How is Ocala Fl?? (Orlando, Gainesville: insurance, condos, crime)

[lulu]

I could send them to you via e-mail, the thing is we don't want our e-mail address' exposed here. I wonder if an administrator can send them to you. I send it to them & they send them to you, sort of thing... Don't know how to do it.

[Jammie]

Lulu, I'll send you a private message and give you my email addy. When you send me the pics, just put a heading on it letting me know it's from you.

[Marka]

Originally Posted by lulu

Jammie,

I don't know but we can't get much info. or any juicy details about the area. I've been trying to post some photos from my trip up there, but for some reason I can't. I click copy & then try to paste it here but nothing happens...strange. I wonder how others do it here.

Copying and pasting won't work on a forum. You need to upload the pictures somewhere on the Internet and then post a link here. [img]in between these tags[/img]



If you don't have your own web space you may use a free service such as photobucket.com to store your images.

[lulu]

Thanks Mark...

Wow, I thought I was losing my mind trying & trying....though, it sounds too complicated for an ole' gal like me .
I think I'll let Jammie contact me & we can do it the old fashioned way.

Thanks for your help

[bobcat07]

How are the school's in Ocala (or Marion County in general)?

[clarissairene]

Another question about Ocala, or Central florida in general...does it rain everyday? We are going out to Ocala this weekend to check it out. We are from California. The houses we are looking at are unbelieveably priced! in the mid to high 100,00's!!! We cant get even a small 2 bedroom condo for under $300,000 in California! I've heard nothing but good things about Ocala from a friend that is moving up there in 1 month. She found a house to rent, brand spanking new for $900.00 a month. I just hope the schools are good up there.

But I really want to know... is there really thunder storms and rain everyday. I have been checking the weather int hat area for like 2 months straight now and every day it shows a thunderstorm and lightening and rain. How are the winter??? Does it rain then too??

[lulu]

Check out the sizes cause those in the mid to upper 100's might be small - start like at 1200 sq ft. which might be just fine for some. Though, it struck us a bit odd cause they seemed smaller than the average single family homes we have down here. Something roomier say 2000-2200 sq. ft. can be like $250,000 - $300,000. In the $400's in can be a really nice home.
We were up in May and the weather was the best of the best..low 60's at night, 70ish during the day - full sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, the sky was deep blue - it was fantastic. We had left behind high 80's in Miami. Now, their summer's are a bit hotter and can be more humid than down here, cause they are in the middle/central part of the state. Not breezy like coastal parts. On the other hand, winters I hear, are much cooler than Miami. When my mom's friend moved up there a few years back she said some nights were like in the mid 30's & she wasn't prepared thinking it was like here. She had to rush to the mall & buy a coat. You can imagine when our winters are like in the high 50's. I don't even wear anything special for that. Haven't seen 35F degree weather in Miami for about 17-18 yrs, now. Rain up there I assume it's sort of like here. We are getting summer thunderstorms here almost everyday - though, not too bad yet. It's usually sunny and then by the afternoon there's some thunder rumblings, rains and it stops or might happen again later - it's just tropical weather.
I'm by no means an expert in Ocala from only one visit and only report what I saw. Also, it didn't strike me as a hot type of place for partying and stuff like that - like one finds in Miami. There is no Miami beach art deco/party scene hangouts that I saw - it's not a happening type of place. Seems like a low key normal all American city with hard working people and has all the necessary elements for a decent lifestyle. There are areas that are rural w/horse farms but then again there are areas that have family type neighborhoods and also very nice retirement communities in the S.W. section, too. I hear schools are better than the ones down here. Reminded me of Miami a long time ago but without the beaches.

[rkjcs]

During the summer months we have alot of afternoon thunderstorms here in the Ocala area but they usually only last an hour or so and move on. Some information on schools for you here in marion county:

Florida’s Department of Education ranked Marion County Public Schools as an “A” district for the recently-completed 2005-2006 school year.

As well, Marion County is tied for second in the entire state when it comes to “leading the state in raising student performance,” earning 35 more points than last year. (Hendry County tied with Marion County, just behind first-place Jefferson County.) The district’s vision statement is, “leading the state in raising student performance.”

Marion County Public Schools is one of 24 districts in Florida earning an “A” this year, and one of 23 raising its grade over last year.
Supporting the district’s high grade are strong individual school grades - 84% of Marion County schools earned an “A” or “B” grade this year. These grades, coupled with student performance on the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) and strong learning gains across the board as well as learning gains of the lowest 25 percent of students, factor heavily in the DOE’s calculation of district grades.

I live in Dunnellon which is about 20 minutes west of Ocala and is much smaller. If you come to the area you should come check this area out. Rainbow Springs state park is at the headwaters of the Rainbow River here in Dunnellon and they have a few man made waterfalls and the river is crystal clear and the water stays 72 degrees year round.

If anyone needs any more information about the area just let me know.

Hope this helps.

[Jammie]

RK, thank you for the info you've given us. I know someone was asking about the schools and it's nice to know they're at the top even though we don't have children. I knew I'd seen the name of the town you live in so I checked back and couldn't believe your low crime rate. In 2003 your crime registered as ZERO and the median for the nation is 335. Wow, that's even better then it is where I live. Where do the people in your town go to work? We do plan on driving through a lot of the towns when we're there like Leesburg, Eustis, Iverness, etc. and we'll ad this to our list.

We are thinking about flying into Gainesville because Orlando is so large compared to what we're used to. Is the population of Gainesville really about 108,000 or does it have a metro area, too?

[Jammie]

Lulu, the pics are beautiful and it looks like such a nice place. Since we come from a town with a population of just under 15,000, we're thinking we may be more interested in the Silver Springs area right by Ocala. Last night we found a bit more info on the internet. Ocala now has a population of 158,000 and Silver Springs has risen to 10,000. It is much higher then what the 2000 census had and much higher then the predictions for growth were.