Ocala, Marion County, Florida, has become the relocation target for horse enthusiasts and breeders from all areas of the United States and from abroad. They are not alone. Those looking for an improved year-round climate, souls searching for a have-it-all city at the heart of a picturesque, treed countryside, as well as retirees and the soon-to-be-retired, have come to appreciate the Ocala lifestyle and environment.

Ocala is a virtual fairyland for horse lovers. With its hundreds of black-fenced horse farms, beautiful rolling terrain, thousands of acres of verdant-green pastures with Floridan Aquifer groundwater and limestone soil rich in calcium and phosphorous (two essential minerals for bone and muscle development), Ocala houses some of the finest bloodstock anywhere. With a prolific amount of year-round equine events, including the month long H.I.T.S. (Horses In The Sun) winter circuit and regular Ocala Breeders Sales, there is much to please the eye and a wealth of activities of the horse enthusiasts' favorite kind. If that were not enough, add trail riding access to the Cross-Florida Greenway and the Ocala National Forest, to name but two locations of the many trails to choose from. With the Florida horse industry creating a $6 billion annual economic impact and an estimated 72,000 jobs, one can almost hear the siren "whinny" that beckons to them.

Located in the north central area of the state and nearly equidistant from the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, Ocala is an easy drive to beaches and tourist attractions, including Silver Springs, DisneyWorld, Busch Gardens, Sea World and the Daytona Raceway, to name but a few. One need not go even that short distance for fishing, boating and water sports as Ocala and surrounding communities have a multitude of spring-fed lakes and rivers. Some of the finest camping, hiking and hunting is available in the Ocala National Forest and there are over 300 campsites in the county. Golf courses are ubiquitous - a golfer could nearly choose a different one each day. There are two municipal swimming pools and 26 parks, most with playgrounds, some with tennis courts.

The city sponsors recreational activities and team competitions in a variety of sports. A full calendar of community events would include theatrical productions at the Ocala Civic Theatre, art displays at the Appleton Museum, performances of the Ocala Dance Theater and the Marion County Performing Ballet, concerts by the Ocala Festival Orchestra and everything else in between, from clogging to master gardening.

Combine all this lifestyle enjoyment with good public and private schools, a 120-acre community college campus, over 185 churches and temples throughout the county, excellent hospitals, medical specialists of all types and, for Florida residents, one of the most advantageous tax structures in the nation. With everything Ocala's thoroughly modern community and it's Southern hospitality have to offer, is it any wonder that so many want to "start over" here?

Article by Penn Herbert