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Old 04-13-2006, 08:45 PM
 
40 posts, read 178,095 times
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Can anyone tell me anything about Gainsville or Ocala... Schools? Jobs? Cost of living? Crime? Thank you for any advice.
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Old 04-14-2006, 04:17 AM
 
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The Population of Gainesville is around 100,000 , the population of Ocala is around 50,000.

Gainesville is the Home of the University Of Florida (Gators) and they also have the Santa Fe Community College .... Ocala has the central Florida Community College..

Gainesville has the Oaks Mall ... Ocala has the Paddock Mall

Gainesville Traffic is Terrible ... Ocala Traffic not so bad but a few streets are not so good... but in comparison to NY they both are probably not so bad.

I dont know much about the Schools.. Were Happy with My child's Elementary School in Ocala but my child is in a High IQ Program and breezes through school , I believe how well your kid does in School is more about the parents than it is about the Schools.

Gainesville and Ocala Both have Nice Civic Theatres.

Both Places have lots of Restaurants... Ocala is Growing ..I havent seen anything new in Gainsville in a long time .

Gainsville has a Reputation of a liberal College Town thats fairly Anti-Business ... Ocala is a Conservative Horse Farm Town that's less Anti- Business and more Managed Slow Growth. But there has been a lot of Growth Recently

Other than College related Jobs and Service Industry Jobs I dont know much about the Gainesville Job Market... I know Ocala has the usual Service Industry Jobs..Plus E-One Fire Truck Factory, ClosetMaid Factory, Merrilat Cabinet Factory, A military Equipment manfacturer that I cant remember the name of right now... Lots of Horse Industry Jobs... Signature Brands Food Factory... I dont think any of these are Jobs youre gonna get rich from unless youre upper management...

I Dont know specifics about the "Cost of Living" but I have lived in several states and it seems that the cost of living is less here than anywhere else Ive ever lived.

The Weather is abouth the same in both places... 60'-70's in the Winter... 80's-90's in the Spring and Fall.. 90's in Summer

Ocala has the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park...

Both have Small Airports and Small Race tracks.

Gainesville is Richer in Museums and Sports ... Ocala is richer in Parks, Shopping and Festivals. (My Opinion)

They're only about 30 -40 miles apart and are connected by Interstate 75...and State Road 441.

If you live in Gainesville or Ocala you are approximatly 100 miles or less from Daytona, Jacksonville, Tampa , Orlando , Gulf Coast, Kissimmee.

Neither are areas that are prone to Hurricane problems.

That's all I can think of at this early time of the morning...
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Old 04-14-2006, 09:51 PM
 
Location: Johnson's Neck-O'Neil, FL
121 posts, read 786,095 times
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I lived in Gainesville for quite a while in grad skool and I can tell you it is the most progressive city/county in FL. For example, there is an extensive bikeway throughout the city and suburbs;there is a very good transit bus system that is punctual! There are numerous natural areas and I would differ with the Ocala opinion, there are many more fine county and city run parks in and around Gainesville including a great Botannical Garden and a great Butterfly rainforest at UF that is astounding. There are a cross-section of activities culturally including an exceptional state theatre-the Hippodrome, as well as a new performing arts center at UF. The downtown has a large limited vehicle pedestrian area, and old sections with brick streets and victorian houses. Shopping in Gainesville features some higher end stores that you cannot find elsewhere north of Orlando. Actually there are smaller towns outside Gainesville that have a slower pace like Newberry, Lacrosse, Archer, Brooker, and even Waldo. All of these are a short hop into the city. The limitation for jobs can be a problem, since entry-level work is dominated by college students. However, if you have skills for jobs requiring 5+ years experience, you should be in good shape there. There are sports 24/7 in Gainesville and not just the usual major sports. I happen to like to watch track, golf, tennis, and swimming/diving, and gymnastics, and these are available for close in cheap seats. You can walk through the entire city and live without a car-really if you like. This is a fun city with more diverse things to do than most places in FL while maintaining a liveable user friendly lifestyle.
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Old 04-15-2006, 06:06 AM
 
15 posts, read 68,446 times
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I stand corrected about the Parks... I'm not as familiar with the Gainesville Parks ...I have been to both the Butterfly Rainforest which is contained inside the Florida Museum of Natural History ..and the Kanapaha Botanical Garden. I've never lived in Gainsville...just a visitor... Gainesville also has a Medieval Fair every February that's pretty Cool. I'm not an Advocate of either City but when People are making a move to a New City and they have strong Political beliefs they may be Happier in a City that matches thier Beliefs... If you are liberal you would probably be happier in Gainesville... if you are conservative you may be happier in Ocala... if it doesnt matter then it probably doesnt matter where you live... Both Cities have lots to offer... I like 'em both.
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Old 04-15-2006, 09:54 PM
 
Location: Johnson's Neck-O'Neil, FL
121 posts, read 786,095 times
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Ocala may indeed be very conservative. Some parts of central Florida have had a bad rep for being a bit too REB, i.e. confederate flags with guns and axe-handles visible in the back windows of pickups. I might put Lake City and Perry in this category. Historically these places had one of the highest lynching rates in the US in the first half of the 1900's and some of the residue of these attitudes still remains as "southern culture" though in a somewhat sanitized form. There is a store in Perry that sells various hate related materials along with less offensive "southern culture" material which offers the thinly veiled claim of "history not hate". The Dunns Creek fish camp on the north side of Jacksonville offers an interesting symbolic statement by running up four flags on one flagpole: On top is the stars and stripes, next is the black POW flag, then below that the REB flag, and below that is a flag that says "open".
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Old 04-24-2006, 01:01 PM
 
40 posts, read 178,095 times
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Default Thanks for the information

Thanks... I appreciate the feedbackl
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Old 06-08-2006, 09:22 AM
 
Location: Miami
566 posts, read 2,058,784 times
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Oh my goodness...I'm from a Hispanic background though I was born here and galavanted thru Ocala & everybody was ultra nice to me & treated me very, very well. Maybe, it's because we happen to be white and don't have a foreign accent & my husband has a Marine sticker on the car??? My husband is a Vietnam veteran. I don't know...but whatever I felt quite welcomed. Plus, once they get to know the real you it's different.

I felt no harm...but seriously, being from here and growing up w/Floridians, I never had a problem. Yeah, at the beginning (and I've been exposed to the worst racists, this can happen anywhere in the world - it's a human trait) they might eye you up & down & study you for a while , but they can be warm, honest, friendly - & yes true friends for life. I know I've made some good friends over my lifetime here - though, most have upped and left me, those traitors... But in my case, I feel like a FL native even though some might not view me that way due to my last name, buttt....reality is I am an American just like they are, have paid my taxes, worked hard, never collected any govt monies, fought for this country, etc. Plus, I don't go around putting other countries flags in their noses, nor do we blast any foreign music, language, or whatnot... It's simple really.

Last edited by lulu; 06-08-2006 at 09:53 AM..
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Old 09-22-2006, 01:22 PM
 
8 posts, read 40,807 times
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Ocala Tom,

Do You Know Anything About The Fanning Springs Area, I Haven't Talked To Anyone Who Knows Where It Is Yet??????
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Old 09-22-2006, 02:50 PM
 
1,418 posts, read 10,191,570 times
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Ocala and Gainseville are like night and day. Liberal city-folk would rather live in Gainseville. Conservative country-folk would rather live in Ocala. Professional = Gainsville. Blue collar, business owner, or horse breeder = Ocala. Small town with big town feel - Gainseville. Small town with small town feel = Ocala. If you like to be a part of the latest radical protest craze, move to Gainseville. If you'd rather be a member of the NRA, Ocala.
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Old 09-22-2006, 07:47 PM
 
Location: So. Dak.
13,495 posts, read 37,444,374 times
Reputation: 15205
Lulu, I like your attitude. You seem like you would make friends and fit in any place you wanted to live.
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