Marion County is a wonderful place to build a home with its rich and colorful history revolving around phosphate mining, horse farms, natural springs and the movie

Millions of years ago the sea covered what is now the State of Florida and phosphate rock deposits were laid down in the Central Florida region. Captain Francis LeBaron discovered these phosphate deposits in 1881 while exploring the Florida wilderness.

Dunnellon, Florida became the hub of activity for phosphate mining and boasted over 100,000 residents in the surrounding area during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The early miners had it tough using shovels, picks, mules and wagons. Today the historic downtown area of Dunnellon celebrates the past with "Boomtown Days" recalling the tremendous growth to the region and intruducing visitors to the quaint antique shops and bed & breakfasts that accompany the many restored Victorian homes along Pennsylvania Ave.

Marion County Waterways

Deemed a part of the "Nature Coast" Marion County is a land of many pristine natural springs and spring fed rivers including the Rainbow River, one of the clearest rivers in Florida. Native plants and animals surround the popular waterway and you can often find people floating by on inner tubes or fishing from the banks.

There are several hiking trails as well as kayak and canoe trails through the thick mangroves. The nearby Rainbow Springs State Park is now a natural wonderland full of plants and flowers, but was once a zoo and theme park, the relics of the by gone attraction are still visible.

A little further to the west is the Withlacoochee River, one of only a few rivers in North America that flows north.

Silver Springs is another very popular destination at the north end on Ocala. The mild climate and exotic vegetation eventually attracted movie makers to Ocala and Marin County . “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” was filmed at Silver Springs and Tarzan himself, Johnny Weissmuller shot many underwater and vine swinging scenes here.

"The Yearling" was also filmed in Ocala as well as parts of "Follow That Dream", starring Elvis. One of the more infamous happenings in the area was the longest FBI shootout ever near Lake Weir, where Ma Barker and her gang met their end.

Ocala Equestrian Capital

Carl G. Rose's Rosemere Farm, the first horse farm in Marion County is now occupied by the Paddock Mall and Central Florida community. But in 1939, Rose produced the first Marion County foal on the lush 3,000 acre horse farm.

The rich soil of Ocala made for excellent grazing pastures and the moderate climate was a perfect home for horses and livestock breeding.

In the mid fifties, “Needles” became the first Triple Crown winner bred in Florida. His offspring brought credibility and respect to the Ocala stallion business.

Later other farms like Ocala Stud had its first racing crop in 1958, and just a few years later was the nation's leading commercial breeder.

Today Ocala is considered one of the equestrian capitols of the United States and farms number over 1,200 with an estimated 20,000 horses county wide.