If you want to know more about things to do in Ocala, or outdoor activities and Springs that Ocala can offer, you can also watch the next video on the end screen. Thank you so much for your support. 💗

Hey, I'm someone that just moved out of ocala. It's so crowded now it's difficult, and it's hard to find housing. The drug and homelessness problem is growing and it's absolutely heart breaking.

What can I say, after living here for over nineteen years, I love, love it the cost of living here Is the best, I couldn't live in New York based on what I get from social security, I live in a small community, one of the best thing I did is buying a condo, houses are good for young people, it's much easier with a condo, so if you are a Senior think about it

I'm originally from Los Angeles. Moved to Macon Georgia and lived there for 17+ yrs. Became somewhat Southernized there. At age 49, we moved to Ocala. Lived there 16+ yrs. I love Ocala. It's not too big but it's small enough to feel you're not in a big metro area. Has all the eateries and most of the shopping attributes you need. I actually lived down SW 200 near the edge of the county and outside the city limits. Traffic isn't always great as the one side to the other roads are few unless you know the smaller 'back roads'. But overall it is an all you need city. We moved to Citrus County over a year ago..the county on the gulf next to Marion County (adjacent) so I still drive to Ocala for various reasons. I've grown to love the area and at age 68 I plan on living my life out here.

I've lived in Jacksonville for 29 years and everything you say about Ocala is spot on. The wife and I plan on retiring there. I grew up in Ft Lauderdale and haven't been to the beach since 1985.

Thanks for the video we are moving to SW Ocala and we have seen so many mixed reviews and happy we saw this clears up our questions

Lived in Florida for 35 years. The Villages housing development is overwhelming central Florida from Marion through Sumpter Counties. It seems like everyone wants to live here. Dont get me wrong its great living here but be prepared for heavy population and traffic. Even Orlando and Tampa sprawl has become merging them into one megalopolis. Even up I75 the Tampa sprawl is taking over. Ocalla is just around the corner to become that massive increase in population density. In 10 years it's likely that Florida will exceed the populations of Calfornia and NY. Massive numbers of inner city residents are fleeing to central Florida. That's OK as long as it doesn't become an east coast California.

Hey, we live in the area and wanted to make a correction or two about this video. To drive from Ocala to the beach at Ormond sr40 is only a 50 min to 1 hr trip. Daytona is only 1 hr away from Ocala. Also, there is lots of lakes in this area. I can't imagine you ever being more than 10 mins from a lake no matter where you are. Plus the extremely beautiful Ocklawaha River running through just East of Ocala. Great video we enjoyed very much. Thanks for posting.

Loved thank good description.🙏❤️👍

Thank you for showing it on you tube have a nice day 😉

I worked for Uncle Sam ended up in Florida in 2010 Ocala was recomended while I was still in Pennsylvania, my experiences there were exceptional, kids loved it.

I'm 60, my friend from Palm beach county just moved there, it has all of the reasons why I will buy property there, this is a very enlightening informative video, thank you guys, for the info, I have already shared it with friends, and subscribed

Ocala is were I am looking to buy my home and it sounds greats. I don’t have no problems with the cons. My husband and I are not retired just yet but we want to place ourselves for when the time comes. Kids are grown and out the house so its just my husband and I moving from New York.Thanks for all the pros. They work for me.

Yes! That’s what we are looking for “small town feel” We definitely going to visit Ocala and see how we like it ...retiring soon !😎

Another pro is that Ocala is about 90 miles north of Tampa Bay, home of the Buccaneers, a professional football team and Ybor city, an iconic place where people go barhopping and clubbing just outside of downtown Tampa.

We in Ocala live in the nature trail capital of Florida - and most trails are shaded. We have great regional parks, and colleges. We have the best bicycle trails (both paved and unpaved) in the southeastern US - The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross-Florida Greenway. We are also close to the centers of entertainment in The Villages. With Silver Springs State Park, the Appleton Museum of Art, Silver River Museum, Reilly Arts Center, Marion Theatre, downtown Ocala arts and music scene, Levitt AMP Concert Series - you don't have to leave Ocala to have a nice time.

I been here for 21 years I love the area and the closeness to beaches and lakes

Thank you! Funny how some of the cons sounded more like pros to me

Lived here all my life. Loved hearing you talk about our county. I would say one con would be not very many high paying jobs in the area.

I may be the exception here, but in part I'm interested in the Ocala area because it ISN'T all water-related--in particular, I like exploring and studying the dry pine-oak woods of the National Forest, and so many other areas of Florida's Central Ridge are covered with citrus groves or buildings, or otherwise off-limits. The ONF reminds me of other places I like in the western part of the US.

I am very excited to visit Ocala Canyon Zip LINE

While Ocala is a great city, don't let the video fool you...great proximity to the coasts, the place is growing at an extreme rate. Its a wise place to buy property now (some homes jumped up 100k in 6 months) but the City is on the cusp of feeling too crowded & loads of traffic (and I'm from NYC so I know that crowded feeling). The food here is subpar....a lot of the chain restaurants and not enough mom & pop places, which is weird because there are a lot of senior citizens here.

a Pro are the Amazing numerous fresh water springs to visit and swim in , juniper, Alexandria etc

I moved here from the mountains of North Carolina in 2020 to escape the cold winters. When we bought our house here it was an existing house built in 2008 and affordable with some privacy on a cul-de-sac. There were wooded areas around us. But, in a short period of time the farmlands and wooded areas were bulldozed up by developers from out of state and out of the city. Horse farms became 200 house developments and the roads are very crowded. And yet they still announce 400 unit subdivision approvals in an area considered sink hole alley. Sink holes happen when water is sucked out of the aquifer faster than rain water renews it. The housing market has nothing for young people starting out. We bought a nice house over 1500 sq. ft. with double car garage and fenced in back yard for $115,000 now this same plan in our neighborhood is selling immediately when listed for $217,000. If you aren’t making $150,000 a year you can’t buy here. The traffic? It’s horrendous. And they keep approving 400 house subdivisions. Not much going on with road expansion. 400 housing units with two people per house with cars is 800 more cars on the highway at beginning of the day and in the evening and multiple approvals for these massive housing projects have been announced. Many people report sightings of bears and coyotes and snakes in neighborhoods they never saw before. Duh……wildlife habitats are getting bulldozed every day with no environmental impact studies. I had woods beyond my backyard when I moved here. Now there are grade stakes placed that will locate a main road into a 300 unit subdivision with curb and gutter line 15 feet from my back yard fence. Don’t come here folks thinking you will have all the proclaimed horse farm acreage to enjoy because in reality many of those farms already have pavement with curb and gutter installed off the four lanes ready for planned street entrances into the farm properties. I might look back to North Carolina when the housing crash comes and housing prices again make sense but Ocala destroyed itself……people that grew up here are very angry at how it all has changed. When I talk to those who grew up here and hear their negativity on what this area has become I kick myself for not exploring Ocala more closely before buying here.

I lived in Marion County for several years mostly out by Lake Weir and liked it pretty well. I never really connected with Ocala that well as I found it mostly to be endless strip malls and grocery stores. I mean Gainesville has UF, Orlando has Disney, Daytona of course has the beach and even Leesburg has the lakes surrounding it and Mt. Dora has the old town charm and the lakes. Ocala doesn't really have anything special except maybe the horse center but I don't care for horses. I guess what I am saying is why Ocala? What does it have that would make me want to live there?

Your less then two hours to Daytona. I lived there for years. My whole family lives there. It’s over crowed now. Since we moved there from 1991. Now it’s packed. It’s pretty

There's pros and cons to nearly every place. How much of the cons one feels capable of putting up with will determine how long you'll be willing to remain. Home is where the heart is but we can have bits & pieces all over the country.

Fantastic timing for us! My husband retires next year & we are selling our home in S.E. PA to relocate to central Florida! We actually are already interested in the north to south eastern Ocala areas, so finding this episode was very fortunate for us! I fully intend to contact Chris and find out more! Thank you very much!

Don't forget Santos Trailhead for mountain bike enthusiasts.

Yo viví en Fort Lauderdale por 13 años y hace casi dos años me mudé a Ocala y no se q tanto hayan q es barato, porque lo único más barato es las casas y el seguro , lo demás es igual y en ocasiones mucho más caro , no es para jóvenes , el primer tiempo q Te cambias de una ciudad grande para acá , es deprimente, para muchos especialistas , si tienes Medicaid, tienes q ir hasta tampa , Orlando, el tráfico se está poniendo malísimo en estos últimos dos años y sigue siendo el mismo campo sin mucho q hacer ,

World Equestrian center so, if you're a horse enthusiast Marion county is your place. It's the horse capital of the world. I love living here!!

Don’t forget Universal Studios is about an hour and 15 minutes from Ocalla and about an hour to Seaworld

Ocala is also a Hurricane Free Zone , definitely a plus for Florida.

Both professional gentleman, I thought this was valuable. Thanks.

The best thing I did was leave this city its nothing to do boring , I live in Hallandale Beach which is next Miami and Hollywood Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, the night life is amazing and its always some were to go and enjoy yourself.

Was looking at Sebring area but now leaning towards Ocala. Any suggestions?

I’m planning to move to Ocala🌹‼️

I’m a single dad disabled veteran and I’m desperately trying to get out of Massachusetts. I was stationed in the panhandle for 4 years back in the day. I’d prefer to live in Central Florida this time. I’m hoping to move down there within the next year. Thanks for the video! The only thing I’m worried about is one of my kids has disabilities. How are the special needs kids handled in the school district?

Lived in Los Angeles my entire life. It takes quite a bit longer than two hours to get to San Diego. With traffic these days it takes 4-5 hours. Without it takes more like three hours. That is why I am hoping to move to the Ocala area soon.

Depends where you live and visit. Plenty of old shady motels and lots of drugs use. Still love visiting there as so many of the best mountain biking trails are in Ocala or close by. The cops are tough. Know some black MMA fighters that live there and they had to buy big country boy trucks to not get pulled over all the time. Same goes if you have lots of Tat's! Good hunting close by also.

Sounds like home John Travolta who lives here I loved his

We live in the forest, west of Ocala. Traffic is horrible, jobs very few and prices out of sight. We have .63 acres and are looking to sell and move. Our property taxes are very low, less than $400 a year but want to move to a place way in the sticks off the beaten path.

What about the average cost of homes. I'm interested in knowing if i can buy a 3/2/2 cbs/stucco home for under 200k

See you in a year or so 👊

Good video. My 2 cents. I'm 55 and living in Ocala now for 6 1/2 years and visited the area many times over the last 30 years (my parents have been here that long). Before moving to Ocala I lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts (including Boston) and New Hampshire. Like the guys say it's all about your perspective, one person's pro may be another person's con;) -I find the people here (Ocala) to be generally friendlier and more polite than New England (but I must add that my experience of New England is that it is not nearly as bad as it's reputation). -For a small city I think Ocala has a really good arts scene, good food etc. -The area is growing fast and the housing market is booming. It is becoming the "distribution center of central Florida". -The area is much more religious than other places I've lived before. -Politics here are dominated by one party (the Republican party). Primaries are closed, so if you wanted to you must change parties well ahead of an election. In many cases the true election (for local offices) is the Republican primary, so you are practically forced to register Republican for your vote to have maximum impact.

How can I get in contact with Chris, the link at the bottom says its broken.

I don't know what this guy's talking about because when I got online the crime rate is very high so please tell me what websites you're using to say that crime rate is low

I prefer Gainesville, hands down. There's an energy there and an upbeat vibe. Great mall and culture.

I don't know Ocala. I seethe fotos and i like. Is beurifull and I wish moved to Ocala.

You need to add.that for some people like medium class salary is really bad and everything is going up.rent is high for medium class people.

I’ve been looking to move there. I’m a single mother of three living in Miami and it sucks...Super expensive, over populated and hard to get a job if you don’t speak Creole...Sorry to say but Miami has become a third world country by itself...Looking to either purchase a home or land and place a double wide on it. Can I get any suggestions/ideas/tips? Thanks guys

Pos. The Ocala downtown diner has great vegan food. And some pizza has vegan food.

Ocala sucks. I lived there for 4 years. Glad I got out.

Just seen this video . How much will is cost for a two bedroom two bath rent

Marion county is very under developed. As most residents are over 50 being 90 miles from some other places means little unless your into driving. Ocala has poor medical systems in place. If you’re younger that doesn’t matter. Internet and cell service is substandard. The crime rate isn’t that low because of low wages. I have lived in Marion country for 7 yrs now. I have had 1 corvette and two trailers stolen from my property. In 7 years. The World Equestrian Center hopefully will change Ocala. FYI I graduated from HS in 1968 in Tampa. I agree that Ocala Marion county is a good place for affordable living but there is lots of room for improvement. John Travolta living here doesn’t make Ocala better. I think A few other celebrities also live in the area but not anywhere near most homes. Just saying keep it real.

hi i want to buy a farm 2 agrees or more , were is the best place for animal and commercial land for nursery Thant you robert

If you want to know something about Ocala ask Rock Hooker.

Move a little north west of Evansville and I will sell you a 1/2 lot in a nice area and there are 3 home places on 19 that will put a nice manufactured home with no money down and Gainesville has the best medical.

How far is the beach ?

Do the swimming lakes in Ocala have gators?

There's a couple nice beaches on lake Weir ??? Mighty close to Ocala !!

Hi dad

Forgot to talk about Sink Holes?

Oklawaha is nice

Mostly a place for Retired people

Also don't talk about buying a house. houses are super high for medium class salary.

70 bucks wow kind of a lot is in it? I go on the internet and I see a lot of run-down places?

Thank you so much for this information. Next time turn the music off. It’s a total distraction.

Hagan un video en español también please

We have nightlife?

What about schools? Job market? Crime? Safety?

The problem with any fresh water area is alligators. I'd never swim or paddle board there.

How is the education and the schools there?

There are not many alligator's here either. And we have seen the rockets at night even though we are many miles away

Interesting, how. No one ever mentions the “Sinkholes”….. the limestone rocks are probably part of the sinkholes…….also the Alligators, Crocodiles, Mosquitoes, other reptiles, and bugs…..⁉️⁉️⁉️

In about 10 years, that area will be stressful to live in, just like the rest of Florida.

The only thing is the city is not big enough for a Trader Joes!!

don't need the music background

Cons: The east side on Hwy 40... From MLK to the courthouse... Yuck.

HOW BAD IS THE HUMIDITY ?

This video is beyond deceiving!!! I was born and raised in Ocala, lived in many places and came back. The prices have risen so high that we have so many homeless now and it's people like this that causes Ocala to be unaffordable and crowded!!! Housing booms are not always great and there are not a lot of high paying jobs to afford cost of living. Proximity to other areas is correct, but horse capital of the world is a stretch now....most farms have been taken over by big town living....I grew up on a farm and knew all of the farms...there are not many left and there are definitely not even a 1/4 of horses that were here when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s. Early 2000s is when it all started going in the opposite of what Ocala is. MOJO grill is not local business they are located not just in ocala. LaBellas Italian would be a small local restaurant. Mr. Travolta lives in Anthony, not Ocala, but it is still part of Mation County just as Dunnellon,Lake Weir and others are cities within Marion County. The sense of community has been a bygone Era. Only in the rural Ocala do you find community that is there for each other, no matter what. Now, it's sectioned off and not every area is welcoming. Crime has sky rocketed since all of the people moving here. Very rarely did we have murders, but now it is no longer a shock. My parents have seen more of the changes as they moved here in the mid 70s. Pic n Save was a mom and pop shop that had grown to 3 stores and was run out of business because of Walmart. Once Walmart opened the first one stop shop, the last Pic n save closed down. Roads that the video mentioned used to be 2 lanes and now they are 4 or 6 lanes. The traffic is beyond terrible and too many have discovered the back roads, so now they are jammed no matter the time. The old fashioned type of living was on the square where Chris mentioned light up Ocala and most of local businesses were ran out by big chains. No more local coffee houses, starrbucks took care of that. Dunnellon and Belleview have the local coffee shops still. Ocala doesn't have too many vegan places,but there are some and some restaurants that offer those options. Ocala downtown diner (not too far from the square has those options and right across the street the owners have strictly vegetarian and vegan deli type (can't remember the name). It forced closed the S curve deli which was amazing. The video neglects to mention the hwy 200 (used to only be 2 lanes and now 6) is what is the main focus for big city and mainstream stores, less good paying jobs and far less housing for the whole of Ocala and what is here is beyond what the average person can afford. They are building huge apartments like you find in Orlando and it is outrageously priced. Farming and E-One (emergency vehicles factory), and Mark III (auto maker) were what made Ocala economy boom and sustain lower cost. Now that only e one is left (and having problems because of political bs) just laid off nearly 2200 employees and production is slow. Chewy came in and it only brought a few jobs, the rest were already employees that moved here. Even that caused a lot of issues. When growing up the airport was a lucrative job at all levels ,but city council shut it down for general public and only for the rich, elite and celebrities. Ocala regional is not in competition with Shands, in fact, most patients get transferred to Shands. Directly across the street was Munroe Medical Regional, but now it is advent health. West Marion on hwy 200 is OK, but not as grand as Chris stated. Most orthopedic doctors and surgeons use the Ocala surgery center. Advent health have started building small ERs in Marion County because the hospitals don't have the most qualified people working there. Doctors are leaving hospitals because the conditions are subpar. The new VA clinic was built out on 200 (not exactly a short trip nor easy one) and just opened and a lot of doctors went there....my gp included. Now I have a new one and it is more expensive. So the whole booming is always a great thing is a lie. It has ruined lives, livelihoods,cost of living and to make it worse, Marion County has been a dumping ground for illegals being bussed or flown in (yes to the airport only for the rich) in the middle of the night. They gloat at it and they get housing before veterans that have lost their homes because they can't make ends meet on fixed incomes. That lie pissed me off the most. Fixed income cannot get a very small one bedroom apartment,much less a small house. Unless you inherit a home or are wealthy, you cannot afford housing or basic living. Then the Villages keeps expanding into Marion and Sumter counties, which makes it even worse. The average person cannot afford the Villages (high end community for older people that is extremely restricted) and most Ocala residents have to make the trek to work there since they have the higher end chain stores, etc. Ocala used to be the small town feel, God, family, and community , but those days have been long gone. The county is wide spread but only 200 is being focused on. That leaves slim pickings for the rest of Ocala. 40 east takes you to Daytona and that road was the 2nd main road when my parents were in high-school 70s. Now it is limited unless you go to Walmart (8 or 9 of them total for Marion County) and like I said very little mom and pops left. Now there are little pop up food trucks because the prices are too high and even those very rarely succeed...just not a food truck place. What was once a booming nature and animal attraction (silver springs) has been shut down. The water park (wild waters) not too far from silver springs was shut down as well....I graduated hs 2002 and just over a year later it shut down. Living all over the country for work, I can tell you, the people that run Ocala are delusional and treat Ocala like it is o town or new York. The Ocala civic theatre used to be booming (I worked there from 7 yr old right up until I went to college), but between the economy, pandemic and just less interested people, it is struggling. People like in this video hype Ocala up to be what is used to be, not what it actually is and that's a major factor in why it's not affordable nor small town or community anymore. This video neglected to tell you that the city council deemed it illegal to be homeless and started having people arrested. Thankfully, our mayor got that stopped. Yet they keep building sky rocketed housing rather than building shelters and affordable housing. Churches have been desperately trying to build,but idiots that run Ocala deny and fight them every single step. It may be more affordable for people that live in NY, CA, etc....but for locals....nope. in fact my old 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment in Orlando was only 780 per month and I lived there for 2 years. Then went to NY and other places...but now in ocala, a 500sq ft 1 bedroom apartment is on average 1450 month and that is only for the structure...so please do research before you rely on videos like this. The activities are great, but not many can afford to do them unless they walk or bike trails (those are free).I used to love Ocala because it was that nostalgic living, but no it is no longer that. It is a jammed packed rat race that average people can never win.

Con - No Vegan, How about Gluten-Free??

I understand people have problems, but nobody really want to deal with those kinds of problems

No regular good jobs No Costco Bunch of old boys club

Everything sounds good except the lack of vegan options.. I'm vegan and I wanna buy a land and rescue wildlife. Ocala would be perfect cause the land is cheap there and plenty wildlife.. There is no beach but you have springs with crystal clear water so if those are warm enough to swim, it can replace the beach.. They need to start open vegan restaurants there.. What about wholefoods, is it enough wholefoods there?

I grew up in Ocala its beautiful,but the people there are like zombies no one talk's.Its a great place if your into Zombies😂😂😂

I lived in ocala it was horrible. The FBI calls it the laundromat because of all the money laundering going on from the horse farmers. There's also a system called the Marion County pipeline its all the rich people and politicians keep the wages down so the horse people don't lose they're cheap labor. Jobs don't pay anything its a total joke. The businesses never show up to ur home for the services they advertise u know handyman stuff or building porches or awnings screened in porches etc. Don't move to ocala you'll hate it.

Cos. Ppl are not very friendly. Lots druggies.

There are plenty of cons that live there.

The music annoyed me!

The bars and local band. Are dead.

that was a year ago prices for rent an everything else has soared in Ocala.It has a City that extorts it's citizens taxes are through the roof lots of Guns an people who love guns.Lot of nose in the air Politics that border arrogance.They are systematically eliminating struggling poor chances to get into a better life.Prices an cost of living might just be the new crime wave, the wealthy are buying up all the real estate do the math not hard to figure out.Enslaving parts of population.Mojos haven't been but think it is a great place

Sinkholes are a big factor that he didn’t mention. According to Google Marion county which Ocala is in has the highest rate of sinkholes and people should know that before they buy property, it’s not a joke!! I did appreciate the video otherwise. I love hearing about places but it’s important we hear the full picture 🖼

I don't like the city life lol

Ocala is a horrible place to move. Lots of druggies, schools are horrible, no growth, nothing to do, no opportunity here. Orlando and Tampa would be a WAY better option

If you want to retire in the State of Florida STAY AWAY FROM THE CITIES. very simple.

You forgot to say fresh air not like down south all polluted and stink

i lived in ocala my entire life 36yrs......please don't make people move to Ocala we like our size an politics demographics etc also there is absolutely nothing to do after your first few weeks here everything else is a drive away hr or more for most places he says we have night life lmfao we have one club on pine and its a mix of rap and country music we have no rivers springs or campgrounds as he mentioned lol unless your in the forest that in the county def not city were talking 22 plus miles for a campground from Ocala off 40 east some parts of Ocala you should def stay out of unless you know people in there also all these people from up north are getting scammed on real estate because they expect the prices higher which in turn crank up artificially inflate our real estate prices which will up our taxes etc go to Gainesville or Orlando or st Augustine please leave your northern attitudes up there or over there in the west

Cons: sinkholes capital of the world

Ocala is not very nice unless you live out on the horse properties. The health care is awful. It's not inexpensive to live here anymore. Lots of crime, drugs, homeless. Lots of people moving in and traffic is getting horrible. The springs and forest is nice but I would say ocala is a nice place to visit, but not to live in.