Please Help! Moving to Ocala area... (Orlando, Leesburg: home, employment, established neighborhood)

[HHarris]

Greetings!

My family and I are relocating to Florida from Overland Park, Kansas (job relocation) My husband will be working in Leesburg. I have been researching areas in the Ocala area because I would like my teenage son to go to Forest or Vanguard. However I am also looking in the Clermont area as well. Would someone please give me some insight into the better areas to live in Ocala. I have printed off the school zones for Ocala and I am totally confused! Does Osceola MS feed into Forest High School?

Also what are the current employment conditions in Ocala/Clermont areas.

Thank you in advance for the help.

[HHarris]

I forgot to mention that Overland Park is part of the greater metro Kansas City area so I am looking for an area that is well populated/suburban areas

[bullmastiff]

I do not like to be negative to a prospective move, but Ocala is terrible. Its redneck and expensive at the same time. There are no children, the entire city is 55+. Unless you own a million dollar horse farm, there is nothing there. Living closer south west of Leesburg will be your best bet. Overland Park Kansas is beautiful, been there, Ocala is definitely a step down except there is no snow in the winter.

[PolOcala]

The Southeast area of Ocala in zip codes 34471 and 34480 is the best part of town. That is Forest High School and Osceola Middle School district. Nowadays most Osceola Middle School students feed into Forest High. Most children who attend Osceola and Forest are upper-middle class, take honors classes, and go on to college. If you look in these areas you will find well established neighborhoods with neighbors with school age children. The only down side to this part of town is that it is about 15-25 minutes from a mall or nice movie theatre, things most people take for granted in true suburbs. Also, for your husband it is about a 40 minute commute to Leesburg.

[faithfulFrank]

I have a home in Leesburg.
You may want to take a further look at the Clairmont area. Closer to Leesburg, growing well, closer to Orlando, but not too close, close to the turnpike, etc.

Frank D.

[MyHomeIsInOcala]

I ended up sending mine back to NE Ohio to finish school because they are very backwards here. My boys studied programming and physics in high school up north.

Sorry, I still kick myself in the rear for bringing my High School aged children to such a place (they ended up in Dunnellon before I pulled them out). Other than that, it is not too bad, not the best mind you, but it is O.K.

BTW, for the Ocala area, Belleview has a good High School as well!!!

Good Luck and all the very best to you and your family.

[livn4tday]

Moving to Leesburg, or for that matter Florida has been the biggest mistake I have ever made. Florida is loaded with ill tempered old folks who will argue over a penny. I have never seen a group of people who have such a bad attitude. I see the commercial on Fox News adverising the "Villages" as Florida's friendliest community. WHAT A JOKE.
Keep in mind that Florida as a whole is loaded with retirement communities which in turn is loaded with retirees whom a large portion of which seem to decide to revert back to childhood and act like two year olds.
I cannot wait if the home market recovers I will be going back north.
Incidentally I live just outside of Leesburg in a retirement community and I have seen enough childish behavior here to do me for the rest of my life.
Good luck moving to Florida but if you can avoid it GO BACK you can't escape the ill tempered old folks.

[jasper1372]

Originally Posted by livn4tday

Moving to Leesburg, or for that matter Florida has been the biggest mistake I have ever made. Florida is loaded with ill tempered old folks who will argue over a penny. I have never seen a group of people who have such a bad attitude. I see the commercial on Fox News adverising the "Villages" as Florida's friendliest community. WHAT A JOKE.
Keep in mind that Florida as a whole is loaded with retirement communities which in turn is loaded with retirees whom a large portion of which seem to decide to revert back to childhood and act like two year olds.
I cannot wait if the home market recovers I will be going back north.
Incidentally I live just outside of Leesburg in a retirement community and I have seen enough childish behavior here to do me for the rest of my life.
Good luck moving to Florida but if you can avoid it GO BACK you can't escape the ill tempered old folks.

I'll vouch for what you're saying here. I know a gal who retired and moved to "the villages" and she is the most obnoxious, ill tempered, demanding woman I've ever met. I wouldn't want to live within 250 miles of her myself.

If she is an example of who lives there....stay away !

[flaglerwrangler]

With all the STD there, it would have to be pretty friendly, I would think...

[floridaorbust]

But you have to admit they "the villages" have some kicked up golf carts. They cost more than my Civic