How is Ocala Fl?? (Orlando, Holiday: real estate, apartment, renting)

[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!

[green]

Yes go to Ocala!! You will find everything you have asked for and more. Ocala is not what peolpe think: horse country... it is a very nice place to live. Better than the rest of Florida anyway!!

[hollikee]

Thanks for the reply Can you tell me about the weather? Do you have to worry about tornadoes? Also......I know there are risks of hurricanes in Florida, but how sheltered is Ocala since it is in the middle? Has there ever been major damage? How is the community and driving? Florida would be my #1 choice, but my family are so worried about tornadoes and hurricanes that I have to be concerned about it too. I'm originally from Mo. so I'm used to tornadoes, but they are from N.J. so a big thunder clap is a storm to them lol. Thanks again for replies!

[Jammie]

Hi Holli, it's so nice to see that you're interested in Ocala, too. We are also planning on checking out the Ocala/Silver Springs area in a few months. In a bit over a year my hubby will be semi-retiring and that area will hopefully be just what we're looking for. When you get a chance, check back through the old threads on here. Whenever Ocala is mentioned, the feedback is always positive. It's supposed to be green and hilly and beautiful. The people are supposed to be friendly and helpful. There is the Ocala National Forest nearby. The area that's of special interest to us is either connected to Ocala or just very nearby. Silver Spring Shores or Silver Springs. (Not sure which is the town or amusement park. I thought I had it figured out, but not for sure) We're middle aged and they have some very good entertainment there. My fave group, the Grass Roots will be there in Oct. (from the 60s) The same park offers rides on Glass bottomed boats and the water is supposed to be clear spring water and you can see all the animals in the water. My sis in law went for that ride many years ago and said it's neat. I've been checking job listings and it appears that there are jobs there. The real estate is high compared to what we're used to (upper midwest), but is cheaper then most parts of Fla. We're thinking about renting an apartment so I did an apartment search and they're actually quite reasonable. It doesn't appear that Fla. actually has much tornado weather. They don't have the Cat 4 or Cat5 that we have in the midwest. We're from SD and live in tornado alley just like you do so our chances of those are worse then Florida's. They get tornadoes during hurricanes. We have family in central Fla, but they live south of Ocala. They get wind and rain from hurricanes and have damage, but not like the coast. Not sure if Ocala is in the same situation, but they're straight south of Ocala so my guess it's comparable. Please post and keep me informed about how you like it there.

[geo]

That's coming from someone who has traveled to or lived in most of the United States and does not like Florida (at all). I have lived in Orlando since 1990. Ocala would be my first choice of a place to live in Florida. I didn't know what a red-neck was til I came to Florida, but I wasn't at all afraid of Ocala. Sorry, I was unable to say it better and get my point across. People seem normal and/but small-town friendly in Ocala. Home prices are currently coming down a bit in Ocala. Check out the Holiday home builders site for home prices. My dream home there is the 4 bedroom Sterling Model with a quarter of an acre for about $175K-$180K. A similar home closer to Orlando would be $275000+

[cjgsav]

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!

We have also considerd Ocala in the past as my other half is an equestrian. We ultimately ruled it out because I'm in the engineering field and there appears to be a lack of technical jobs in the area.

Overall it looked like a nice place to live as long as you are not in need of good paying professional job.

[goldieloucks]

We just recently (within the last month) moved to Silver Springs Shores in Ocala. I picked Ocala because it is centrally located and wanted the small town atmosphere. It doesn't seem as small town as I thought it would be, however I am enjoying it. I am not crazy about the the critters and creatures you see around here, and the weather is ever so hot. But we're from Omaha Ne and there you get maybe 5-10 mintutes warning of a tornado, here, you get a couple days notice of a hurricance and it doesn't really effect this central Fl area from what I can see.

[Jammie]

Goldie, I can't thank you enough for posting. It seems that you were almost my neighbor when you lived in Omaha. I'm from Mitchell, SD. The Silver Springs area is also what we're interested in or may right in Ocala. I'm so glad to hear that you like it there. So is the name of the town Silver Spring Shores and the park is Silver Springs? Are Ocala and Silver Spring Shores grown together or is there country between them? Have you been to the park with the glass bottomed boats yet and if so, is it nice there? OK about the critters, what kind? Please tell us anything you can about the area.

[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.

[Jammie]

Lulu, I'm sorry that the pics won't post on here. I'd love to see them and I'm sure a few others would like to, also. We're hoping to be there ourselves in a few months. We've only got a little over a year and we're free to move wherever we want to and still haven't found "the perfect spot". We're really hoping that it will be in the Silver Springs/Ocala/Leesburg area. We plan on going down for a few days in Oct. or Nov. and I just can't wait.