Ugly Florida Town Contest? I nominate Ocala... (Starke: move, housing)

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

I was surprised to see this post. I've driven on the interstates through a good portion of FL, and I find the state flat, boring, seedy and un-picturesque -- except when I got to the Ocala area. It was such a pleasant surprise to come upon the rolling hills and horse farms off I-75. I haven't been to the town of Ocala itself, but assumed it was an upscale area since John Travolta lives there. Guess not...huh?

I must say, my trip across FL on 301 (following Mapquest's route) was one of the scariest drives ever. First of all, there's a speed trap in every little town. But the towns themselves were so run-down and seedy....I had been planning on stopping at a McDonald's drive-through for lunch, and I don't think there was one McDonald's the entire way. You know it's a bad area when there isn't even a McDonald's in town. I was just hoping to get through with no tickets and no uninsured driver hitting me. I will never take that route again! Sadly, a lot of FL, besides the coastal areas, is just a complete trashy wasteland.

The interstate highway system isn't known for being scenic or interesting, just fast. That stretch of 301 is awful for the reasons you mentioned, but not all of Florida's highways are like that. The area around Starke and Waldo is just a weird part of the state, in my opinion.

[Steve Crowell]

My wife and myself were born and raised in St.Augustine Fla. I am 51 and she is 59. We left in 2005 and moved to W.V. I miss Fla. every day.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

I was surprised to see this post. I've driven on the interstates through a good portion of FL, and I find the state flat, boring, seedy and un-picturesque -- except when I got to the Ocala area. It was such a pleasant surprise to come upon the rolling hills and horse farms off I-75. I haven't been to the town of Ocala itself, but assumed it was an upscale area since John Travolta lives there. Guess not...huh?

I must say, my trip across FL on 301 (following Mapquest's route) was one of the scariest drives ever. First of all, there's a speed trap in every little town. But the towns themselves were so run-down and seedy....I had been planning on stopping at a McDonald's drive-through for lunch, and I don't think there was one McDonald's the entire way. You know it's a bad area when there isn't even a McDonald's in town. I was just hoping to get through with no tickets and no uninsured driver hitting me. I will never take that route again! Sadly, a lot of FL, besides the coastal areas, is just a complete trashy wasteland.

You crossed Florida on 301?
Thats funny, it goes N/S, not E/W.
No McDonalds?
Thats odd, I can think of at least 3 in a 10 mile stretch around Ocala on 301.
Yeah, judging states by what one sees on an interstate must make one an expert.

[Avalon08]

You crossed Florida on 301?
Thats funny, it goes N/S, not E/W.
No McDonalds?
Thats odd, I can think of at least 3 in a 10 mile stretch around Ocala on 301.
Yeah, judging states by what one sees on an interstate must make one an expert.

Yes, I did cross FL from the East Coast (Jacksonville) to the West Coast (I-75)....check a map, you can see 301 goes in a southwesterly direction across the state.

I didn't say I was on 301 for the entire length of its existence -- I believe I got on 75 around Gainesville, north of Ocala. No, there were no McDonald's, and believe me, I was starving. What's more, the towns along that route were so sketchy, I probably wouldn't have wanted to stop even if I found one. I just wanted to get outta there as quickly as possible.

Well, you can certainly judge a state's scenic beauty by what you see on the interstates, especially if you've driven from the top of the state almost to the bottom and from one coast to the other. And FL is a pretty boring drive....flat, none of the pretty (pine?) trees that you see in NC and SC. No need to get defensive, you've got tons of beautiful coastline and white beaches to make up for it.

[Poohby]

Main street Kissimmee has got the biggest and the most ugly huge speed bumps. Make sure you slow down or kissimmee your front end goodbye.

[FLA17]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

I was surprised to see this post. I've driven on the interstates through a good portion of FL, and I find the state flat, boring, seedy and un-picturesque -- except when I got to the Ocala area. It was such a pleasant surprise to come upon the rolling hills and horse farms off I-75. I haven't been to the town of Ocala itself, but assumed it was an upscale area since John Travolta lives there. Guess not...huh?

I must say, my trip across FL on 301 (following Mapquest's route) was one of the scariest drives ever. First of all, there's a speed trap in every little town. But the towns themselves were so run-down and seedy....I had been planning on stopping at a McDonald's drive-through for lunch, and I don't think there was one McDonald's the entire way. You know it's a bad area when there isn't even a McDonald's in town. I was just hoping to get through with no tickets and no uninsured driver hitting me. I will never take that route again! Sadly, a lot of FL, besides the coastal areas, is just a complete trashy wasteland.

Those towns are actually some of the better ones in Florida south of Ocala

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Well, you can certainly judge a state's scenic beauty by what you see on the interstates

Um, no, you cant.

[perry335654]

YouTube - Historic Downtown Ocala Florida

[kshe95girl]

^^^^That wasnt even the nicest part of downtown.

[perry335654]

Ocala is far from an ugly town, in fact it is quaint and charming, maybe there are no jobs to be found, nevertheless a nice city to reside and raise children.


The OP needs to clean the windshield on the vehicle or new prescription glasses.