How is Ocala Fl?? (Orlando, Gainesville: relocating, tornadoes, military)

[MonaVieMommies]

I think you are making unfortunate broad generalizations about Marion Oaks. For those not familiar with the area, it is HUGE! Within a few years, it is proposed to be independent of Ocala and become its own city. We live on the north side of 484 between Marion Oaks Course and 49th. Many people do not realize this is actually Marion Oaks. 95% of the houses are new and it is a very nice family area. Marion Oaks is just like any other neighborhood, subarb or subdivision-there are bad areas and good areas. Especially in Ocala-you will find onclaves of very nice homes mixed in with trailers or not so nice homes. So before scaring potential buyers away from a nice area-you should come see (especially) the north side of 484 yourself. We have a new 3200 sq ft home with beautiful stone accents, a wonderful wrap around front porch with a white picket accent fence, 3/4 acre (so we are not right on top of each other |), have a privacy wood fenced backyard, pool, spa, etc. We have no broken down cars in front of houses or anything of the such. We keep our homes neat it is a wonderful area for our children. I am a stay at home mother and have mothers from all parts of town to my home for playgroups and everyone loves coming to our house. So, it cannot be as bad as you portray and frankly is not. If you are interested in the area-e mail me and I will give you the real scoop on wonderful family friendly areas in Marion Oaks (especially what I call North Marion Oaks!) and surrounding areas!
Karen
Organizer
Ocala Little Ones and MonaVie Mommies!

Originally Posted by Buddy263

FL Daisy doesn't speak for me. I have been to Ocala many times and the horse farms are still there. BUT, like everywhere else in Florida they have begun selling out to developers.

The developments are filled with cheap houses right on top of each other. Like, Top of the World and Marion Oaks. Marion Oaks streets are terrible. People I know there have been promised for the last year that the streets would be improved, but nothing. It'sa great placeif you like watching broken down cars littering people's driveways or streets blocked off with basketball hoops in the middle of the road.

Just beware of real estate agents that watch this board like hawks and post incorrect or improper views of neighborhoods. Go to an area for yourself and look around. Ocala has improved alot in the last three years. Along route 200 there are all new chain stores. But they are surrounded by 55+ mobile home trailer parks so it is hard to find a home there unless yougo on the sidestreets. People actually have horses roaming there yards like a pet, if that is what you like on a one acre lot. Some of the sidestreets outside the city still don't have paved roads. Try a little bit outside the city. You can still get good lots.

The city has come a long way for the better.

It is nice and you will like the open fields of the horse farms. But, unlike FL Daisy I do not believe the horse farms will remain. The city has done nothing to keep them. GO LOOK FOR YOURSELF. there are alot of good hotels right off route 75.

[MonaVieMommies]

We live in Ocala about 10 minutes from a Walmart Supercenter! There are LOTS of hotels and State Road 200 has TONS of dining-almost every restaurant imaginable-chains, local restaurants alike. There are two movie theatres though they are not really fancy like in bigger cities but will do! We LOVE it here. We moved here a year ago and it is a great place to raise a family (we have two toddler boys). Tornadoes are an extreme rarity but hurricanes are a risk for all of FL. For some reason though, Ocala has been pretty lucky-I guess because we are dead in the middle of the state and have lots of hills or something (though no promises-anything can change )
Jobs do not pay great here but it is also less expensive to live here so it is a trade off. Hope this helps and let me know if I can answer any other questions!
Karen
Ocala Little Ones and MonaVie Mommies!

Originally Posted by hollikee

Hello everyone

My family and I are moving soon and we need to find a nice place. We were thinking of Ocala, but need your input. Is the housing expensive? How is the shopping (mainly is there a Walmart Supercenter nearby lol) and how about dining? Are tornadoes ever a threat there? Is the town big enough to have a hotel and theatres etc.? Thanks in advance!

[CeresteArt]

I'm thinking of moving to the Ocala area within the next 6 - 9 months. I've done the corporate thing here in NJ (worked for companies like Prudential & Blue Cross) but I'm an artist and am no longer cut out for the 9 - 5. Recently got back together with my first love who now lives in Belleview. I was out there to visit a few weeks ago. She wants me to move out there yesterday but I need to find employment that is in line with my artistic experience. I am an illustrator and sculptor. I do all custom made works meaning most of my work in the past has been mostly commissions but I will consider all avenues. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with some constructive advice.

[hocmama]

Hello! My name is Jen and my husband and I are considering moving to Ocala from VA. I am originally from Orlando and we are looking to get closer to family that live in Orlando and Gainesville. Ocala is right in the middle!! The job market is not of extreme importance to us because my husband already has a great opportunity there in his field. I will be working with him and staying home with my girls. We have a daughter who will begin kindergarten in the fall and a toddler. I would like any info anyone has to share on the schools and family friendly, safe neighborhoods. We would like to be in a neighborhood that has a "community" feel, with sidewalks, and parks. We are considering renting for 6mo to 1yr until we find what we really want but if we find it now that would be great too! Are there rentals available in good neighborhoods? I was thinking there may be since the housing market has slowed so much. Does anyone know if there are mom groups that meet with toddlers? Are there good places for extracurricular activities like little tykes soccer/t-ball and dance classes?

Thanks so much for the information and advice!!
Jen

[Nirvana-Guy]

Ocala is nice, but it has a BIG tornado and severe weather problem.

The Villages are even worse!!

[Jennster31]

Hi Jen, I'm Jen also! My husband and 3 kids are moving to Ocala in 5 weeks. We are so excited! We have friends that live there and LOVE it. My kids are 8, 4 and 2 - 2 girls and a boy. Hope you find it to be a nice place if you move there

[Skylynx]

The"rednecks" are everywhere you go. Out in Tucson they are "Desert Rats". I don't have anythings agin them...a hard working lot with all the problems of raising kids on low income. You can choose your area. Marion Oaks is Okay. There are all class stratas in Ocala area. Michaels Restaurant is first rate!!. I would be happy in Ocala for sure if could pick up and leave congested Orlando. You're right, the attractions of Disney and Universal aren't all they're cracked up to be.

[OcalaCitrus]

I've lived in the Ocala area for about 15 years or so. I have taught in its public schools recently, worked for an accounting firm on the side, and know many law enforcement officials very well, so I know much of the general information people are looking for when considering a move: education, salary info, weather, crime, etc. The truth about Ocala is that it's a very deceptive area. If you'd take a casual look at it, even on a short vacation, it seems very nice and hospitable and with just enough to do so that you wouldn't mind living here. All that is true. The weather isn't that bad either . . . in fall and winter. The deception comes into play if you live here and know a lot of others who do as well. The schools tout themselves as "A+." While some of them are decent, most (90%) of them are horrid. They are overcrowded, have little in the form of resources, and lack quality faculty members (not all are inefficient, but most of the good ones are near retirement and exhausted). They are also behind the nation in test scores and the Marion County graduation rate is near 50% - look it up. Discipline problems are rampant, resource officers arrest students somewhere in the county EVERY day. If you ask them, they'll tell you. The private schools are better, but not excellent by any means. The Ocala area has a lot of crime for a city of its size. A couple years ago, there was a study that reported Ocala had a higher per capita violent crime rate than Miami or LA. This is mainly due to drug activity that is simply out of control. Many areas are havens for crime and those on public assistance (Marion Oaks, Silver Springs Shores, Steeplechase, the list goes on). If you ask social workers, they'll tell you. In terms of housing prices, forget it. You'll need a MINIMUM of 200k for a small home in a modest area, and you'll likely need 25-50k above that for a "nicer" area. These properties have increased in price by 5x what they were a few years ago. They are incredibly overpriced and not worth it at all. As for rent, it has gone up tremendously as well. A co-worker of mine rents a 1 bedroom apartment in a modest community, and pays nearly $800 a month, sans utilities. The most deceptive part of all is the labor market. There are very, very few jobs that pay in the double digits hourly, unless you're in the medical profession. The wages are horribly low and come nowhere near what you'd need to live comfortably, especially with children. The weather in summer is, well, it's very hot and humid, and if you have allergies - be prepared for a bad 7 months or so. Though I make Ocala out to seem like a horrible place, it isn't that bad, if you don't have kids, don't need to make a lot of money, and if you do plenty of research and looking around before you move. To be blunt, I wouldn't advise anyone to move here without thorough research. The area is growing, some new things are coming to town, which is great, but, I don't see that the overall scheme will change for a very long time. I used to love it here, and can still manage to be happy here, but it has changed. My advice is this: beware of the deceptions that Marion County can project.

[mikeytots23]

great job quoting wikipedia there-dgreen-and by the way, the census does include the university population.

[jenrein]

Originally Posted by Jennster31

Hi Jen, I'm Jen also! My husband and 3 kids are moving to Ocala in 5 weeks. We are so excited! We have friends that live there and LOVE it. My kids are 8, 4 and 2 - 2 girls and a boy. Hope you find it to be a nice place if you move there

Hey Jen- I'm Jen too. We moved to Marion Oaks July 1st. I have an 11, 8 and 7 yr old- 2 girls and a boy!