How is Ocala Fl?? (Orlando: hotels, travel, rent)

[NJchic]

Hey everybody...

So I got my first job.. and i'm headed to Ocala from Jersey. I didn't have much time to find a place, and decided to rent a place in the dogwood section of the Silver Spring Shores. Now i'm just a tad freaked out since someone flat out told me I don't want to live there and that it's a very high crime area. When I went to go look at it.. it seemed to me that it was almost deserted like... not the squished together houses and non-yards i've been used to seeing in jersey and ny. I was curious if anyone has run across anything terribly bad about this section..

thanks

[adp]

Ocala is over-rated. If you want horse country, there's some beautiful large ranches to the north and south of the city limits. The 1st time I drove into Ocala went thru 441. It was disgusting. White women following around thieir black thugs along the sidewalk. Then went to downtown. Revitalizing, some decent places in that small radius. Silver Springs does have nature on it's side, but it lacks upkeep.

Went to various places. Lots of lost young former southern white types trying to act black with the pompous shiny rims on their cars and rap music blasting. Really gross. Went to the gym by the community college and was stared down by the local blacks in the gym. The main drag has restaurants, bookstore, mall etc. Standard, bland, boring. Bad traffic, nothing special. West of 75 is better in some areas. Lots of Puerto Ricans are starting to move into the area for cheaper housing from Orlando. If you're not familiar with Orlando, or the Northeast this isn't a good thing to most people.

Poorly laid out, poor urban planning, bad traffic.

If you want a friendly more Caucasian area, Belleview is nice. Unfortunately migrant Mexicans staring people down and Puerto Ricans who think they're thugs are starting to come in as well as foreign blacks.

Lady Lake, Lake Weir, Belleview are better places in the area.

[mrnick]

Originally Posted by BKLYNMOM

At first we were thinking of moving to PA but my husband decided he did not want to dig his car out of the snow for an hour before driving for 2 hours to get to work. After so many years working the drug infested streets in the freezing cold I think he has had enough. So a friend told him he was moving with his wife and kids to Ocala and my husband checked it out and said it was nicer than Orlando. My husband has family in Port St Lucie a sister and a brother who moved there from NY. They are in their late 20's and early 30's and think it is boring. My brother is in Margate and works in Boca. My friend is in Orlando. She misses NY. We always talk about the shopping trips during our lunch hour in Manhattan. I feel that Ocala is kind of far from everyone we know in Florida. We pay so much for rent that my morgage in Ocala will probably be around the same.

Oh I forgot to mention that my brother said the last hurricane hit them really bad and Port St Lucie was affected as well. I prefer to be near the beach but after what we saw during Hurricane Katrina my husband felt Ocala was a safer bet.

Congratulations! I have decided to move to the Ocala area as well. I have been living in South Florida for 20 years, renting, and I tell you, the traffic, cost of living, taxes, insurance, property value, etc...... has gotten way up there. Not to mention, hurricanes.
I found an affordable pre-construction house in the Ocala area a couple of blocks away from a good school for my kids and in a very quiet neighborhood.
I need to get out of the city lifestyle and have some peace and quiet in my own house. Good luck and see you in Ocala......

[cflmmo]

Originally Posted by adp

Ocala is over-rated. If you want horse country, there's some beautiful large ranches to the north and south of the city limits. The 1st time I drove into Ocala went thru 441. It was disgusting. White women following around thieir black thugs along the sidewalk. Then went to downtown. Revitalizing, some decent places in that small radius. Silver Springs does have nature on it's side, but it lacks upkeep.

Went to various places. Lots of lost young former southern white types trying to act black with the pompous shiny rims on their cars and rap music blasting. Really gross. Went to the gym by the community college and was stared down by the local blacks in the gym. The main drag has restaurants, bookstore, mall etc. Standard, bland, boring. Bad traffic, nothing special. West of 75 is better in some areas. Lots of Puerto Ricans are starting to move into the area for cheaper housing from Orlando. If you're not familiar with Orlando, or the Northeast this isn't a good thing to most people.

Poorly laid out, poor urban planning, bad traffic.

If you want a friendly more Caucasian area, Belleview is nice. Unfortunately migrant Mexicans staring people down and Puerto Ricans who think they're thugs are starting to come in as well as foreign blacks.

Lady Lake, Lake Weir, Belleview are better places in the area.

441 through Orlando is well known for public housing, poverty and at one point in Orlando, prostitution. You should not judge an entire town on a single Road or an entire race (white, black or whatever) based on the behavior of certain socioeconomics groups. Funny though, I recently visited San Diego, and thought exactly the same thing - OVER RATED and their beaches are disgusting.. people drive like idiots (I almost got hit by a Bimbo that invaded my lane and never bothered to stop or even look!) and somehow locals believe they are the best and above everyone because they have to pay 3 times as much on Real Estate. People think that Southerns or Mid-westerns are racist, however, I disagree - Californians are the worst. This IS the South - there are lots of blacks people and there is nothing wrong with it! And the white people are NOT pretending to be black - they are interacting with each other! I'm not black - but I'm tired of this attitude that is not taking this Country anywhere. No wonder our children grow up to become angry adults - don't know how to control their anger and end up grabbing guns and killing innocent people!

In answer to the person that started this thread - fyi - John Travolta lives in Ocala - I think is pretty cool.

[jbuck]

Does anyone who is in Ocala now currently work in healthcare? I am a Physical Therapist Assistant who works in home health care. My patients would be Medicare age receipients. I would love to buy 5-6 acres and construct a large modular home on the property. Are there a lot of retirees in the Ocala city limits and close by on the outskirts of town? Where are the largest concentration of those 65 and older?

[clarissairene]

jbuck- Hello, I am in California and my husband job has relocated us to Ocala. I am a full time working mom and our move will allow me to stay home with my son but i want to go back to school and find another career. So I decided on being a PTA. I found a school in Ocala just for this! I guess i was just excited to see a PTA on the boards. As far as retirees... lots of them! Thats what made me pick this career. I was going to focus on getting employeed near the villages. About 20 minutes from Ocala. As far as inside the city limits, i would imagine so. I will ask my husband about that. He is there now. But from talking with the counselor at the city college she said that PTA has long waiting lists because its so in demand over in that area.

good luck!

-Clarissa

[jbuck]

Hi clarissairene. Good luck with school. There should be plenty of work for me in home care, especially once the boomers start turning 65. We hope to find a large piece of land, but hopefully close to civilization.

[BKLYNMOM]

Originally Posted by mrnick

Congratulations! I have decided to move to the Ocala area as well. I have been living in South Florida for 20 years, renting, and I tell you, the traffic, cost of living, taxes, insurance, property value, etc...... has gotten way up there. Not to mention, hurricanes.
I found an affordable pre-construction house in the Ocala area a couple of blocks away from a good school for my kids and in a very quiet neighborhood.
I need to get out of the city lifestyle and have some peace and quiet in my own house. Good luck and see you in Ocala......

Good luck on your new home. I hope it works out for all of us.

[jbuck]

Originally Posted by clarissairene

...I was going to focus on getting employeed near the villages. About 20 minutes from Ocala. As far as inside the city limits, i would imagine so. I will ask my husband about that. He is there now...
-Clarissa

Hi clarissairene,

Where on the map is the area you are talking about being 20 min from Ocala? As for retiree location within the city please let me know what your husband thinks. I know there are home health agencies located close to the center of town off of 40. How long a wait to get into the PTA program at the Community College?

Regards,
John

[clarissairene]

Hi John,

I dont know if the Villages is an acutal city? Can anyone answer that? Its a big retirment community that is taking over the city. Its by Lady Lake and Leesburg. So if you look for those citys on the map thats what the drive will look like. Have you gone to Ocala.com for a job search. Thats the Ocala banner newspaper. It shows jobs in Gainsville too which is about 20-30 minute drive.

I am moving to Ocala in 1 1/2 months and until then I am trying to do alot of research on PTA and where will be a good place to work out there. The wait list is about 2 years. Until then I am going to get my prerequisites and enjoy being home.