Karen Coy
(352) 209-2828
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Ocala FL "Horse Capital of The World"
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Ocala was established in 1846 by Matthew Edward Hall near the site of Fort King, a military outpost of the Seminole Wars. Greater Ocala is known as the "Kingdom of the Sun" The area was an important center of citrus production until the Great Freeze of 1894-1895 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,the entrepreneur Bonnie Heath soon set up his own thoroughbred horse farm and produced the state's first Kentucky Derby winner.
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| Ocala is surrounded by some of the most beautiful horse farms in the world, the Silver Springs Attraction with its famous glass-bottom boats, and the Ocala National Forest. We are about an hour's drive to either coast or to the attractions in Orlando. We enjoy a moderate climate, diverse economy and an excellent public education system. Also,many historic homes are preserved in Ocala's large residential Historic District, established in 1984. A focus of this district is East Fort King Street, featuring many excellent examples of Victorian architecture. Ocala structures on the National Register of Historic Places include the Coca Cola Building, the E. C. Smith House, East Hall, the Marion Hotel, Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, the Ritz Historic Inn, and Union Train Station.The original Fort King site itself was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2004. |
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