[Hawaii900]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Is Mount Dora too much of an Orlando extension? It could be a possibility

No, that's far enough away from Orlando.

Originally Posted by logybogy

Ocala is horse farms and senior citizen communities largely. It might work if you are open to a 55+community. But it is not a liberal area.

Gainesville is a much better fit for your politics. There is also an extensive bus system because of the university.

Hm, okay. That's a shame, because a population of 60,000 is about ideal.

Gainesville is where I assume I will end up (If I decide on Florida), but it's larger than I am hoping for and I would rather not live amongst an overwhelming majority of college students.

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by Hawaii900

What is Ocala like?
Also, I forgot to mention an important detail; I don't drive. This means that there has to be a bus system, wherever I move to. (Even if it's just one or two routes that goes through the main streets)

The budget factor will be a big driver about where people might steer you to. People tend to just look at "Best Places to Live" lists and say, "Oh, Florida! That's great! Look at how low the median housing cost is in [insert city here]!" But in reality, that might not be what a person will really be paying. FL is full of snowbirds and these people will pay several thousand a month to rent places here which drives up the housing costs. I think you need to decide what you'd be willing to spend once here and then search on Zillow for apartments in that budget and see what you can realistically get for the money. It has a map overlay for things like crime, too.

The not driving thing will make things a lot tougher because many areas are so spread out here. I'm sure there are some cities that will be fine, but with you wanting a smaller town to live in, the transportation system is going to be severely lacking depending on where you're coming from. Redfin has a Walk Score option which can give you an idea of how walkable an area is, too. But your wanting to be in a smaller city here will make it much more difficult since usually bigger cities are more likely to have actual public transportation options. You can get around places like Bradenton/Sarasota on SCAT but your mobility is greatly limited compared to how you're able to move around in a larger metro with mass transit.

[RedneckRebel]

Gainesville or Tallahassee might be the only cities that fit your bill. Otherwise, I'd look at different states. You might be better off looking at California...

[logybogy]

Your biggest issue that public transportation, i.e. buses, trains, only works where there is density and a large population.

You are looking for a unicorn. A rural/small town with liberal politics and amenities that exist primarily in urban areas.

You really are limited to college towns. That's not to say you have to live with college kids. There are whole sections of Gainesville with bus transportation and not a lot of college kids, primarily on the northwest and southwest part of town away from the university.

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by Hawaii900

It should be relatively safe and hopefully not ultra conservative/ religious.

I was under the impression this meant the OP was not looking to be around a bunch of "bible thumpers" which is actually quite different than looking for a place that has liberal leanings. But I could be wrong.

According to the map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt there are parts of Florida that appear to be part of the Bible Belt. I can't speak to northern Florida as I've never lived there, but I can say that certainly Tampa and south are not super religious. Most are transplants from other states up north.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by FLKitties

I was under the impression this meant the OP was not looking to be around a bunch of "bible thumpers" which is actually quite different than looking for a place that has liberal leanings. But I could be wrong.

According to the map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt there are parts of Florida that appear to be part of the Bible Belt. I can't speak to northern Florida as I've never lived there, but I can say that certainly Tampa and south are not super religious. Most are transplants from other states up north.

Strange, as I have lived in and out of the Bible Belt and noticed no significant difference.

[movingvanmorrison]

Originally Posted by Hawaii900

No, that's far enough away from Orlando.



Hm, okay. That's a shame, because a population of 60,000 is about ideal.

Gainesville is where I assume I will end up (If I decide on Florida), but it's larger than I am hoping for and I would rather not live amongst an overwhelming majority of college students.

I've only been there a couple times but I don't THINK the Mt. Dora area has a bus system, or at least not a very good bus system. Am I wrong?

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Strange, as I have lived in and out of the Bible Belt and noticed no significant difference.

It's not something I necessarily agree with, but I think that people have this idea of the South as being much different than it actually is, depending on where you go. We spent time in Arkansas and other than living in a dry county (though restaurants were still allowed to serve alcohol) and there being no state lottery at the time, there was nothing different about it than any other state I've lived in and the people there are actually super nice. The misconception is that people living in the Bible Belt are going to push their religious beliefs on people and try to convert everyone they come across. That is simply not true. You're actually more likely to encounter the people spouting off what a sinner you are in any major downtown area because there are plenty of crazy loons out there and it's not their religion of choice that made them that way.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by movingvanmorrison

I've only been there a couple times but I don't THINK the Mt. Dora area has a bus system, or at least not a very good bus system. Am I wrong?

It has a bus system. But it's absolute garbage.
I've used it. Never again. I'd rather pay Uber $30 than the $1 bus fare.

[ByeByeLW]

Originally Posted by Hawaii900

No, that's far enough away from Orlando.



Hm, okay. That's a shame, because a population of 60,000 is about ideal.

Gainesville is where I assume I will end up (If I decide on Florida), but it's larger than I am hoping for and I would rather not live amongst an overwhelming majority of college students.

Try Melrose. It’s smaller than what you want but some of UF faculty and staff live there for the quaintness.

https://www.florida-backroads-travel...e-florida.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melrose,_Florida