Ocala, Florida

Ocala (/oʊˈkælə/, oh-KA-lə) is a city located in Northern Florida. As of the 2013 census, its population, estimated by the United States Census Bureau, was 57,468, making it the 45th most populated city in Florida.

It is the seat of Marion County and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2013 population of 337,362.

History

Archeological investigation has revealed that the area was inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples from as early as 6500 B.C., and there were two lengthy periods of occupation. The second lasted through 500 A.D. In early historic times, the Timucua inhabited the area.

Ocala is located near what is thought to have been the site of Ocale or Ocali, a major Timucua village and chiefdom recorded in the 16th century. The modern city takes its name from the historical village, the name of which is believed to mean "Big Hammock" in the Timucua language. The Spaniard Hernando de Soto's expedition recorded Ocale in 1539 during his exploration through what is today the southeastern United States. Ocale is not mentioned in later Spanish accounts; it appears to have been abandoned in the wake of de Soto's attack.

Ocala Union Station

The Ocala Union Station (also known as Union Station Plaza) is a historic site in Ocala, Florida, United States. It is located at 531 Northeast First Avenue, and was built in 1917 by both the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads. Prior to this, ACL and SAL had separate depots in Ocala. The former ACL station was originally built by the Florida Southern Railroad, while the former SAL station was built by the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad. On December 22, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The station served as a stop for Amtrak's Palmetto service until 2004, using the Seaboard Air Line's former tracks, now part of the Wildwood Subdivision, a segment of the CSX S-Line. The former Atlantic Coast Line tracks are now part of Florida Northern Railroad. Currently Amtrak offers exclusive coach service from the station twice a day: one run to connect to the Silver Star (Amtrak train) in Lakeland and another run connecting to the Silver Star (Amtrak train) again in Jacksonville. There are several intermediate stops in each direction.

Ocala (YTB-805)

Ocala (YTB-805) was a United States Navy Natick-class large harbor tug named for Ocala, Florida.

Construction

The contract for Ocala was awarded dd Mon yyyy. She was laid down on 20 August 1969 at Sturgeon Bay, WI, by Peterson Builders and launched 30 March 1970.

Operational history

Placed in service 19 September 1970, Ocala was assigned to the Naval Base at La Maddalena, Italy where she served her whole career.

Stricken from the Navy List 28 October 1997, Ocala was sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) to McAllister Towing, renamed Beth M. McAllister.

References

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