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Marion County is generally composed of rolling hills, some high and some low. The majority of its trees consist of live oaks, pine, and palm trees. Marion County is sometimes considered the southernmost county in North Central Florida as well as the northernmost county in Central Florida.
It is about a two hour drive from many of Florida's major cities, Orlando is 90 minutes to the southeast while Tampa is about 90 minutes to the southwest. Jacksonville is roughly a two hour drive northeast and Daytona Beach is an hour and a half to the east. Miami is about five hours to the southeast as is Fort Lauderdale.
Marion County also has two large lakes at its opposite borders. Orange Lake is in the far northern part of Marion County, near the border with Alachua County. Lake Weir, the larger of the two, is in the far southern region near the border with Lake County.
Marion County is inland, centered between the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. Because of this, Marion County is not affected as much by hurricanes as the more coastal counties to its east and west are. However, tornadoes are a major threat to this region of the state. Although Marion County is not near either of Florida's coasts, it is situated slightly to the west. Therefore, it takes an hour to get to the Gulf of Mexico while it takes a half an hour longer to get to the Atlantic Ocean.
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Marion County Education
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The vision of Marion County Public Schools is
“Leading the State in Raising Student Performance.”
Our school system includes
• 28 elementary schools,
• 8 middle schools,
• 1 school which is combined elementary and middle,
• 8 high schools,
• 2 charter schools, and
• 14 special needs schools.
As of May 20, 2005, we had 40,688 students attending our schools.
As of April 20, 2006, we had 41,698 students.
As of March 16, 2007, we had 42,264 students.
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Marion County History
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Marion County was created in 1844 from portions of Alachua, Mosquito (Orange), and Hillsborough counties. Until 1853, Marion County included most of what are now Lake and Sumter counties. The county is named after General Francis Marion of South Carolina, a guerilla fighter and hero of the American Revolutionary War. Many of the early settlers of Marion County were from South Carolina. The county motto is "Kingdom of the Sun." Farms in the county are known for breeding champion race horses such as Affirmed and Needles.
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Marion County Nature
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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 and has been called the “crown jewel” of the Florida Trail system.
Silver River State Park was established in the early 1990s to preserve the areas around the Silver River to the east of Ocala near Silver Springs.
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Marion County News
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Search for "Ocala FL" - A Little About Me - Associated Content
| A Little About Me A little background about myself View more &raquo Ok seeing how this is my first real entry here I figured I would give you a little background info on me. |
- Doris Lynch Heath, 89, Inverness, FL and Watertown - WWNY-TV Watertown
| Doris Lynch Heath, 89, of Inverness, Florida, died on June 29th at the Hawthorne Health and Rehabilitation Center in Ocala, Florida. |
- Obituaries for July 22 - DelcoTimes
| Here are the obituaries that appear in the July 22 edition of the Daily Times. James E. Ellis, 67, Formerly of Aston James E. Ellis, 67, of Lewes, Del., formerly of Aston, died July 18 at home. |
- Volunteers use vacations to build and clear trails, spruce up parks - The Greenville News
| Volunteer your vacation time to work for free? You bet. Every year hundreds and hundreds of families, college students, retirees take a Volunteer Vacation with the American Hiking Society. |
- Citrus County - Baker County Standard
| Your local realty agent. Serving all of Citrus County , Florida. www.SoldOnCitrusCounty.com Mercedes Homes builds homes and communities in West Central Florida. |
- NCF w/Chris Low, Noon ET - ESPN
| Welcome to The Show! On Monday, ESPN.com's college football reporter Chris Low will stop by to talk some football. |
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