Clooney

Can anyone tell me the good and/or the bad about Ocala? Weather, crime stats, health care, retirement communities for active 55+ers and anything else. How close is it from the nearest airport? Are there any good hotels in the area to stay at while we investigate for poss. future retirement there? Thanks!

teacherD

We actually stayed at one of the communities -"Top of the World" while checking out the area in 2003. Sorry that I can't remember how far from the airport it was but I believe we flew into Orlando.

321sister

gainsville airport 2 orlando 3 tampa I like tampa.We live at on top of the world 7 miles west on 200. Their are many old folks 55 or older. we like it here very much. Large selection villas town houses homes 90 to 300 www collandes at on top of the world. big sun realty has most listings good luck

Tandoori_Girl

Ocala is beautiful. Rolling hills and horse farms. The Ocala National Forest is great. I hear the restaurants are very mediocre. There are definitely some nice hotels in downtown. Crime? No.

teacherD

Oh, and another really huge community is "The Villages" which we stayed at for a week while we visited many other places. Of course you have to allow a few hours of seeing their place and speaking with a sales rep. but they were NOT pushy and we liked the idea of having a condo rather than a hotel room for the week.
Like Tandoori Girl wrote we felt the area lacked good restaurants and some cultural attractions.

Wayne

I think Ocala is a pretty nice place. The town is clean and quiet, and the surrounding hills and horse farms make for a pleasant environment. Not having checked into many retirement communities, I can't add to what has already been said. But I would like to say there are plenty of good restaurants in Ocala; you just need to know where to look. You also need to remember that it isn't New York City, so the number of good restaurants isn't all that high. My absolute favorite restaurant in Ocala is Felix's, on Silver Springs Boulevard in an old Victorian home. They even have half portions for guys like me who can't ever eat the huge dishes served by most restaurants. And for a place to have a good southern country breakfast at least once while you are there, you must go to Richard's, a real institution in Ocala. It's also on Silver Springs Blvd just west of the downtown square.

Oh, as for other stats, I think you will find Ocala to be as good as any of the areas in Florida. There's also, by the way, a brand new "life fulfillment community" that is being built by the University of Florida in Gainesville. If you aren't familiar with the term, it's the kind of place where you can select and purchase the type of retirement home you want (condos or individual homes) and then pay a monthly fee that covers your medical care totally plus other amenities. If interested, you can read about it at www.oakhammock.com. It's a place I've begun to consider seriously. Good luck.

Clooney

Thank you Wayne, and every one else, for the great information regarding Ocala. My hubby and I are probably 4-5 years out from his retirement, but it's never too early to start looking.

Wayne, thank you for the information regarding the "life fulfillment community" in Gainesville. I have never heard of this and we will check it out. Not to worry about the fact that there aren't all that many good restaurants. We live in Parker, Colorado and believe me, we were thrilled to get a "Black Eyed Pea"

We appreciate everyone taking time to tell us about Ocala and the Gainesville area. We look forward to exploring for ourselves soon.

Any other first hand information will be of tremendous help.

Thanks again everyone!!