Ocala, Florida
Encyclopedia
Ocala is a city in Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.
History
Ocala is located near the site of Ocale or Ocali, a major TimucuaTimucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
village and chiefdom
Chiefdom
A chiefdom is a political economy that organizes regional populations through a hierarchy of the chief.In anthropological theory, one model of human social development rooted in ideas of cultural evolution describes a chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex than a tribe or a band...
during the 16th century. The modern city takes its name from the historical village, the name of which is believed to mean "Big Hammock" in the Timucua language
Timucua language
Timucua is a language isolate formerly spoken in northern and central Florida and southern Georgia by the Timucua people. Timucua was the primary language used in the area at the time of Spanish arrival in Florida. Linguistic and archaeological studies suggest that it may have been spoken from...
. Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
passed through Ocale during his famous expedition through what is today the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1539. Ocale is not mentioned in any later accounts; it appears to have been abandoned in the wake of de Soto's attack.
In 1827 the U.S. military outpost of Fort King
Fort King
Fort King was a United States military fort in north central Florida. It was named after Colonel William King, commander of Florida's Fourth Infantry and the first governor of the provisional West Florida region. The fort was built in 1827, and became the genesis of the city of Ocala...
was established near the present site of Ocala as a buffer between Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s and white settlers. The fort saw service during the Second Seminole War
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans collectively known as Seminoles and the United States, part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars...
and later acted as the first courthouse for Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
in 1844. Fort King was the genesis of the modern city of Ocala, which was established in 1846. Greater Ocala is known as the "Kingdom of the Sun". Rail service reached Ocala in June 1881, encouraging economic development. Two years later, much of the Ocala downtown area was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
Day, 1883. Buildings were rebuilt with brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
rather than lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
. By 1888, Ocala was known state-wide as "The Brick City".
In December 1890, the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, a forerunner of the Populist Party
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
held its national convention in Ocala. At the convention, the Alliance adopted a platform that would become known as the "Ocala Demands
Ocala Demands
The Ocala Demands was a platform for economic and political reform that was later adopted by the People's Party.In December, 1890, the National Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, more commonly known as the Southern Farmers' Alliance, its affiliate the Colored Farmers' Alliance, and the...
". This platform included abolition of national banks, low interest government loans, free and unlimited coinage of silver, reclamation of excess railroad lands by the government, a graduated income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
, and direct election of United States senators. Most of the "Ocala Demands" were to become part of the Populist Party platform.
Ocala was an important center of citrus production until the Great Freeze
Great Freeze
The Great Freeze refers to the winter of 1894-1895, especially in Florida where the brutally cold weather destroyed much of the nation's citrus crop. It was also known for wiping out the Royal Palm tree from central Florida.-Weather Records:...
of 1894-1895.
In the twentieth century, Ocala increased in prominence as a center for tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in Florida. Important attractions included the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park
Silver Springs Nature Theme Park
Silver Springs Nature Theme Park is a zoological park located in Silver Springs, Florida, USA, east of Ocala. Although not truly a theme park, Silver Springs is a nature and zoological park occupying land owned by the state of Florida as part of the Silver River State Park.The property for the park...
, Wild Waters
Wild Waters
Wild Waters is a water park in Ocala, Florida. It is the sister park of Silver Springs Theme Park in Ocala. Wild Waters features a large wave pool and children's pool area. The deck surrounding the wave pool is filled with lounge chairs. Because Wild Waters is the sister park of Silver Springs, it...
water park, and the now-defunct Western-themed Six Gun Territory, all in nearby Silver Springs, Florida
Silver Springs, Florida
Silver Springs is a U.S. populated place and spring in Marion County, Florida, just to the east of the city of Ocala. It is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. (See Six Gun Territory Gallery.) Silver Springs is a 350 acres (1.4 km²) nature theme park that surrounds the headwaters of the Silver River, the largest artesian spring formation in the world.
The first thoroughbred horse farm in Florida was created by Carl G. Rose in 1943. Earlier, in 1916, Rose had come to Florida from Indiana to oversee the first asphalt road ever constructed in the state. When he ran into problems with the asphalt, he improvised and experimented with one of Florida's abundant resources: limestone. He also realized that the Limestone would be a good source of nutrition for raising strong horses, so he took a gamble in 1943 and bought acreage along State Highway 200 at $10 per acre, which became Rosemere Farm. The next year one of his horses, Gornil, won at Miami's Tropical Park, making him the first Florida-raised thoroughbred to win a Florida race. Close on Rose's heels, the entrepreneur Bonnie Heath soon set up his own thoroughbred horse farm and produced the state's first Kentucky Derby winner. Both of these men have prominent Highways named after them in Ocala. Bonnie Heath Farm is now owned and operated by his son Bonnie Heath, III, and his wife Kim. Rosemere Farm was sold long ago, and Ocala's Paddock Mall and Central Florida College were built on the site.
In 1956, the Ocala area Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
industry received a boost when Needles
Needles (horse)
Needles was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced in Florida, the descendant of Blenheim II and a son and grandson of Kentucky Derby winners Ponder and Pensive, Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was...
became the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. In 1978, Marion County-bred and -raised Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
won the Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
. Today, Marion County is one of the major thoroughbred centers of the world, with over 1,200 horse farms in total and about 900 thoroughbred farms totaling some 77000 acres (311.6 km²). Ocala is well known as the horse capital of the world, one of only five cities (four in the USA and one in France) permitted under Chamber of Commerce guidelines to use this title based on annual revenue produced by the horse industry. There are some 44,000 jobs created by the breeding, training and related support brought about by the equine industry that generates over $2.2 billion in annual revenue. Ocala and "Postime Farms" also play host to one of the largest horse shows in the country. H.I.T.S or "Horses in the Sun" is a Dressage/Jumper event lasting about two months and brings with it some 6 to 7 million dollars to the local Marion county economy each year. There are over 100 different breeds aside from thoroughbreds including the Tennessee Walker, Paso Fino, Morgans, SaddleBreds, Drafts, and the American Quarter Horse. Other equine events in the area include cowboy mounted shooting by the Florida Outlaws, as well as endurance rides, barrel races, "extreme" cowboy events, jumper shows, trick shows, parades, draft pulls, and more.
Ocala began undergoing rapid growth in the 1970s with the development of the Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
and the founding of Disney World, located some 70 miles (112.7 km) southeast.
In the last decades of the twentieth century, the greater Ocala area experienced one of the highest growth rates in the country for a city its size. The population of Marion County in 2000 was over 250,000, up from under 100,000 in 1975. Much of the county's growth is attributable to the area's growing popularity as a retirement destination, primarily in two areas southwest and south of the city: the SR 200 corridor and The Villages, respectively.
Many historic homes are preserved in Ocala's large residential Historic District
Ocala Historic District
The Ocala Historic District is a U.S. Historic District located in Ocala, Florida. It encompasses , and is bounded by Broadway, Southeast 8th Street, Silver Springs Place, Southeast 3rd, 13th, and Watula Avenues. It contains 220 historic buildings.-External links:*...
, established in 1984. A focus of this district is East Fort King Street, featuring many excellent examples of Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
. Ocala structures on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
include the Coca Cola Building
Coca-Cola Bottling Plant (Ocala, Florida)
The Coca-Cola Bottling Plant is an historic building located at 939 North Magnolia Avenue in Ocala, Florida, United States. Built in 1939, it was designed by Fort Lauderdale architect Courtney Stewart in the Mission/Spanish Revival style of architecture. On May 4, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
, the E. C. Smith House
E. C. Smith House
The E. C. Smith House is a historic home in Ocala, Florida. It is located at 507 Northeast 8th Avenue. On May 24, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.-External links:* at * at...
, East Hall
East Hall (Ocala, Florida)
East Hall is an historic one-story redbrick building located at 307 Southeast 26th Terrace in Ocala, Florida, United States. Designed by architect Frank Parzaile, it was built in 1936 by the Public Works Administration. On July 28, 1995, it was added to the U.S...
, the Marion Hotel
Marion Hotel (Ocala, Florida)
The Marion Hotel is a historic hotel in Ocala, Florida, United States. It is located at 108 North Magnolia Avenue. On October 16, 1980, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.-Gallery:-External links:* at * at...
, Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, the Ritz Historic Inn
The Ritz Apartment (Ocala, Florida)
The Ritz Apartment is a historic building in Ocala, Florida, at 1205 East Silver Springs Boulevard. On August 21, 1986, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.-External links:* at * at...
, and Union Train Station
Ocala Union Station
The Ocala Union Station is a historic site in Ocala, Florida, United States. It is located at 531 Northeast First Avenue, and was built in 1917 by both the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads. Prior to this, ACL and SAL had separate depots in Ocala...
.
The original Fort King
Fort King
Fort King was a United States military fort in north central Florida. It was named after Colonel William King, commander of Florida's Fourth Infantry and the first governor of the provisional West Florida region. The fort was built in 1827, and became the genesis of the city of Ocala...
site itself was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2004.
Government and politics
Ocala is governed by a five member board of councillors and a mayor, all of which are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Its charter was written in the council-manager form, leaving the mayor with few powers other than vetoing legislation passed by the council and tending to some duties involving the police department. The city manager handles most administrative and financial matters. Although a small majority of the city's registered voters are Democrats, Ocala's politics match those of the rest of Marion County in that all of its elected legislators - with one exception - are registered Republicans. In the 2008 presidential election, John McCainJohn McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
carried both the city and the county, the latter by a landslide, despite losing Florida as a whole to Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
by a narrow margin.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 38.63 square miles (100.1 km²), all land. The surrounding farms are famous for their thoroughbred horses, in terrain similar to Kentucky bluegrass. Ocala is also known for nearby Silver Springs, Florida
Silver Springs, Florida
Silver Springs is a U.S. populated place and spring in Marion County, Florida, just to the east of the city of Ocala. It is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, site of one of the largest artesian
Artesian aquifer
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in a well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached. This type of well is called an artesian well...
spring formations in the world and Silver Springs Nature Theme Park
Silver Springs Nature Theme Park
Silver Springs Nature Theme Park is a zoological park located in Silver Springs, Florida, USA, east of Ocala. Although not truly a theme park, Silver Springs is a nature and zoological park occupying land owned by the state of Florida as part of the Silver River State Park.The property for the park...
, one of the earliest tourist attractions in Florida.
The 110 miles (177 km) long Ocklawaha River
Ocklawaha River
The Ocklawaha River flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. Its name is a corruption of ak-lowahe, Creek for "muddy"....
flows north from Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
until it joins the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
near Palatka, Florida
Palatka, Florida
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,033 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,796. It is the county seat of Putnam County and includes East Palatka. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka...
.
Marion County is also home to the Ocala National Forest
Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...
which was established in 1908 and is now the second largest national forest in the state. The Florida Trail, also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail
Florida National Scenic Trail
One of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States, the Florida Trail is a footpath spanning from Big Cypress National Preserve to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach...
, cuts through Ocala National Forest.
Silver River State Park
Silver River State Park
Silver River State Park is a nearly 5,000 acre Florida State Park east of Ocala. Adjacent to Silver Springs and the Ocklawaha River, the park is a mile south of State Road 40 on State Road 35 .-Ecology:...
was established in the early 1990s to preserve the areas around the Silver River to the east of Ocala near Silver Springs
Silver Springs, Florida
Silver Springs is a U.S. populated place and spring in Marion County, Florida, just to the east of the city of Ocala. It is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
Climate
Ocala has two distinct seasons: the dry season (October–May) and the wet season (June–September). During the dry season, there is almost uninterrupted sunshine with very little rainfall. In January, the morning low temperatures are often in the 30s and 40s, but the cloudless sunny weather typically warms the dry air up to near 70 by the afternoon. During the wet season, afternoon thunderstorms are a daily occurrence. These storms are often severe (unofficially, Ocala is known to have more cloud-to-ground lightning per square mile than any other city in the world). The typical morning low temperatures during the wet season are in the 70's and typical daytime high temperatures are in the 90s. Due to the city being relatively far away from the moderating influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Ocala's summertime temperatures are often the highest in the state while winter temperatures are often the lowest compared to other cities on the peninsula. Also, Ocala's distance from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico means the city has more days of sunshine than Florida's coastal cities. This is, in part, why the Ocala/Marion County area is called "the kingdom of the sun." The last snowfall of any significance fell on December 24, 1989, when the city was struck by an ice and snow storm. However, the morning of January 9, 2010, there was a dusting of snow on the ground in city center. A plume of record cold air mixed with moisture caused wintry precipitation to erupt across northern and central Florida.Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 45,943 people, 18,646 households, and 11,280 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,189.2 per square mile (459.2/km2). There were 20,501 housing units at an average density of 530.7 per square mile (204.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.86% White, 22.14% African American, 0.36% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.74% of the population.
There were 18,646 households. 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
Economy
The median income for a household in the city was $30,888, and the median income for a family was $38,190. Males had a median income of $29,739 versus $24,367 for females. The per capita incomePer capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,021. About 13.2% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Ocala is the headquarters of Emergency One
E-One
E-One or Emergency One Incorporated is an emergency services manufacturer and marketer based in Ocala, Florida.- History :Founded in 1974, E-One has a staff of roughly 900 in four plants in the United States. In 1993 E-One purchased Superior Emergency Equipment and in 2004 bought Saulsbury Fire...
, a worldwide designer and manufacturer of fire rescue vehicles.
Education
Ocala is home to the College of Central Florida. It also has one of 21 campuses of Rasmussen CollegeRasmussen College
Rasmussen College is a 110-year old for-profit private college offering Bachelor's and Associate's degrees at multiple campuses in Minnesota including Blaine, Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Bloomington, Lake Elmo, Mankato, Moorhead and St...
, an Higher Learning Commission regionally accredited post secondary institution.
Sports
Ocala is home to Trinity Catholic High School, which holds the record for the longest high school football championship game in Florida history, going into triple overtime.on January 6, 2011, the mayor declared January 6 as Trinity Catholic Celtics Day, in honor of this feat.
Ocala, Florida was home Belleview Bulldogs
Belleview Bulldogs
The Belleview Bulldogs were a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in Ocala, Florida. The team was a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League and played its home games at the Ocala Rotary Sportsplex. The team joined the FCSL in the 2008 season...
in the FCSL
Florida Collegiate Summer League
The Florida Collegiate Summer League is a six-team wood bat collegiate summer baseball league located in the central Florida region of the southeastern United States. The league was founded in the fall of 2003 and began play in the summer of 2004...
before it folded in 2008. It is also home to one of the largest youth football leagues in the state in the MCYFL. Ocala is hosting the regional events for the Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
in the Little League World Series
Little League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
in August 2010.
Sister cities
Ocala has two sister cities: Newbridge, County KildareNewbridge, County Kildare
The earliest known mention of Newbridge was by traveller and bookseller John Dunton in 1698, though he does not refer to any settlement other than at Ballymany....
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
(2008) Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
and San Rossore in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(2004)
Major roads
Several major highways pass through Ocala, including Interstate 75Interstate 75 in Florida
Interstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Hialeah, Florida, a few miles northwest of Miami to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...
, U.S. Highway 27, U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301 in Florida
U.S. Route 301 in Florida runs from the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The road is a spur of U.S...
, and U.S. Highway 441. Ocala was on the western leg of the historic Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...
.
Interstate 75Interstate 75 in FloridaInterstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Hialeah, Florida, a few miles northwest of Miami to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...
runs north and south across the western edge of the city, with interchanges at Florida SR 200(Exit 350), SR 40 (Exit 352), and US 27(Exit 354).
U.S. Route 27U.S. Route 27 in FloridaU.S. Route 27 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from the South Florida Metropolitan Area northwest to the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Throughout the state, US 27 has been designated the Claude Pepper Memorial Highway by the Florida State Legislature...
runs north and south throughout Ocala. It is multiplexed with US 301 and 441 until it reaches Florida SR 492(Northwest 10th Street), then makes a sharp turn onto NW 10th Street then curves northwest through Williston, Perry, Tallahassee, and beyond.
U.S. Route 301U.S. Route 301 in FloridaU.S. Route 301 in Florida runs from the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The road is a spur of U.S...
is the main local north and south road through Ocala. It is multiplexed with US 27 until it reaches Northwest 10th Street, and with US 441 throughout the city.
U.S. Route 441U.S. Route 441 in FloridaU.S. Route 441 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from Miami in South Florida northwest to the Georgia border north of the Lake City area....
is the main local north and south road through Ocala. It is multiplexed with US 27 until it reaches Northwest 10th Street, and with US 301 throughout the city.
State Road 492 runs east and west through the northern part of the city from the northern terminus of the US 27 multiplex with US 301-441 to close to the Silver Springs City Line.
State Road 40 runs east and west through Ocala. It spans from Rainbow Lake Estates through Ocala National ForestOcala National ForestThe Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...
to Ormond Beach in Volusia County, although a bi-county extension exists, spanning from Yankeetown in Levy County to Dunnellon, south of the western terminus of SR 40.- State Road 464 runs east and west from FL 200 through the southeastern part of the city. Beyond the city limits, it continues southeast towards Florida State Road 35Florida State Road 35State Road 35 is a north–south state highway in the western counties of the U.S. state of Florida.-Route Description:It is mainly signed as a hidden route along U.S. Highways:*U.S. Route 17: Punta Gorda to Bartow....
, and continues as a Marion County Road. 
State Road 200State Road 200 (Florida)State Road 200 is a major diagonal road in central and northeastern Florida. Its southern terminus is at US 41 in Hernando . Its northern terminus is at SR A1A in Fernandina Beach , at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Fletcher Avenue...
runs northeast and southwest from Hernando in Citrus County through US 27-301-441 where it becomes a "hidden state road" along US 301 until it reaches Callahan, and is multiplexed with SR A1A into Fernandina Beach.
Other transportation
Ocala International AirportOcala International Airport
Ocala International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles west of the central business district of Ocala, a city in Marion County, Florida, United States...
provides general aviation services to the community. Ocala Suntran provides bus service throughout select parts of the city. One of the major hubs for Suntran is the former Ocala Union Station
Ocala Union Station
The Ocala Union Station is a historic site in Ocala, Florida, United States. It is located at 531 Northeast First Avenue, and was built in 1917 by both the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads. Prior to this, ACL and SAL had separate depots in Ocala...
, which served Amtrak trains until November 2004.
Fine arts
Ocala is the home for the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. The Ocala Symphony Orchestra, Inc., a non-profit organization, began in 1975, when a group of musicians and citizens set out to create a symphonic orchestra for the area. In the fall of 1976 a four-concert subscription season was initiated - a format that continues to this day. The Ocala Symphony Orchestra was later incorporated in the State of Florida and recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 non-profit corporation.Also, the Ocala Civic Theatre is located in Ocala, and it presents professional-quality, live productions at an affordable price. Ocala Civic Theatre produces more than twelve fully staged productions each season, in addition to hosting touring companies. The Theatre offers a year-round education program that reaches over 1000 students each year. Both skills classes and performance classes are offered to students ages 4-18. This volunteer-based organization is one of the largest community theatres in the state and serves more than 50,000 Marion, Citrus and Lake County residents each season.
See also
- Jumbolair
- United Hebrews of Ocala
- Star-BannerStar-BannerThe Star-Banner is the daily newspaper in Ocala, Florida, United States and serves Marion County and the surrounding communities. Owned by the New York Times Company, the Star-Banner has a daily circulation of about 43,000, and is the 19th largest newspaper in the state of Florida.- History :The...
- List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto Expedition
- Ocala National ForestOcala National ForestThe Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...
- Appleton Museum of ArtAppleton Museum of ArtThe Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 East Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala, Florida. It contains European, American and Contemporary sculptures and paintings, plus African, Asian, Islamic and pre-Columbian artifacts and antiquities. The museum was founded by Arthur I...
External links
- City of Ocala, Florida
- Historic Ocala Preservation Society
- Marion County Library System
- Ocala Banner, the East Florida Banner, and the Southern Sun, historical newspapers serving Ocala, Florida, full text and images openly online in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Star-Banner, daily newspaper for Ocala
- Ocala/Marion Chamber of Commerce