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If you mean "bohemian-artsy", St Augustine has had that going for it forever, but no place in Florida meets the 'vibe' of some post industrial up and coming Hipster neighborhood.
As far as 'liberal' politics, South Florida or the major college towns. The rest of Florida is "TNK U 4 UR SERVICE MILITARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT!" types, brain dead red.
I mean liberal politics. I guess you could be bohemian-artsy and be conservative politically (Richard Wagner?). Actually Wagner was not 'bohemian'. I'm not sure if I have met someone like that.
Stay out of Marion County -- it's deep-blood-red. Parts of it are represented by Ted Yoho, so that should give you an idea of the political mindset.
I see that is related to Ocala. My dad already told me that Ocala was not particularly attractive. Thanks for the warning though, it's good to know what areas are especially nuts.
I see that is related to Ocala. My dad already told me that Ocala was not particularly attractive. Thanks for the warning though, it's good to know what areas are especially nuts.
Ocala is in Marion County, but the other towns in the county are just as bad.
Ocala is a decent place to live actually. If you can handle the slow vibe and general not much going on then it's very chilled place, and your money goes very far. $500,000 buys a lot in Ocala! If you're a hippy liberal from Northern California then you won't like it. But overall it's clean, chill, nice people, open spaces, etc.
Ocala is a decent place to live actually. If you can handle the slow vibe and general not much going on then it's very chilled place, and your money goes very far. $500,000 buys a lot in Ocala! If you're a hippy liberal from Northern California then you won't like it. But overall it's clean, chill, nice people, open spaces, etc.
I'm not a hippie, or from California, but I'm a liberal Democrat; you seem to be confirming what Kathy said, that this county would be the opposite of what I am looking for. I looked up Ted Yoho and I didn't need to read past 'Tea Party' to know that any area that would elect someone of that ilk would not consist of people I want as my neighbours.
I've looked around Florida a lot. I can see that I need to check out Gainesville, Gulfport and the Keys. Possibly Boca Raton.
Gainesville is only liberal around UF, which is a very small area. The Keys are conservative and the people I know in the Keys are all RED / REPUBLICANS.
Ocala is a decent place to live actually. If you can handle the slow vibe and general not much going on then it's very chilled place, and your money goes very far. $500,000 buys a lot in Ocala! If you're a hippy liberal from Northern California then you won't like it. But overall it's clean, chill, nice people, open spaces, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by artisan4
I'm not a hippie, or from California, but I'm a liberal Democrat; you seem to be confirming what Kathy said, that this county would be the opposite of what I am looking for. I looked up Ted Yoho and I didn't need to read past 'Tea Party' to know that any area that would elect someone of that ilk would not consist of people I want as my neighbours.
I've looked around Florida a lot. I can see that I need to check out Gainesville, Gulfport and the Keys. Possibly Boca Raton.
Marion county has the highest rate (by county) of incarceration in the state of Florida.
50% of those employed earn the annual equivalent of $10.53/hr or less.
50% of households earn less than $39,000 annually, with the avg. household size just over 2.
1-in-5 persons are below the Federal Poverty Level (which means the real number is significantly higher).
K-12 education ranges from atrocious to mediocre and the county relies too much upon non-certified substitute teachers who work for Walmart wages in its public schools.
Parental involvement is rather low outside of private schools (where it's often mandatory) and public sports programs.
Students in public schools experience frequent lack of access to either updated academic materials or basic school supplies, and the teachers are sick of coming out of their own pockets to provide such things.
Racial tensions in many of the public schools run high and behavioral issues are commonplace.
Private schools do pretty well in K-5, and so-so in 6-12. Religious indoctrination is mandatory and tolerance for other faiths is low, but remains civil.
Over all, students will do best when they're able to get into a public magnet program.
There are miles of sprawling self-segregated suburban styled lite ghettos and hillbilly-esque hovels surrounding pockets of middle class families and bordering some of the few upper-middle class/upper class properties.
For those with enough wealth to isolate themselves from local lowbrows and hood-rats, options are typically limited to the downtown area and western Ocala locations where one may select from horse properties or pretentious gated enclaves.
With few exceptions, multi-unit rental complexes range from moderately undesirable to downright unsafe -- though their exterior appearance is almost always well-maintained.
Managerial-level local government positions, healthcare, limited finance/accounting, and select skilled trade occupations are the chief means of securing at least a modest living for the average resident, and wages are still comparatively low unless one is unbelievably exceptional or has personal connections.
The area is also supersaturated with service-based and retail businesses, with many of the owners of such businesses relying upon part-time low wage, undocumented workers, or piece-rate independent contractors. It is important to verify the insurance and licensing of certain businesses as there exists a lot of fly-by-night types making all manner of false claims regarding both experience and legitimacy.
Speed and/or competence often leave something to be desired in all industries, though there are some true diamonds in the rough to be found.
Driving almost everywhere in the area is one step short of harboring a daily death wish. Motorists are often clearly unintelligent, oblivious, or hyper-aggressive. If you can conceive of a violation, or simply outright lunacy, expect to encounter it with unbridled regularity.
Auto accident fraud is also an issue, and one that's indirectly encouraged by Florida liability laws and local economic factors.
It is fairly common to encounter beggars and addicts in store parking lots and gas stations in certain areas or during certain times of day.
Driver's Licenses are essentially handed out like candy within the county to anyone not physically crippled.
The nightclub scene is excessively promiscuous and dangerous.
The food scene is marginal at best. There are a handful of eateries actually worth dining at, and aside from one or two standouts they're all varying degrees of inconsistent. The remainder are either chain fare, ridiculous, or disgusting. If you can cook anything beyond frozen dinner and easy mac n' cheese, it's best to do so at home 95% of the time. The only pizza I've had worth a darn (and the pizzas are massive) has been at La Famiglia (which recently moved to the corner of SE 25th and 17th street (their pseudo stromboli are superb as well -- they're called 'rolls') ).
The Paddock mall is more a congregation of geriatrics seeking exercise, mindless window shoppers, pre-teen/teens dressed like streetwalkers absent adult supervision, and angry hood-rats depending upon the day of the week/time of day. It has some of the usual chain stores and a couple of oddball kiosks and jewelery stores, but other than the time-sensitive aforementioned groups it's a dead-zone for much of the day. The food court is close to nonexistent; limited to less than a handful of greasy overpriced chain food designed to leave you using the restroom before making a hasty getaway.
Marion County has a fairly large amount of well-maintained trails for moutain biking, walking, and horseback riding. The downside is that some of the connected public park and campground facilities (both county and state-run) are routinely vandalized by the people who use them. The ones that aren't subject to this behavior are quite nice, while the aforementioned are subject to bizarre and unsightly actions including the killing and theatrical display of said animals, the hand-smearing of human excrement, and the general defacing/destruction of fixtures intended for public usage. The County and State go to great lengths to address the problem, but they lack the resources to maintain a 24/7 presence. To their respective credits, they have made some headway recently in spite of the absence of assistance by localized law enforcement.
Local government is a joke, and its leadership (at the behest of established business and political interests) actively works against better-paying jobs moving into the area. It's also not uncommon for a person to receive different (and contradictory) information from separate representatives of the same government entity.
With that being said, it's true that (as far as property is concerned) your dollar will go a long way. It's true that people are often friendly. It's true that much of the area is clean (special courtesy of abundant inmate labor). It's also true that things are comparatively relaxed so long as one isn't 'making a scene.' The well-to-do, retirees, and solid middle class can live a reasonably calm life here; and while it's slow-on-the-draw and rather to the 'right' politically, it's not especially intrusive and folks are given a fairly wide berth as it pertains to lifestyle. One just needs to acclimate and navigate the proverbial currents.
I'm not a hippie, or from California, but I'm a liberal Democrat; you seem to be confirming what Kathy said, that this county would be the opposite of what I am looking for. I looked up Ted Yoho and I didn't need to read past 'Tea Party' to know that any area that would elect someone of that ilk would not consist of people I want as my neighbours.
I've looked around Florida a lot. I can see that I need to check out Gainesville, Gulfport and the Keys. Possibly Boca Raton.
You're between a rock and a hard place. Bottom line: The East coast of Florida is not for you; especially the Southeast. With the possible exception of the Keys that you mention because it's fairly easy to isolate yourself down there, I guess.
You don't want to live with the Hispanics in Dade County. You're anti-Israel according to your posting history.
So that would exclude all of Palm Beach County, let alone Boca!
Maybe where you're from there aren't many Jews but one can make a generalization that Jewish people are still voting Liberal and therefore you're going to find them in Liberal areas where they tend to cluster. South Florida being one of those areas.
Wasserman-Schultz AND Lois Frankel are DEFINITELY pro Israel.
Originally Posted by Theliberalvoice View Post
Israel needs to get off their high horse and entitled mindset and go suck it.
Israel is such a useless, vile, disgusting country
Originally Posted by artisan4 View Post
The Zionist occupation of Palestine won't last forever, but it's hard to know what will happen. It may evolve into a democracy or the Zionists may try to wipe out the native Palestinian population.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 04-15-2015 at 07:51 AM..
You're between a rock and a hard place. Bottom line: The East coast of Florida is not for you; especially the Southeast. With the possible exception of the Keys that you mention because it's fairly easy to isolate yourself down there, I guess.
You don't want to live with the Hispanics in Dade County. You're anti-Israel according to your posting history.
So that would exclude all of Palm Beach County, let alone Boca!
Maybe where you're from there aren't many Jews but one can make a generalization that Jewish people are still voting Liberal and therefore you're going to find them in Liberal areas where they tend to cluster. South Florida being one of those areas.
Wasserman-Schultz AND Lois Frankel are DEFINITELY pro Israel.
That's a big axe you are grinding. This thread isn't about Zionism though. As Palestine-Israel morphs into one multicultural country this issue will go away.
Gainesville is only liberal around UF, which is a very small area. The Keys are conservative and the people I know in the Keys are all RED / REPUBLICANS.
Please go to Boca - you will be fine there!
As a fellow liberal (which I know you are because you are commenting in this thread), I appreciate your input. I would not move to Florida full time until it no longer has a right-wing governor, it will be many years before I retire, but I am looking at buying a condo now for future use.
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