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Old 08-14-2006, 05:09 PM
 
8 posts, read 37,237 times
Reputation: 15

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This is to jamie, bkln and the others who have a desire to move to Ocala, or florida for that matter. Oh the dream....nice sunshine, palm trees, what could be better? Home! That's where. I moved to Ocala about 2 years ago. My parents live here and that's why I came. Jobs? Forget about it. I am a manager in a local company and only through the grace of God, got hired 6 months after I arrived. I make 1/3 of what I did in Ohio. The advertisements portray Florida as some kind of paradise. It might be if you are financially "well off" and don't have to work for a living. Did anyone mention that Marion county has the lowest pay scale in the state? Did anyone ever post that the "homes" here are as expensive as the ones on the coast? By the way, they classify trailers in Florida as homes. They say they are "just like a house"! Please!. Remember before you make the move about how lovely the change of seasons are. The glory of spring flowers. The celabration of the fall leaves. You won't find any of that here.

Siilver Springs? Nothing more than a small "naturalist" park with a few gators and a glass bottom boat. If you saw it once or twice, that would be plenty, and no reason to relocate here. The national forest? Flat, sandy and nothing but palm trees and scrub pine with a few oaks thrown in for fun. Almost all the "roads" off of Rt 40 (main drag through forest) are nothing more than sand forest service trails. Did I mention the heat? Let's see, the plant I work in is NOT air conditioned. The owner likes to keep that money in his pocket, as is the rational for most of the industry in this state. It is in the 90's here from April through October. So rather than be cooped up in your house up north for 3-4 months out of the year, you'll be cooped up here for 7 months. What a bargain! Are you accustomed to tasty food at reasonable prices? Not here. The food prices are about 20% higher than where I came from. I've noticed that the eggs are bland and the meat is tasteless. I've had this commented to me from several people I work with that came from NY and Canada. They all miss the food.

They ran an article in the Star Banner a week or two ago which mentioned that because people like policemen, firemen, teachers, accountants or other professionals can no longer qualify for a loan, the community should better come up with a way to build "worker housing". That is to say, sub-par community housing which working people must live. Also, many of the "communities" here are 55+, which means that working class families must locate to ultra expensive housing or the "slum" areas. Speaking of newspapers, feel free to read the daily paper for a week or two. You'll find that nothing bad ever happens here. They refuse to print negative stories for fear that "outsiders" find out the truth and won't want to move here. Yes there are a couple horse farms left......but you can't enjoy them because you can't walk on their land. Might just as well look at a post card.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts and opinions. Since I can't qualify for a house loan for an average priced trailer on an 1/8 acre lot, I'll be leaving the area hopefully before years end. You see, I've been staying with my parents until I complete my college degree and can get a real job up north, in a place where the housing is comparable with the wages. Believe me, I've shed a trail of tears in the hot Florida sun when I fell for the myth of the Florida Lie-style.

 
Old 08-14-2006, 05:55 PM
 
Location: Florida, near tourist-town Orlando
9 posts, read 46,130 times
Reputation: 12
I've thought of moving from North Orlando area to Ocala. Mainly, Ocala has all the new, big stores and restaurants , but Ocala just has one of everything you like instead of so blinkin' many everywhere! Yes, it's clear of the worst hurricane winds, being so inland. Outside of town is beautiful, green, rural, and horse country. No really bad critters except occasional raccoon or itty-bitty scorpion. Not many snakes in urban areas, but you always have to watch where you step in the woods as anywhere else. Florida all over is hot and humid, but doesn't stay hot all night like in Tenn. and N. Carolina just mentioned above. Tornados aren't nearly as bad as in the mid-west, or as common. I would move to Ocala in a heartbeat if could sell my place here in Apopka, FL. All kinds of prices for homes, new and old. A decent new house goes for 200 to 400,000 in the small towns like Ocala. Look up their real estate websites and you'll see. Property taxes not too bad. I pay $450 a year for my rural 5 acres and small block house...and can pay it by installments. Gainesville, or Deland, not far from Ocala, are also nice college towns, if you like more resources and culture.
 
Old 08-14-2006, 06:37 PM
 
Location: Florida but not for long :) :)
1,130 posts, read 1,557,536 times
Reputation: 50
Florida does have good food and restaurants. Yes, the prices in the food stores are more and you can't get a great bagel but I still think the food is good! If you go to a restaurant run by a person from up north, then the food is authentic. It's just a matter of choice. Ocala is beautiful with it's rolling hills. The leaves do change up there. It just takes longer for them to turn color and if you get a few chilly nights, they will be lovely!
 
Old 08-15-2006, 12:39 AM
 
Location: So. Dak.
13,495 posts, read 37,323,200 times
Reputation: 15205
Bam and Sky, thank you for the positive things you have to say about the Ocala area. Smoky, I also want to thank you for your post. As I've posted before, I would still have to work so the info about the factories not running their AC was very important info. For us, it's a plus that there are many over 55 people there. I'm a bit younger then that, but my husband is 60 so it'd be people from our age group. I'm a bit disappointed to learn that the forest isn't a beautiful area or that the Theme Park isn't as beautiful and interesting as I've imagined it to be. As far as gators, I don't like them. I've been to gator world and for me they rate one notch above a snake. (The snake is at the very bottom of my list. I like furry, cute animals.) One of the gals who was interesting in Ocala is there checking it out right now and promised to give us her feelings about the area. I really appreciate all the info that I've received here whether it be positive or negative about the area.
 
Old 08-15-2006, 08:23 PM
 
8 posts, read 37,237 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by bamboosmom
Ocala is beautiful with it's rolling hills. The leaves do change up there. It just takes longer for them to turn color and if you get a few chilly nights, they will be lovely!
Yes, the view of non-stop roof tops on once pristine horse farms make one giddy with delight. And um, by the way, palm, live oak and pine trees don't change color. Maybe it's just the rose colored glasses.
 
Old 08-15-2006, 08:31 PM
 
4 posts, read 15,323 times
Reputation: 10
You have Restaurants almost everywhere on Route 200. I can't tell you expensive because you didn't give an example. However apartments run about $600 for a 1 bedroom/ 1 bath. A/C can run high in the summer about $100- $125 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment and cable is about $50 a month. Telephone rates are normal.
 
Old 08-16-2006, 09:46 AM
 
Location: So. Dak.
13,495 posts, read 37,323,200 times
Reputation: 15205
Kimmy, do you live in Ocala or in the Silver Springs area? I've been doing a bit of research on apartments and found a couple that we really liked and they were reasonable, too. Actually, they're not anymore expensive then they are here. According to Sperlings comparison charts, your utilities are lower then ours are. I really envy the 100-125 a month electricity bills. We pay more then that in the summer and we don't have the humidity Fla. has, although we've had several days at 100 or more. (So. Dak) Your cable bill sounds very comparable to ours. At the suggestion of OldTimer, I did an internet search on car insurance, using all our correct info except substituted the addy for one of the apartments in Ocala that we were looking at. The quote came up a few dollars less then we pay here. How much is the normal electricity bill for a 1/1 during the winter? We pay well over 200 for most of the winter months here. Of course, we get many days of below zero temps on a normal winter. (The last two winters here have been beautiful) Anyway, thank you for the info on the bills in that area.

Smoky, the main thing that interests us with the Silver Springs Park is the entertainment they have there. I don't know how old you are and that would have a lot to do with what you think of it. If you like groups from the 60s and enjoy things like Christmas light shows, you'd be drawn to the Park. I'm curious as to what factory you work in. It seems awful that they don't use AC there. If you don't want to say it publicly, please pm me since I was looking into factory work there.
 
Old 08-16-2006, 05:11 PM
 
3 posts, read 9,912 times
Reputation: 10
Thumbs down Ocala

PLEASE, If you are thinking of going to the Ocala area CHECK IT OUT FIRST, especially the employment. We thought we did but still made a HUGH mistake.3 years ago we sold our place in the Keys and relocated to the outskirts of Silver Springs, in a nice lakefront retirement community! Wrong. Most the people in our area were on disabitity. We were totally mislead. The area outside Ocala is very redneck.Pickup trucks with hunting dogs. Good ole boys dinking beer at 7AM.Not being able to read or write is a common thing. Some of the smaller towns in the area have 20% of the high school girls pregnant upon graduation.I was working on a local Restuarant and was scolded by the head waitress for giving a Afro American a job application!I was told that the restaurant would loose all their bussiness if they employed an Afro American!!I was forced to work for $5.15 an hour for over a year. I had left the Keys making $12.00. What ever you do, DO NOT GO TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF SILVER SPRINGS. Good Luck
 
Old 08-16-2006, 05:24 PM
 
Location: Florida but not for long :) :)
1,130 posts, read 1,557,536 times
Reputation: 50
Smokey, haven't you ever seen the Chinese Tallow trees change color???
Do you know what you are talking about? How about the Myrtles changing color? Oh even the chinese elm changes it colors too. Oh so vibrant with it's reds and oranges....this is down here
in SW Florida too. You must not go out very much up there. We drive on 301 in the winter months, Nov. Dec. Jan...and I have seen many trees with changing color leaves. You just need to move on my friend and go home to where you will be happy once again. Nobody is forcing you to stay.

If you are still here in the winter, go outside and take notice to the colors of the vegatation out there around your area. Really, you need to!

Last edited by bamboosmom; 08-16-2006 at 05:25 PM.. Reason: spelling correction
 
Old 08-16-2006, 05:35 PM
 
34 posts, read 345,626 times
Reputation: 84
xsilversprings....

you have me worried now. We are moving from So. Cal to Florida. my husband is getting relocated with great pay and I will be able to stay home and be with my son and go back to school. So for us, Florida was not our first choice outside of California but it was either California or Florida. We cannot afford a $350,000 tiny 2 bedroom condo!!! We are buying a $200,000 home in Ocala.... Marion Oaks. We had looked in Silver Springs but it looked really run down and red neck too. I hate using that term bt it did appear that way. Now, Marion Oaks is still part of Ocala, and it didnt look anything like silver springs. My husband will be close the 75 interstate and we are still close to restaruants and malls. But is the school and reading and writing and girls getting pregnant like you say in Marion oaks area too?? Any Other good city suggestions for us? My husband will be working in Sumterville, right next to Bushnell... Now that was really country for us!!!

-Clarissa
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