Ocala public transportation (Miami, Tampa, Orlando: real estate, apartment, rent)

[Scarlett2]

My husband and I are researching areas to retire to. Right now, we live in New York City and don't drive. We have heard that Ocala is a beautiful, clean place to retire to. I saw on the Internet that there is public transit there in the form of Sun Buses. My question: is it possible to live in Ocala and NOT drive? If so, what areas would be fairly accessible to grocery stores, libraries, drug stores, vets, drug stores, etc. Is Ocala a walkable city in the forms of sidewalks, etc?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we are really getting very fed up with the fast pace and cold atmosphere in New York City.

Thanks to everyone.

[just_being_myself]

Ocala is one of those places that is extremely spread out. The public transportation system is only reliable if you live on the east side of Ocala or around state road 200. Living around State road 40,Marion Oaks with leave you unacessable to the Sun Tran. The city of Ocala is extremely hard to walk in with lots of traffic congestion with almost nonexistent sidewalks. You will definately need a car to travel around the city.

Anybody dumb enough to risk their life while walking across 200 deserves some sort of prize. Back in 97 when I first moved here you could but attempting something like that know is suicide.


Hope this answers your questions.

[MiamiRob]

outside of Miami public transportation in Florida is a joke!

[Chromedome]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

outside of Miami public transportation in Florida is a joke!

basically. and outside of downtown and southbeach i wouldnt call miami's public trans 'great' its definitely as good as it gets down here tho.

florida is sprawl defined. things are extremely spread out and the majority of the state was designed for car owners. with alot of it not even considering pedestrian traffic. alot of the state doesnt even have sidewalks or streetlights.

im an ex nj/ny'ker and the lack of public trans was one of the first things i noticed when coming down here.

youll have to get a car

[ruw3aw]

Originally Posted by Carolgre

My husband and I are researching areas to retire to. Right now, we live in New York City and don't drive. We have heard that Ocala is a beautiful, clean place to retire to. I saw on the Internet that there is public transit there in the form of Sun Buses. My question: is it possible to live in Ocala and NOT drive? If so, what areas would be fairly accessible to grocery stores, libraries, drug stores, vets, drug stores, etc. Is Ocala a walkable city in the forms of sidewalks, etc?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we are really getting very fed up with the fast pace and cold atmosphere in New York City.

Thanks to everyone.

We moved to Ocala, FL from Brooklyn, NY in 2008, we love-it here, although we have cars; there is a public transportation system here. Go to the Star-Banner web-site. You will be able to view important information about Ocala. The cost of food, utilities, and taxes a little higher gasoline cheaper. real estate cheaper. Look for the SUN bus route, and communities that are served by SUN bus. Crime is very low here, but it is here. Get a good real estate agency to help find the right community for you. There are so many choices here see as many as you can before making a decision. Good Luck

[Jimrob1]

I suppose it could be done but it would be difficult to say the least. Since you don't drive as so many in your area do not, life in Ocala or anywhere in Fla would be a huge adjustment.

I think in all honesty if your someone that wants to go when you want to go, you will quickly find the absolute necessity of a vehicle.

Im quite sure for many that do not drive and have no plans to do so, have sadly had to cross much of Fla off their list. Due to the lack of mobility and getting from A to B.

I have to agree with other than areas of South Fla, public transit is almost nonexistent in Fla and in my opinion is a disgrace.

I do have one suggestion and location for you that you might do some research on. Its a smaller city between Orlando and Tampa about 1 1/2 hours south of Ocala. Its Lakeland. It has from what I have seen one of the better bus systems for a city of its size, and service seem pretty extensive. I believe it called Citrus Connection. Lakeland also is a self sufficient city in that plentiful shopping and medical care is available. It has a very nice downtown with a lake and parks around it. Its nearby to both Orlando but closer to Tampa but not close enough to be in their daily traffic. Although I-4 is no picnic thru Lakeland. The only other area I found some decent bus service was St Pete and thats probably more city area than you want. You could also try Gainesville nearby to Ocala has bus service I think because of so many students there. Well thats some suggestions as I know public transit is very important to me also, and my research only showed me these cities having decent bus service. I researched much of the Central Florida region. Tampa seemed to be the worse based on its size and serious lack of bus routes and schedules.

I mainly recommended Lakeland because bus frequency and its route system, seemed to be more in line with what a retired person would want. That and the fact I felt you wanted a smaller city, and this seemed to be the only one with reasonable service. It runs later into the evening and has some weekend routes. A retired person doesn't need to be at a bus stop in the heat, waiting for a bus that maybe comes once an hour if it shows up at all. Lakeland's definitely seems to be more in line as to what a retiree would want, several buses come each hour on many of its routes.

Hope this helps. Best of Luck

[rjm1cc]

I can see no car in NYC but once you leave a big city I think no car would be a big problem.
You should look at over 55 communities that have golf cart transportation if you do not want a car.
I would look at the Villages to start. What ever you do I would rent for a few months to test the area.

[Hartwick]

The above poster raises some good points, and I must reiterate that life in Florida, and most of the country, without a vehicle, will be most confining, difficult, and a real challenge. Even in The Villages, which has a huge population of golf carts, becuase it is so spread out, the Villagers often require a golf cart with extended range, such as a gasoline engine. Then, to get to some of the big box stores on the main routes intersecting The Villages, you will still need a car to get from one side to another, especially if you buy something bulky across the highway from where you live. And, relying on others to transport you and/or your possessions/purchases, will get bothersome for the others upon whom you are relying.

Lakeland does have great public transportation, as do many other Central Florida cities, but still, it is so spread out and expanding, that to rely on public transportation will be a real hassle, plus as i said earlier, you'll find yourselves being confined close to home. Lakeland, as do most cities, does have Medicare vans, and some communities have their own mini-transportation system to grocery stores, but you'll find yourselves waiting and waiting for the vans, spending a good portion of your days dependent upon them, as well as dependent upon some irregular transportation from some senior community. Life will be difficult for you to say the least...I don't envy you and your preferences to not have a car. Not the place to live without even some basic vehicle.

Is Ocala a walkable city? No unles you live stricly downtown. Any way you look at it, it'll be a hike, which when it's a heat factor of 106 degrees in the summertime, means you'll be staying confined to your house or apartment.

[kyle19125]

There are other areas in Florida with good public transit. Clearwater and St Petersburg come to mind. Given the fact that you'd like a smaller city, Clearwater would be the best fit. Pinellas Suncoast transit provides reliable, frequent service (every 30 minutes or less) throughout most of Pinellas County. Clearwater and St Pete have the most concentration of service due to ridership. Quite a number of retirees (and others), utilize PSTA as their primary mode of transportation.
System Map (http://www.psta.net/systemmap.html - broken link)