Likes and Dislikes !

[bigoledodge4x4]

ive lived in the ocala area for 17 years and we are planing on moving to tenn. ocala would be the best place to live once all the "OLD MONEY" is dead and gone they are keeping any true growth away from here. Hell if you want to float down the prettiest river in the state of FL you need to get into the 72 degree water at 6am or they wont let you on. i used to love it here but now hate it. oh and yes there are no jobs to be found dealerships and resurants are closing down every day.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by bigoledodge4x4

ive lived in the ocala area for 17 years and we are planing on moving to tenn. ocala would be the best place to live once all the "OLD MONEY" is dead and gone they are keeping any true growth away from here. Hell if you want to float down the prettiest river in the state of FL you need to get into the 72 degree water at 6am or they wont let you on. i used to love it here but now hate it. oh and yes there are no jobs to be found dealerships and resurants are closing down every day.

Hah! The "old money" will always be ensconced here!

[Jlivan]

Originally Posted by catster

DISLIKES: There are no jobs here and people are losing their homes left and right. Anyone that tells you differently is LYING. The jobs that are here are extremely low paying. It IS the poorest county in the state of FL. The weather is awful. We have 6 to 10 months (Depending on the year) of awful heat and humidity. It is also FULL OF BUGS. We have GIANT flying COCKROACHES here. It is an awful place to live, like living in a swamp. Most of us who live here, only do so because we can't afford to move. This is a really depressing place to live.

Have you lived here all your life or moved here?

[mjcammo]

Yes there are bugs and foreclosures and low paying jobs but if you can find a job and you're comfortable with retail, restaurant or medical work it may be for you. It's a small city that offers nice weather and scenic locations. I lived there, sorry - - it was not for me but it can be a great place for many people depending on your personality. I would suggest, though, that you rent an apartment (not a home) but rent an apartment first before deciding to commit to a mortgage. This way you can feel out the area and see if it works for you. Directly renting from a homeowner can be a bit fickle since you don't really know the situation of the homeowner with the bank (too many people including single family homes lost these days). Yes, you can check the landlord on line but if he or she is not paying the mortgage with your rent money it may be too late for you to do anything by the time you find out and you will have very little time to basically get kicked out. If you must rent a home, use a real estate office as the middle man. Good luck!

[Love the Quiet]

Originally Posted by catster

DISLIKES: There are no jobs here and people are losing their homes left and right. Anyone that tells you differently is LYING. The jobs that are here are extremely low paying. It IS the poorest county in the state of FL. The weather is awful. We have 6 to 10 months (Depending on the year) of awful heat and humidity. It is also FULL OF BUGS. We have GIANT flying COCKROACHES here. It is an awful place to live, like living in a swamp. Most of us who live here, only do so because we can't afford to move. This is a really depressing place to live.

Low paying maybe if you never finished school, I moved from the beach on fort lauderdale and can afford to live anywhere, I chose Ocala for the beauty, never seen these roaches you speak about, maybe you need a good pest control company.

[smartygurl]

Originally Posted by catster

DISLIKES: It IS the poorest county in the state of FL..

Must have not ever heard of Levy County (Chiefland, Williston, Bronson, Inglis, Yankeetown) then.

[manyroads]

Originally Posted by catster

DISLIKES: There are no jobs here and people are losing their homes left and right. Anyone that tells you differently is LYING. The jobs that are here are extremely low paying. It IS the poorest county in the state of FL. The weather is awful. We have 6 to 10 months (Depending on the year) of awful heat and humidity. It is also FULL OF BUGS. We have GIANT flying COCKROACHES here. It is an awful place to live, like living in a swamp. Most of us who live here, only do so because we can't afford to move. This is a really depressing place to live.

Yes, there are a lot of bugs in Ocala, and all of central FL for that matter. They seem to be particularly intense for a few weeks during the summer. You'll see a lot of cars with bug deflectors and screens on the front.
I lived there for 3 months before moving down to The Villages, and I never saw any "giant flying cockroaches" there. I believe what you're referring to are palmetto bugs.

Canarsiegirl, this area is a whole lot different than Brooklyn or the metro NYC area... which is good and bad. No high rise apartment buildings here. Lots of retirees in the area, but also a lot of rednecks ( I used to joke with people back in NY that central FL was a good place to go for R&R.... not rest and relaxation, but retirees and rednecks!). The weather is brutally hot and humid in the summer. Expect 90 degree temps from April right through the end of September. On the plus side, the much lower cost of living compared to NY, no more dealing with snow and ice in the winter, and you're only about an hour and a half drive from Daytona Beach. The horse farms in the northern part of Ocala are nice too.