Region preview · 2027 Edition

Moving to North Central Florida: what to know

Florida's college-town and horse-country middle: Gainesville and the University of Florida, Ocala's thoroughbred farms, and The Villages, the giant retirement community.^1,3,4,5,6 No beaches and no storm surge, but springs, forests, lower prices than the coasts and cool winters.^6,7,8

Counties: Alachua, Marion, Sumter, Putnam, Columbia, Gilchrist, Union, Bradford. Includes Gainesville, Ocala, The Villages.

67° / 43°¹January high / low, Gainesville

91° / 72°¹July high / low

48 in¹rain a year, wettest June

$288,800²median home value, Alachua County

17.2%²aged 65 and over, Alachua County

$61,949²median household income

Weather

Four mild seasons. Summers are hot and humid with afternoon storms; winters are cool, with frost on the coldest nights. Being inland means no storm surge, but hurricanes still bring damaging wind, falling trees, long outages and flooding.⁹¹

Storms and hazards

Hurricanes arrive weaker than on the coast, but wind, falling trees, long power outages and flooding still reach inland. Mobile and manufactured homes should evacuate; Marion County's own hurricane guidance says so.^9,10
Sinkholes: limestone lies close to the surface here. Florida law requires every property insurer to cover a catastrophic ground cover collapse, but broader sinkhole coverage is optional and costs extra. Ask for it by name, and ask what it costs.¹¹
Winter freezes: protect pipes, pets and plants on the coldest nights.¹²

See every hurricane near North Central Florida since 1851, mapped

Who it suits

Our judgment, from the facts in the full profile.

Retirees: The Villages alone has 56 golf courses and five town centers
People who want lower prices than the coasts and no storm-surge zone
Horse people, and anyone who wants land
Families and staff tied to the University of Florida and UF Health

A few things to see

Silver Springs State Park and its glass-bottom boats^7,8
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park: Florida Cracker horses and cattle, alligators and 270-plus bird species¹³
Devil's Millhopper: a 120-foot-deep sinkhole in Gainesville^1,11,14

Only in Florida

Gatorade was invented in 1965 at UF's College of Medicine, at the Gators football coach's request, and named for the team.¹⁵

Visitor information

The official, non-commercial places to ask about things to do, events and local services.^16,17 Many tourism offices also offer a free visitor guide.

County tourism offices

Columbia County: Florida's Springlands (Columbia County)
Marion County: Ocala/Marion County Visitor & Convention Bureau
Alachua County: Visit Gainesville

State-certified visitor information centers

Lake City, Florida's Springlands Official Visitor Center, 971 West Duval St. Ste. 145, Lake City
The Lake Area Welcome Center at the Melrose Center, 307-309 State Road 26, Melrose
Ocala/Marion County Visitors Information Center, 109 W Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala

The full North Central Florida profile is in Choosing Your Place

Every county's people, income, home value and rent
Costs, insurance, hospitals, getting around, jobs, culture and history
38 town cards for this region, each with home value, rent, median age and the nearest 24-hour ER and airport
Side-by-side compare with any other region, and the monthly-cost calculator

Get Choosing Your Place · $9.99 What's inside

Moving here for sure? Living Here & Staying Ready has North Central Florida's county emergency and special-needs numbers, and a household plan. Get the Complete Edition for $19.99.

Written by Charles Squires, North Port, Florida. 40 years living in Florida, in eight places.

I called on schools in Sumter County and across this part of the state.

More about the author and how this manual is made

Towns in North Central Florida

Free basics for each of the 38 places with 1,000 or more people: home value, rent and the nearest ER.

Alachua · Belleview · Bushnell · Center Hill · Crescent City · Dunnellon · East Palatka · Five Points · Gainesville · Hawthorne · High Springs · Interlachen · Lake Butler · Lake City · Lake Kerr · Lake Panasoffkee · Liberty Triangle · Marion Oaks · Newberry · Ocala · Ocala Estates · Ocklawaha · On Top of the World · Palatka · Rainbow Lakes Estates · Rainbow Park · Rainbow Springs · Silver Springs · Silver Springs Shores · Silver Springs Shores East · Starke · The Villages · Trenton · Waldo · Watertown · Webster · Welaka · Wildwood

Other regions: Southwest Florida · Tampa Bay · Central Florida · Heartland · Northeast Florida · Space Coast and Daytona · Southeast Florida · Florida Keys · Big Bend and Nature Coast · Panhandle