melbourne might be good. There are some intelligent middle class men there.

Not safe? For a full grown adult? There is nothing wrong with ANY of those places...

[flyboytampabay]

Originally Posted by fengxg

IMO these places are not safe for 34 single lady. Horse and social life are normally controversial, unless you are rich. I would suggest some compromise at south treasure coast. Rural enough for horses and about one hour from downtown. If you don't care much about Miami then space coast around Melbourne might be good. There are some intelligent middle class men there.

This person has no idea what these areas are like. I raised my family in Lakeland and have never felt unsafe!

[FloridaHappy]

Ocala is the horse capital of the world. That said, November is not the time to move here if you expect to find reasonable housing for you and your horses. Check Ocala4sale.com under farms for rentals. HITS is going on at that time and you're fighting with the seasonal renters for property. There's a mobile on 5 acres in today's paper that you might be interested in. It's $1k a month, 2-stall barn.

I don't know where you're moving from. Are you planning to board or keep the horses at home? Coastal hay is $7 a bale, alfalfa is $14 and up. Coastal will sometimes cause your horse to colic or choke if it's cut too short. I pay $30 per horse for trims. Haven't paid for shoes in years as they're retired and go barefoot. Everything here is more expensive than, say, Tennessee or North Carolina, but probably comparable to New York/New Jersey.

Lots of horse stuff to do here, lots of feed stores, etc, and some of the best horse veterinarians in the state. There's the Greenway for trails and a lot of the parks have trails. Meadow Wood Farms (where I live) is a horse-oriented subdivision with trails of its own.

[fengxg]

Originally Posted by flyboytampabay

This person has no idea what these areas are like. I raised my family in Lakeland and have never felt unsafe!

I have no intention to offend anybody. I haven't been to Lakeland. Statistically Lakeland is a less safer city in FL. That's fact not opinion. You can check this information on any neighborhood data site. Due to competitor rule I won't post any site here.

[flequestrian]

Thank you everyone who has commented. This has helped A LOT! I am going to visit Florida in 2 weeks and I will visit the different places that you guys have suggested. I have looked into them and they all look good in their own way. Thank you very much and if anyone thinks of anything else I should add to my list please let me know!! :-)

[Sunbiz1]

"I'm not really into bars/clubs but just do not want to be in a town that goes to sleep when it gets dark."

I spent almost a decade in construction sales from Naples to Miami to Jacksonville. I have lived on both coasts, and I was your age when I moved there over a decade ago.

You will be hard pressed to find property that both will serve your horses along with a town not going to sleep at 10PM.

Best advice I can give is maybe the Spring Hill area north of Tampa, only be prepared for 6 months of brutal humidity.

[Nicole111]

You should move to Jacksonville. It embraces the city/country dichotomy that it appears you're searching for. There are a lot of people around who are also young 30s, and looking to pursue activities. There is a really social gathering of dogs/dog owners at the tennis court of my apartment complex every night around 7, for example. You can do a rough board for like $300/month per horse, depending on how particular you are. Cost of living is comparable to central TN, even in the more coastal areas of Jax. People here are a lot cooler/more open-minded w/o being knee-jerk liberals. And people are very helpful in your job searches, I've found. It's worth a stop on your way down south anyway.

[Arcenal813]

Where to move? Single female (34) with horses

... My house? Sounds like a dream come true lol.

Kidding aside, I suggest the rural parts of Ocala.