How is Ocala Fl?? (Orlando: good hotels, cheap house, transfer)

[dgreen]

Originally Posted by 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?

The city of Gainesville estimates the 2003 population at 117,182. These population figures probably do not include the vast majority of the 50,000+ student population which are recorded for census purposes as living with their parents in their hometowns.


The North Central Florida area in which Gainesville is located is known to natives as the "end of the South." This is most likely due to the fact that south of Alachua County or Marion County, starting somewhere north of Orlando, there are fewer native Floridians (and effectively native Southerners) and the sprawling development that defines South and Central Florida begins. However, it should be noted that due to large levels of migration, much of it related to the University of Florida, the western sector of the city as well as areas around the university hold more in common culturally and visually with Central and Southern Florida, whereas the eastern sector of the city holds more in common culturally and visually with the South.

[mutoscope]

I had built & closed on a modest house in a gated community in Ocala in May. Ocala is a beautiful area are is loaded with tons of shopping & every resteraunt chain known to man. The housing is more reasonable than nearly naywhere else in Fla. Of course, the whole housing market has slowed down so its egnning to be a buyers market. Lots of reasonable priced homes & even new consruction. We are out fo the hurricane band & the insurance carriers consider it a non-hurrican area. I cannot retire for another 4 years s only uase it as a vacation home. I live i upstate NY. I am NOT one of those rich northeasternes you hear about. I make a very small salary & did not have a NE home to sell for zillions, then have plenty of money to buy a home in Fla. Thee are many people like that, & good for them, but I am not & I was still able to afford a home there. I go down once a month or every 2 months & enjoy it as much as I can. If I can do it, you can! I LOVE OCALA!

[mom4]

I am also from NJ and live in Seminole County Florida. I have 2 teenage daughters and if I told them we were moving to Ocala they would loose it!!! Ocala maybe a fine place to live but once you leave Ocala there is nothing else in the area. Atleast in Seminole County we have Orlando and we are 25 min. to the theme parks and 45 min. to the beach. It depends on the age of your children. By the way where are you from in NJ you may be use to a Ocala area.

[Jammie]

Muto, thank you for another positive post about Ocala. Mainly the only thing I hear and read are positive things about the area. Maybe I've already mentioned this on the thread, but we're hoping to actually live in Silver Spring Shores since it's on the edge of Ocala. Do you happen to know if there's been so much growth that the two cities are one now?

[bigtone]

They are not really connected, but I guess that's a matter of opinion. There are alot of homes out there in that direction, but it is mostly rural. I myself prefer the western side of Ocala. There are some nice areas such as Sun Valley and some of Marion Oaks. Alot of the roads out in the Shores aren't in real good shape (remind me of PA), and to get to most shopping you have to go into Ocala, which can be a traffic headache. I believe the traffic situation on the western side is better.

[Jammie]

OK Maybe I'm looking in the wrong direction then. We definitely don't want a high traffic area. The town we live in is under 15,000 so we're not used to much traffic.

[Buddy263]

forget Ocal, the developers have taken over.the horse farms ill b gone in 3 o 5 years and the place will be overcrowed. Try to the east or west

[Jammie]

Buddy, why do you say that? Is there something that's been happening there? Condos going up in the area or what? Please enlighten us.

[FL Daisy]

No Jammie... no condo highrises in Ocala. What he's saying is that it will continue to grow just like anywhere else in Florida. As a matter of fact, like anywhere is the USA, not just FL.

The farm land/horse country will ALWAYS be there. Ocala is known in the US for being the 'throughout breed' (sp?) of the country. Do you think they would give that away to developpers? I don't think so!

All that part of the state surrounding Ocala is the most beautiful of FL in my opinion because the land isn't 'flat'. You see hills and plenty of green land, not just 'concrete'.

It's the only part (not just Ocala, the whole part of the state) that has rolling hills.

From someone who has been in FL for 12 yrs, I miss the hills and every time I drive up or down one, I have a big grin on my face a mile long! saying 'a hill!!! a hill!!! LOL... I wish there rest of the state wasn't so flat.

[clarissairene]

We just got back from our trip visiting Ocala. We are from So. California and my husband is being relocated. The first day we went to the Silver spring shore. We did not like it, mainly because of the poor roads and it just seemed so far from the interestate. All though there were malls and tons of shopping. We did find our home builder. At the end of the day we were both not impressed by the area, only the home. BUT.... the next day we drove through Marion Oaks part of Ocala and fell in LOVE! Closer to the interestate and his work, less traffic and still close to the shops and malls and it took us about 45 minutes to get to Universal city walk. We were so happy to find out that the builder (Holiday Home buidlers) is building in Marion Oaks! Go check it out! Its so beautiful, still country but close to the city part of life. Schools are good. And my hsuband loves that it has the Ocala national forrest.