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64-669: Ocala ( / oʊ ˈ k æ l ə / oh- KAL -ə ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida , United States. Located in North Central Florida , the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census , up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most populated city in Florida. Ocala is the principal city of the Ocala metropolitan area , which had a population of 375,908 in 2020. Home to over 400 thoroughbred farms and training centers, Ocala

128-584: A Higher Learning Commission regionally accredited post secondary institution. Webster University offers on-site, regionally accredited graduate degree programs in business and counseling at their Ocala Metropolitan Campus. Three of the eight libraries in the Marion County Public Library System are located in Ocala. Those three libraries are: Several major highways pass through Ocala, including Interstate 75 , U.S. Highway 27 , U.S. Route 301 , and U.S. Highway 441 . Ocala

192-531: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

256-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

320-667: A county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of

384-578: A graduated income tax , and direct election of United States senators. Most of the "Ocala Demands" were to become part of the Populist Party platform. In the last decades of the twentieth century, the greater Ocala area had one of the highest growth rates in the country for a city its size. Many historic homes are preserved in Ocala's large residential Historic District , designated in 1984. East Fort King Street features many excellent examples of Victorian architecture . Ocala structures listed on

448-400: 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 income 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,

512-608: A location. A Spanish mission named San Luis de Eloquale was established by 1630. Milanich believes the mission was near the Withlacoochee River. Eloquale is not named in a 1655 list of missions, and Ocale (and its variants) disappears from history. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Creek people and other Native Americans, and free and fugitive African Americans sought refuge in Florida. The Seminole people formed. After foreign colonial rule shifted between Spain and Great Britain and back again, in 1821

576-444: A mayor, all of which are elected on a nonpartisan basis. It has a council-manager form of government, relying on a manager hired by the city. The mayor sets policy but has few powers other than vetoing legislation passed by the council and tending to some duties involving the police department. The current mayor is Ben Marciano. The city manager handles most administrative and financial matters. A number of county offices are housed at

640-707: A meeting held in Gainesville on October 11. During the convention there would be 1,700 members of 35 clubs would end up coming. Charles Macune , who had founded the National Farmer's Alliance, sent organizers for the Alliance to several states, including Florida, in the spring of 1887. Two organizers arrived in Florida in June and began organizing in Marianna and Citrus County . The Florida Farmer's Alliance

704-589: A state level lodge meeting in Monticello, Florida with B. F. Wardlaw serving as the State Master. The Florida Agriculturist was established bu The Grange. A variety of campaigns by The Grange occurred with some being successful. One successful campaign started in 1874 against those who were stealing produce and livestock eventually resulted in the Florida legislature prohibiting the sale of cotton from sunset to sunrise. An ambitious campaign launched in 1875

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768-581: A total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan, the number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized

832-569: A worldwide designer and manufacturer of fire rescue vehicles. According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are: Horses have a prominent role in Ocala's cultural makeup. The first thoroughbred horse farm in Florida was developed in Marion County in 1943 by Carl G. Rose . Other farms were developed, making Ocala the center of a horse-breeding area. Local horses have won individual races of

896-598: Is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

960-425: Is actually used and needed by them be reclaimed by the government and held for actual settlers only. 7: Believing in the doctrine of equal rights to all and special privileges to none, we demand— a: That our national legislation shall be so framed in the future as not to build up one industry at the expense of another. b: We further demand a removal of the existing heavy tariff tax from the necessities of life that

1024-595: Is also served by Greyhound Bus Lines. Marion Transit is the complementary ADA paratransit service for SunTran the fixed route in the City of Ocala. Marion Transit was established in 1976 and operates paratransit buses providing public transportation throughout Marion County for the Transportation Disadvantaged population. Hospitals in Ocala include: AdventHealth Ocala , HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital. Ocala has two sister cities : County seat In Canada ,

1088-677: Is considered the "Horse Capital of the World". Notable attractions include the Ocala National Forest , Silver Springs State Park , Rainbow Springs State Park , the College of Central Florida , and the World Equestrian Center . Ocala is named after Ocale (also Cale, Etocale, and other variants) a Timucua village and chiefdom recorded in the 16th century, the name of which is believed to mean "Big Hammock" in

1152-625: The American Quarter Horse . Other equine events in the area include mounted shooting by the Florida Outlaws, as well as endurance rides, barrel races, extreme cowboy events, jumper shows, trick shows, parades, draft pulls, rodeo events and more. In 2022, Ocala was the site of the inaugural point-to-point Florida Steeplechase at the Florida Horse Park. Ocala is governed by a five-member board of councillors and

1216-464: The Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union , a forerunner of the Populist Party , held its national convention in Ocala. At the convention, the Alliance adopted a platform that would become known as the " Ocala Demands ". This platform included abolition of national banks, promoting low-interest government loans, free and unlimited coinage of silver, reclamation of excess railroad lands by the government,

1280-535: The Farmers' movement of moving from its fraternal and mutual benefit roots towards an increasingly political and radical position. Earlier in the year the Farmers' Alliance had successfully backed a number of candidates for state and Federal office, and the convention delegates hoped that future political gains would lead to major economic and political reforms. In 1873 The Grange arrived in Florida. It grew to 100 lodges. The local lodges eventually agreed to form

1344-652: The McPherson Governmental Complex . As of 2020, Republicans outnumber Democrats in Marion County, 112,000 to 80,000. In the 2008 presidential election , John McCain carried both the city and the county, the latter by a landslide, although Florida as a whole voted for Democrat Barack Obama by a narrow margin. The public schools in Ocala are run by the Marion County School Board . There are 30 elementary, ten middle and ten public high schools in Marion County, which include

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1408-777: 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 was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2004. Ocala is located at 29°11′16″N 82°07′50″W  /  29.187704°N 82.130613°W  / 29.187704; -82.130613 . According to

1472-752: The People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when

1536-551: The Silver Springs attraction to spare it from development. The state took over Silver Springs itself in 1993 and incorporated it into the park in 2013. Ocala has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Ocala first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census, with a total recorded population of 243. Ocala did not report separately in 1860. As of the 2020 census , there were 63,591 people, 23,893 households, and 13,239 families residing in

1600-539: The St. Johns River near Palatka . Marion County is also home to the Ocala National Forest 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 , cuts through Ocala National Forest. Silver Springs State Park was formed as Silver River State Park in 1987, out of land the state purchased around

1664-542: The Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of

1728-628: The Timucua language . Another possible meaning of the name is "song or singer of admiration or glorification". The Spaniard Hernando de Soto 's expedition recorded Ocale in 1539 during his exploration through what is today the southeastern United States. The site of Ocale has not been found, but historians believe it was located in southwestern Marion County, near the Withlacoochee River . References to Ocale, Olagale, and Etoquale occur in 16th and early 17th century sources, but do not specify

1792-522: The United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in

1856-657: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 47.79 square miles (123.8 km), 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 , site of one of the largest artesian spring formations in the world and Silver Springs Nature Theme Park , one of the earliest tourist attractions in Florida. The 110-mile (180 km) long Ocklawaha River passes 10 miles (16 km) east of Ocala, flowing north from Central Florida until it joins

1920-411: The provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in

1984-533: The Republican Party which most of them were part of because they had been voting for the party for many years but not getting anything out of it. However, African Americans did not want to vote for the Democratic party because they would not let them hold office. A second reason behind its formation would be that a small amount of white voters who were members of the Republican Party were not happy with

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2048-607: The Triple Crown series; in 1978, Affirmed , who was bred and trained in Marion County, won all three races, boosting interest in the industry there. Ocala is one of only five cities (four in the US and one in France) permitted under Chamber of Commerce guidelines to use the title, "Horse Capital of the World", based on annual revenue produced by the horse industry. 44,000 jobs are sustained by breeding, training, and related support of

2112-618: The United States acquired the territory of Florida. After warfare to the north, in 1827 the U.S. Army built Fort King near the present site of Ocala as a buffer between the Seminole , who had long occupied the area, and white settlers moving into the region. The fort was an important base during the Second Seminole War and later served in 1844 as the first courthouse for Marion County . The modern city of Ocala, which

2176-439: The alliance become more political as time went on. The "Demands" adopted by the Ocala convention called for the abolition of national banks ; the establishment of sub-treasuries or depositories in every state, which would make low interest direct loans to farmers and property owners; the increase of money in circulation to not less than $ 50 per capita; the abolishment of futures of all agricultural and mechanical productions;

2240-504: The city was 72.9% White , 22.1% African American , 0.4% Native American , 1.2% Asian , <0.1% Pacific Islander , 1.8% from other races , and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population. In 2000, 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

2304-424: The city. As of the 2010 census , there were 56,315 people, 21,722 households, and 12,945 families residing in the city. As of the 2000 census , there were 45,943 people, 18,646 households, and 11,280 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,189.2 inhabitants per square mile (459.2/km). There were 20,501 housing units at an average density of 530.7 per square mile (204.9/km). The racial makeup of

2368-432: The county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in the United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated,

2432-491: The county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of the county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where

2496-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

2560-656: The dealing in futures of all agricultural and mechanical productions; providing a stringent system of procedure in trials that will secure the prompt conviction, and imposing such penalties as shall secure the most perfect compliance with the law. 5: We condemn the silver bill recently passed by Congress, and demand in lieu thereof the free and unlimited coinage of silver. 6: We demand the passage of laws prohibiting alien ownership of land, and that Congress take prompt action to devise some plan to obtain all lands now owned by aliens and foreign syndicates; and that all lands now held by railroads and other corporations in excess of such as

2624-537: The directors of the Florida Farmers' Alliance had learned that Ocala would have more financial incentive. The Florida Alliance was hoping that the convention would be able to be used as a way to persuade people to join their cause. There would also be the added component of an exposition called the "Semi-Tropical Exposition" that was held to display Florida positively. This exposition was divided into four sections depicting cultural and agricultural products from

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2688-528: The equine industry, which generates over $ 2.2 billion in annual revenue. Postime Farms and Ocala serve as host to one of the largest horse shows in the country: H.I.T.S or "Horses in the Sun", a Dressage /Jumper event lasting about two months. It generates some 6 to 7 million dollars for the local Marion County economy each year. The show features classes for over 100 different breeds, including Tennessee Walker , Paso Fino , Morgan horse , Saddlebred , Draft horse and

2752-806: The following schools in Ocala: Ocala is home to the College of Central Florida , a member of the Florida College System, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. CF offers bachelor's degrees in Business and Organizational Management, Early Childhood Education, and Nursing, as well as associate degrees and certificates. The college offers specialty programs in equine studies, agribusiness , and logistics and supply chain management. It also has one of 21 campuses of Rasmussen College ,

2816-514: The government shall establish sub-treasuries or depositories in the several states, which shall loan money direct to the people at a low rate of interest, not to exceed two per cent per annum, on non-perishable farm products, and also upon real estate, with proper limitations upon the quantity of land and amount of money. 3: We demand that the amount of the circulating medium be speedily increased to not less than $ 50 per capita. 4: We demand that Congress shall pass such laws as will effectually prevent

2880-625: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2944-406: The introduction of free silver ; the prohibition of alien ownership of land, the reclamation of all lands held by railroads and other corporations in excess of what was actually used and needed by them, held for actual settlers only; legislation to ensure that one industry would not be built up at the expense of another; removal of the tariff tax on necessities of life; a graduated income tax ;

3008-551: The limitation of all national and state revenues to the necessary expenses of the government economically and honestly administered; strict regulation or ownership of the means of public communication and transportation; and an amendment of the United States Constitution providing for the direct election of United States senators . Originally the convention was going to be held in Jacksonville before

3072-403: The local level. Rail service reached Ocala in June 1881, encouraging economic development with greater access to markets for produce. Two years later, much of the Ocala downtown area was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving Day, 1883. The city encouraged rebuilding with brick , granite and steel rather than lumber . By 1888, Ocala was known statewide as "The Brick City". In December 1890,

3136-656: The party but didn't want to vote for the Democrats and saw the Independents as a solution. The independents ended up having a meeting on June 18 in Live Oak . A slate of candidates would be selected along with a platform. In the platform it supported making education better, creating a railroad commission, free ballot and local option laws . It denounced the Bourbon Democrats (whom they thought were favoring

3200-482: The poor of our land must have. c: We further demand a just and equitable system of graduated tax on incomes. d: We believe that the money of the country should be kept as much as possible in the hands of the people, and hence we demand that all national and state revenues shall be limited to the necessary expenses of the government economically and honestly administered. e: We demand the most rigid, honest and just state and national government control and supervision of

3264-572: The railroads) along with the Disston Land Sale . After the 1884 elections, the movement faded away but the grievances of many farmers still stayed the same. Another agricultural group that existed prior to the Farmer's Alliance would be a group of localized farmer's unions in northern Florida counties that started forming in March 1887. It would eventually end up becoming a state union during

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3328-777: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

3392-580: The term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after the Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of

3456-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

3520-544: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

3584-594: The western, central and southern parts of Florida along with a department catering to women as well. In 1892 the Farmers' Alliance founded the People's (or Populist) Party, and the Ocala Demands were incorporated in the party's Omaha Platform . As the focus of the Farmers' Movement shifted into politics, the Farmer's Alliance faded away. Most of the Populist Party's platform would end up reflecting what

3648-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91. In 2000, 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. The median income for

3712-415: Was an independent city from 1968 to 2013, while also being the county seat of Bedford County . Bedford reverted to an incorporated town, and remains the county seat, though is now part of the county. The state with the most counties is Texas, with 254, and the state with the fewest counties is Delaware, with 3. Ocala Demands The Ocala Demands was a platform for economic and political reform that

3776-620: Was established in 1849, developed around the fort site. Greater Ocala is known as the "Kingdom of the Sun". Plantations and other agricultural development dependent on slave labor were prevalent in the region. Ocala was an important center of citrus production until the Great Freeze of 1894–1895. During the Reconstruction era Ocala was represented by several African Americans in the Florida House of Representatives and on

3840-583: Was formed in Marianna on October 4 by 65 sub-Alliances which in total had a membership of 2,000. Oswald Wilson, one of the organizers, became its president. The Alliance grew rapidly, reaching 91 chapters in November. It absorbed the farmer's union in January 1888 with 1,700 members. By 1890 it had sub-alliances in all counties except Franklin, Lee, Dade and Monroe counties. Despite attempts to stay apolitical,

3904-725: 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 Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association met jointly in the Marion Opera House in Ocala, Florida , where they adopted the Ocala Demands. The Ocala convention was part of a trend in

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3968-409: Was on the western leg of the historic Dixie Highway . Ocala International Airport 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 , which served Amtrak trains until November 2004. Amtrak serves Ocala by bus connection to Jacksonville and Lakeland. Ocala

4032-426: Was stated in the Ocala Demands. Although the Alliance did manage to merge along northern and southern lines, this did lead to the exclusion of African-Americans who were part of so called "Colored Alliances". Many white supremacists would end up abandoning the movement along with those who were economically conservative as well after the convention. 1: We demand the abolition of national banks. 2: We demand that

4096-445: Was to launch a cooperative, the Florida Cooperative Stock Company, but it end up being unsuccessful. The Grange started to decline in the late 1870s, similarly to the rest of the United States and The Grange had left Florida by 1880. A predecessor to the Populist Party would be the Independent movement in 1884. This would come as a result of several factors. The first being that African Americans in eastern Florida had grown less fond of

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