Would Ocala be a suitable area for me? (Jacksonville, Lakeland: living in, move to)

[take_heart]

I'm a 27-year-old single male who lives in Jacksonville. Despite Jacksonville being a large city and theoretically having a lot of prospects, I've found dating very difficult.

I work remotely, so I've been contemplating relocating to somewhere that: is smaller and more "digestible;" is within reasonable driving distance; and has better prospects.

I'm specifically looking for (serious) Christians in my age range. Would I have similar difficulty in Ocala? I've also been thinking about Lakeland. I'd like to visit both areas soon to get a feel for them.

Any insight is much appreciated.

[rjm1cc]

My guess is the larger the city the more change you have. I would skip Ocala.

[take_heart]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

My guess is the larger the city the more change you have. I would skip Ocala.

Theoretically, yes. But I feel like, in reality, smaller cities make it easier to meet people, since they aren't as spread out. And if that city has a higher proportion of the sort of people I'm seeking, even more so. That's what I'm trying to determine. Thank you for the reply, though.

[Ghaati]

A "serious" Christian would believe in their heart of hearts that the Lord will provide them with a "helpmeet" if and when the time is right and not a moment sooner. If you move to Ocala and don't find that helpmeet, it won't be Ocala's fault. And by staying put in J-ville and not finding your helpmeet, it's not J-ville's fault. It's simply not your turn yet.

My advice is to not use "I need a mate" as your excuse to move, IF you truly are a "serious" Christian as you claim to be.

[take_heart]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

A "serious" Christian would believe in their heart of hearts that the Lord will provide them with a "helpmeet" if and when the time is right and not a moment sooner. If you move to Ocala and don't find that helpmeet, it won't be Ocala's fault. And by staying put in J-ville and not finding your helpmeet, it's not J-ville's fault. It's simply not your turn yet.

My advice is to not use "I need a mate" as your excuse to move, IF you truly are a "serious" Christian as you claim to be.

You make good points. My "rebuttal" of sorts would be that one should also be intentional. If all I do is attend my church, whose congregants are primarily families and elders, and I do nothing else, I think that it's unlikely that I will find a suitable partner. But because I wish to be intentional, I visit other churches occasionally and events that I believe will attract Christian women.

It's a very complex subject. This isn't a fair comparison, but if a Christian were living in, say, New York City or San Francisco, I would say that it's reasonable for him/her to relocate to search for a spouse.

[Ghaati]

You know all you really need to do is run a google search for your "brand" of Christianity. See which towns have the most populated churches of that kind. Then call the church and ASK them if they have a singles group.

[take_heart]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

You know all you really need to do is run a google search for your "brand" of Christianity. See which towns have the most populated churches of that kind. Then call the church and ASK them if they have a singles group.

I belong to a Baptist church and I feel pretty strongly about that denomination. Unfortunately, here in Jax, it seems like if younger people attend church at all, they attend the "nondenominational" megachurches. There's something amiss about those and they definitely don't promote fellowship.

I guess my thinking was that smaller towns/cities wouldn't suffer from that problem to the same extent, so I thought I'd ask here. I do appreciate the pushback, though; it's humbling.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by take_heart

I belong to a Baptist church and I feel pretty strongly about that denomination. Unfortunately, here in Jax, it seems like if younger people attend church at all, they attend the "nondenominational" megachurches. There's something amiss about those and they definitely don't promote fellowship.

I guess my thinking was that smaller towns/cities wouldn't suffer from that problem to the same extent, so I thought I'd ask here. I do appreciate the pushback, though; it's humbling.

There are absolutely baptists and baptist churches and actual fellowship and outreach in the Ocala area. There are also other evangelical denominations that aren't baptist.

You can find the list of affiliated baptist churches in the Ocala here:

https://www.reach.mba/churches

Community Harvest is family-oriented, but not exclusively family.

The First Baptist in the Villages caters to seniors (since the Villages is a 55+ community), but it isn't exclusively seniors.

I don't know about any of the others, but you can certainly give them a call.

[dontaskwhy]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

The First Baptist in the Villages caters to seniors (since the Villages is a 55+ community)

In the first post, the OP clearly stated that they are 27, not 55+.

[J6165]

Ocala is a great place! Moved here last year and it’s been the best decision. The people here are the nicest and most welcoming. We found a local Church to go to where we were welcomed right from the start. There’s plenty to do here with all the conveniences a person would need. I think you would do well here and find friends your age.