PROS AND CONS Of Living In Ocala Florida 

I moved to Ocala 2 months ago without knowing much about it and every day I love it more more.

Ocala is gorgeous, the parks are beautiful. I’ve lived here for a year and I’m absolutely happy I left miami. Ocala is cheap compared to Orlando and Tampa. I’m saving so much money on property taxes,car insurance, home insurance. I haven’t seen any crime,I live in an established neighborhood in nort east area. Ocala is amazing,I totally agree. Also people here are very friendly and respectful.

FYI. Ocala has an international airport. It is used for the horse industry and shipping companies mostly. They are currently working with a couple of commercial airlines who will be offering passenger service.

Orlando is an hour to an hour and a half. Tampa is an hour-and-a-half. Daytona is an hour for an hour and a half depending on where you live in Ocala. Jacksonville and st. Augustine both take like 2 hours to get to. Tallahassee is also almost 2 hours. The Georgia Line takes 2 hours whether or not you are going on 75 or 95. You also have smaller places around you with Great Outdoors. There is Crystal River, Dunnellon, Ocala itself, and much more. Silver Springs State Park is located in Ocala. You can rent Kayaks or canoes or boards to go down the river. The water extremely clear. We have the equestrian center. Ocala Florida is a huge animal lover town. It can be annoying but is not that bad whatsoever. There are maybe like two or three roads that get a bit heavy here and there. Like I said definitely not bad. There are activities for all ages.

Moved to Ocala from Redondo Bch CA, we love it here!!! Love Silver Springs. There's a difference between kind and nice, Ocala is kind, CA is nice, rather have kind over nice anytime!

WARNING. I am fourth generation Floridian and live in Ocala, but visit Ocala since the 60’s. First I am bias about people move to Florida. I grew up with no air condition, three channels on tv, no highways and freedom to go were we wanted at 10 years old. We walked or rode our bikes to school starting in first grade. I grew up in a state with less than 1 million citizens. Know you have to keep an eye on your children and some parents will set in their cars at bus stops and waiting for the school bus. If you plan to come to Florida RENT, for at least 6 months and find out what it is like. Be carful we’re you buy, real estate sales will make you believe you are buying in the best place. Do not believe sales people, look into anything you are interested in buying. The worst is government, citizens are cash cows for government.

Gotta add a few things: 1) your mileage may vary in regard to how far your dollar goes. Gas and real estate are cheaper. Groceries are more expensive, especially at Publix. 2) property values may go up depending on how the Equestrian Center grows. There appears to be a massive expansion going on there. 3) Route 75 can become a parking lot during the holidays, even outside of rush hour.

Thanks for the video... a few of my thoughts about area and things mentioned in the video: 1. Drive time to Orlando is more than an hour. Depending on traffic, it's closer to 90 minutes. The drive-time to Daytona is about the same (90 minutes, not "2 hours") 2. If you want to compare houses & home prices with CA, I would choose to compare to the rural / ranch housing that Ocala offers. Instead of spending 500-600K for house in a crowded Ocala subdivision (on a 1/4 acre lot), Ocala offers many rural homesteads on 1-3 acres (or more). Living on a 3-4 acre ranch is a really nice perk that parts of Ocala offer (in a similar price range). 3. Major airport is definitely an issue for anyone that has to travel regularly. We retired here, so it's not a big issue for us. That said, Ocala does have an "international" general aviation airport, and Gainesville Airport has some scheduled commercial flights. 4. Not everything closes up at 9PM. The Historic Ocala Square has some interesting night-time entertainment & restaurants, 5. Surprisingly, Ocala offers quite a bit of arts & theater too. The Appleton Museum of Art has works by Warhol, Picasso, and Dali. Or take a ride around the town and view the "painted horse" trail. 6. For those craving action and adventure, Ocala offers: an auto racing dirt track, "Zip the Canyons" zip-lining, the Florida Horse Park, Silver Springs park, biking trails, Florida's Greenway, two (2) Aquatic Fun Parks, and Brick City Adventure Park. Until it recently closed, Ocala also had a world-class competitive karting facility.

I live in Ocala and Anthony hit the nail on the head he’s very honest

2:50 Ocala is one hour from Daytona not two hours just fyi and Ocala is not "a couple of hours away" from the Miami lifestyle, it is a solid 6-7 hours.

A VERY GOOD VIDEO,IT ANSWERED ALOT OF MY QUESTIONS.

This is one of the best pro-con relocation videos I've watched. Great job!

Ocala is starting to get a lot of the problems other parts of FL have been dealing with. Traffic, new (rude) people, increasing costs etc. you are probably better off in Citrus country, or some other areas if you want what he is describing for the long term.

The World Equestrian Center is much more than horses. They have several huge exhibition buildings so things like Comic Con, recreational expos, etc. comes here. They are just opening a less extravagant hotel, quite a few restaurants and a conference center is coming. Yes it’s a beautiful area but the growth is encroaching on this beautiful horse farms which made Ocala “Horse Capital of the World”.

Ocala is growing to fast…. Roads aren’t prepared to handle the traffic we are getting. The little town is no longer there. Other smaller towns close by. 🤷‍♀️

A lot of these "Ocala" issues are pretty much all over Florida. It can rain in your back yard and not your front yard!

I moved to Ocala in 1994 and I’m 66 years old now from Northern Colorado. I was drawn by the horses and bought a small horse farm immediately I fell in love with the Gulf Coast which is about an hour away and it’s an unbelievable red fishing there, Ocala is southern, kids say “yes ma’am no, sir”.. and if you have a flat tire, someone will pull over and change the tire for you, they have manners. However, be warned if you have a Biden sticker in your front yard prepared to have garbage thrown and rednecks stopping their pick up trucks and screaming that they want to kill your ass. Just saying… There are enough Northerners to at least have somebody to talk to. ✌️ the trees are unbelievable and the water both fresh and salt is surrounding Ocala. I love it here and I love the people.

Florida is becoming very crowded and the drivers there are far more dangerous than the storms !

We are full in Florida, please go to Georgia or NY, specially if you are from CA.

Ocala is more than a couple of hours away from Miami.

I am a Florida native and have been in Ocala for 30 years. What this guy is saying is not all true. Anthony, why do you do this without researching your information. We do have Hurricanes and we do feel the impact. While we may not have the storm surge think about what the weather people always say, this is not just a coastal event. They are not hot springs either and very few are in this county that you would have access to. Also, we have very few lakes that you would boat on. He should have said central Flroida has a lot of activities. Living here we end up driving outside the county to enjoy lakes, parks, springs, shopping, dinning, etc. We do not say howdy either. OMG this is terrible.

People wanting to move there. He forgot to mention Alligators the size of a car. Mosquitoes the size of a small Cessna airplane. Snakes like crazy. Because people from other areas are building on/in their habitat. This area is NOT for city folk at all. Traffic is getting like Miami and Ft. Lauderdale which is pretty damn bad. Because they haven't built roads for the congestion. And he is right about getting Hot there. There is no wind whatsoever in summer. 100° easy in july with 98% humidity. AND FLORIDUH IS GETTING FULL. GO TO GA. SOUTH CAROLINA. 😊

Ocala sucks. Been here 16 years and it’s getting worse. Housing costs, cost of food, r.e.taxes and the traffic have all tripled in the last 5 years. Wooded areas are rapidly disappearing, overdevelopment is rampant, birds and other wildlife are under great stress. If I could afford it I would move. 😅

Proximity-Ocala is 5 hours drive to Miami. 90 minutes to Orlando and Daytona beach. Definitely not urban yet, but growing in people population quickly. Horse state for sure. Lower cost of living and lower salaries. Homestead plenty-goat, chickens, cows. Nickname: Slo-Cala. Lots of humidity. A good amount of rain. Diversity is growing. Mostly Republican. No airport in Ocala. Nearest airport is 90 minutes to 2 Hour drive depending on traffic. Snowbirds get out early in the morning so they don’t bother you because they are usually back home by noon.🤷🏾

There are clubs here in Ocala, everything doesn’t close up at 9pm. And I’ve been here for over 20, years and it’s is very diverse and yes we have Uber and lLift. Look up Ocala International Airport, the state of Florida has snowbirds. 150% humidity? That’s crazy

I live in Ocala and it is getting worse all the time. It no longer has the small town feel. People no longer are as respectful as before. The traffic is getting real bad on the main roads.

I have been encouraged by watching your video. I want to move to Florida so bad. Your video gave me hope. I think Ocala will go on my list to visit and possibly move to. Thank you and God bless you.

I’m totally excited to be a Ocala resident and really looking to move there! ❤

Excellent video. Great delivery of info. Thanks !

I lived in a City, retiring, and seeking a sense of community. I am planning to visit and hopefully relocate. Thank you for this video.

thgank you enjoyed listening to you. happy new year to you, family and ocala..

Ocala is a geographical oddity - about 2 hours from everything you actually want to do in Florida!

I hate to see Ocala becoming over populated. I have been in this state 33 years and the over pop is ruining it.

We lived in Ocala for just over 3 years, 2019 to 2022. Initially we liked it. As time went on we liked it less and less for a lot of reasons. Traffic is horrible, especially on 200. Most of the people we met were very backward thinking, no diversity. If you're conservative, white, close minded, bigoted, and ultra religious you'll probably love it.

Loved your video. very informative. I did not like the note re lack of diversity and implying there is something wrong. there is an ethnic majority in this country and there is nothing wrong with that. people choose where they want to live. Period. You mentioned there is a charm about the town (remember getting to know your grocery clerk?)

Moving to Ocala from Miami was the worst thing I ever did in my life. Pay is awful, no jobs, poor health care, terrible hospitals, Traffic is awful. Worst drivers. The whole city is just Attorneys and chiropractors. I lost my job, house and went bankrupt there, twice! Can't make enough money to live. They say its like quicksand, once you go there and can't get out. Finally, after 18 years I moved to Manhattan, Kansas!!!That's the best place to live!!!

My family lived in the area since the 90s and I moved to Gainesville at 21. It seems to have built up more over the years, so options for shopping and entertainment have increased. Healthcare options were meh back then and I couldn't tell you how it is now. Jobs and pay are meh. There are a LOT of older folks compared to other counties in Florida, which is important to know for some. I mean my lived experience growing up was retirees everywhere. The town has a low energy vibe to it, possibly due to the population median age pushing 50. They do have an "international airport", but it hasn't had commercial flights in decades. ;)

I just left ocala due to expense....average 1 bedroom is1300 to 1900. I love it and want to go bk but icant afford it

I grew up in Hernando I've been in Kentucky since 98 thinking of moving to Ocala

This will be my second year in Ocala having moved up from the Naples/ft Myers area. Moved up for work and LOVE the job transfer. The area however. So you more or less have two camps of people. The retired and if you google you can see all the 55 and older communities. With that comes some money. Then you have what I would call the Roseanne show “the first one” group people just getting by caring lots of debt etc. again google map and see all the double wides rotting away. If you look into the job market in the area you will see it’s lacking supports my statement regarding low income. Also as you know when you are in a “poverty” area you find people act in a poverty way. Just 3 days ago I turned up the “hill” to the street I live on and 6 tires had been dumped in the middle of the street. Not an uncommon find in the Ocala/Marion county area. Also the road/infrastructure have not been designed to handle the huge number of cars we have now let alone what’s coming with all the new communities. It’s not uncommon for the traffic for exit 341 to be out into I75. And most of the ramps can not be improved because they have no free land around them. They built gas stations and other commercial enterprises just feet from them. No future planning today. Just 2 weekend ago I had an evening race down in Claremont and was amazed at how clean/modern/well kept it was. If I did not love my job I would move in a second. Just southeast of Ocala is a retirement mega complex called the villages. Way way way over priced but so amazing to walk/shop/dine/explore/must better dinning service . Definitely thinking about buying land in the area for a home to enjoy the villages “it’s open to the public “ but not have to pay the bond or high per square foot pricing. You do have beautiful springs. Not hot. I would say cold. Some amazing trails the Florida trail ringing east/west and the withlacoochee state trail north/south. Be well

Here’s another reason to not move to Ocala. They have tripled utility rates in the city. What used to cost us $120 a month for water sewer and electric now cost us $333 a month. There’s only one person home all day and we have replaced all lights with LEDs, but all new appliances in the last four years. I’m done everything we can to cut these costs, but the bill still tripled. The utilities are all city owned and operated.

They aren't hot springs. I think they are all 72 degrees.

thinking moving to ocala those 55 plus very good to see this

Anthony says you are protected from hurricanes,,yes if the eye is above you,,the storm can be on both body of water at the same time,,Floriduh is Plain,,no mountain to break wind

I live in Anthony since I wanted acreage to have my horses, once I retired in 2021. Loving life in Anthony, FL.

The risk of hurricanes in Ocala is relatively low, however, Ocala experienced hurricane winds in 1928. It was recorded as a category 5 with 1-min sustained wind speeds up to 161 mph and 3-second wind gusts up to 206 mph.

First time I visited this town was in the Summer of 1993.Got off from the Amtrak train.It was a quiet community.I bumped into a gent that mentioned an article in the magazine I was reading,a conversation took place.He mentioned he invested not far from there.After working & saving in Alaska,Ocala was his choice.Haven't seen him since.I had a Publix within walking distance and other convenient stores.

No state tax but Home owners and automobile insurance are expensive

Whole Foods coming right next to WEC. 👊

We are leaving California in a few months and have been researching areas in Central Florida to move to. This was very informative. Thank you. This place has been my top 3 picks 😊

What about the over the top insurance requirements??

WE DO HAVE A NIGHT LIFE I WORK AT THE CLUB LOFT THERE THERES MULTIPLE PLACES THAT STAY OPEN TIL 2am ESPECIALLY THURSDAY- SUNDAY

The first time I visited Ocala was over 20 years ago, my mother-in-law owns a house there. It has really dramatically changed over the years. My mother in law and her husband have been in numerous fender benders on Rt 200. I grew up right outside Boston (now live in NH) so the traffic and driving down there for us is a piece of cake. LOL There is no where around here where you can get a really nice house for 250,000 but you can in Ocala!

Ocala is beautiful... lived there for many years. However, if travel is important to you.. the closest airports are in Tampa and Orlando. For me, there's more value in living close to an airport.. so Ocala is no longer an option.

Our springs stay at a constant 72 deg. Yr round. The summers are B we spend 5 months above 90 deg plus the feels like of up to 115 deg or higher but generally around 110 deg. I will say this its freaking HOT. But i wouldn't give up Ocala for any other place on earth

Awesome ,,love the vldeo,thank you.

Thanks for the information

Ocala is loaded with feral cats that are killing off many bird species and other small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels. They are everywhere and crap in your garden and spray and mark the tires on your car!!! Also many of the gopher tortoise have been buried alive by bulldozers "prepping the empty lots"... I say Ocala is hot & crowded, traffic is awful and the roads cannot accomodate all the cars. The best part of Ocala fir me is Silver Springs. Thank God the amusement park is gone...and the state now owns the park. Don't move here unless you want to be bored to death and sweat while you die!!!

Ocala is actively being ruined by the influx of people. The charm and uniqueness of the place is being transformed into a community of people from all over the place that makes it impossible to retain what made Ocala the place that made people move into in the first place... Not that there is anything wrong with that.

FYI- There is no racing at the World Equestrian Center. As a 30-year resident od Ocala, I can tell you we DO get hurricanes here- and several years ago took a direct hit. Ocala has become the logistic center of Florida, so tons of semi traffic not only on the interstate, but on the local roadways. Also, the growth here is unchecked , with no infrastucture planned to accomodate all the new residents. Forget mom-and-pop. It's every chain restaurant on the planet, a million car washes, tire stores, and gas stations. not enough schools and no money to build/staff them Think twice.

I lived in Jacksonville for so many years. Traveled on and off outside the country and lived there. Home base was always Jacksonville. I am used to diversity. Especially food. Moved up north to PA. Where I am presently. Used to living in warm tropical climate. I have had my experiance here, its too cold for too many months. No diversity in people or food. My best description is the state is ok. But not great. It has some nice views, buts thats about it. Planing to move back to FL. Probably Ocala.

Ocala def. has some good points.. just BE AWARE of the Major Sink Hole issues. I do believe there is such a thing called Sink Hole Insurance. Definitely look into the Sink Hole issues. Some people have lost everything ... including their lives. 😢

Ocala is a beautiful area but Leesburg is also a nice place specially if your looking to retire. A lot of my clients are retired and they sell their homes up north for good profit, buy a house cash here and still have some money to put back in the bank.

You made me look it up on Google Maps. Looks good. I'm not into Clubbing anymore.

Hey Mr. Anthony I need more information about housing prices in Ocala Fl & safe location to live in. Single family home 3, 4 bedrooms 2000 s ft & more Thank you very much God bless you.

There are also airports in Gainesville (45 mins approx) and Sanford (1 hr approx).

I lived in Ocala for a year in 2016. I liked it but the population growth had outpaced traffic controls and patterns so driving around could be scary at times. I can't image what it is like now. I inherited two homes and considered retiring there but with the traffic, politics, local government (for example, events leading to the fire fee court case), I decided not to relocate. I think of Ocala often and am glad to see positive news as it happens.

Try 5 hours to Miami.Unless one drives 100+m.p.h. Down the turnpike.NOT 2 hours from Ocala to Miami,220miles!Now I question everything else YOU said.Please BE SPECIFIC.😊

We are getting a Whole Foods

Also on Friday and Saturday there is a fabulous dance club on the square. DJ plays house music till 2 AM. Bars are fully packed till pass midnight on weekends. There are tons of yong people,Latin people moving here, and that’s grate. Yes you definitely need a reliable car.

The lack of diversity is a big problem for people that are accustomed to a diverse community. The people in the Ocala area are very rude, those I have dealt with. The business ethic sux as well. Not the hill I want to die on. Don't be caught up in the cheap real estate, you get what you pay for.

Ocala? I don’t see little town charm. Lots of chain restaurants, I prefer mom and pop’s. Too much building, not enough supermarkets beside Publix. Been here 14 years, I find it boring

How is the school system from elementary to high school? Military/veteran community? Any veteran centers, clinics, hospitals, etc?

There’s an airport in Gainesville though small but yup 😎

I live in Anthony fl. About 10 miles north of Ocala. It’s growing up so fast. My family been here since 1830’s. I really don’t want no more people here. It getting so bad here. Too many people Here. Soon there will be no more farms left.

Don't come to ocala.... to many people already!!! Was once nice but now it's turning into Orlando.

Good general information. Miami is a bit more than a couple hours.

Facts on the weather. So true

Am I wrong???? If you come from Massachusetts as a remote worker and your employee is located in Massachusetts you still need to pay Massachusetts state income tax.

Dont move to Ocala Fl, for the love of God dont move there!, Take it from a previous owner of a home there, whom the way out right owned a house and property there, please please dont move there seriously please choose a different place , I hope and pray the best for you just fine a different place to live I'm being serious sadly you will regret moving there!

Ocala rocks.

Miami is five hours away

I live 30 min south of Boston I am going to ocala October 3 to see if I wanna live there

Would love to know if there are properties, off grid, not too expensive.

I was really interested in moving to Florida till I looked all over and found that the crime was way above National average in about every city. Yikes 😬 I need a save place for my family.

Cons are no dating life I’d do anything for anything but women from Ocala

I moved to Ocala from the D.C. area (Falls Church) in 2013. It's nice to be living where the people are generally more open and friendly. The only thing that could be better is the bus service. And why on earth did they stop Amtrak passenger sevice through here and not include Ocala on the Bright Line route being built? We already have the infrustructire for it! Thats one of the things I miss about not being in the D.C. area, they had a great public transport system.

Living in S.FL, and having visited Ocala dozens of times, I would rather go a little further north to G'ville, if I had to move north. The bottle neck traffic now on I-75 at Ocala is almost a daily-given. Yes, les-expensive homes are possible in Ocala, but you also get a lot of areas with a huge mix ie one nice home, then next home is a junker, and neighborhoods feel older....left in the 60's. Now if you like mountain biking, Santos is top 3 in the state.

lack of diversity is a con?

Does Ocala has like house land sinking and lovebug problems??

Ha! I went to Boarding school in Ocala.

I'm thinking about leaving Ft Lauderdale and heading up that way I do armed security

I did some time at the juvenile detention center there back in 2005 my town of Clermont does not have a juvenile hall

Am I the only one happy in the home I have lived in all my life? My daddy was born in this house in 1920 and he was the baby in the family. I’m blessed to be able to die where I was born.

I lived in Ocala for 13 years. There's not much of a middle class, per se. There's well off, then there are the toothless, tattooed, blue haired , zeros. The school system is a drop out factory. If, IF the kid graduates, he/ she is handed a Walmart vest instead of a diploma.

Sir, Miami is more than “a couple hours away”. Minimum 4 hours and most likely more due to traffic.

I want to move to Ocala Florida I am currently living in the treasure Coast Imy homestead is portable

I love the smaller town vibe

To much building, traffic becoming like South Fl. Have seen a big change in 2 years. The only thing cheaper is insurance( for now)

Well……how can I say this…….Ocala development is ruining a once lovely town and countryside. We moved from the N.C. Mountains to SW Ocala in 2020. Our nice two bedroom house had a fenced back yard backed up to a quiet greenway that separated our community from another community. We loved living in Ocala but we were alarmed at the disappearing farm land. And we discovered that the greenway as well as a huge wooded area was sold to an out of state builder who announced his intent to build 400 homes in that beautiful wooded area. And the greenway would be the access street to the new subdivision presenting the possibility of 800 to 1,000 cars flying by our back yard. Fortunately we sold our house quickly and moved 30 minutes southwest to the Crystal River area. Two other homeowners on my old street in Ocala are trying to sell their houses as well but the market has changed and it’s probably not going to happen. Since our move last August two other wooded parcels have been announced sold for a total of nearly two thousand units. The traffic in Ocala is horrible especially Hwy. 200 at I-75…….don’t be in that area during rush hour(s). Soo….don’t move to Ocala because you will be disappointed and frustrated. Ocala has sold its soul.