North Central Florida

QUALITY OF LIFE

Indoor/outdoor fun
North Central offers a combination of natural and manmade attractions. In Gainesville, drop in at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art and its next-door neighbor, the Florida Museum of Natural History; general admission to either is free. Then visit the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, housing 75 different species and the only zookeeper training facility in the U.S. with its own accredited zoo on-site. Fish the scenic Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers, take a hike in the Ocala National Forest or browse Cedar Key’s quaint shops and galleries before sitting down to a bowl of award-winning clam chowder at Tony’s. And be sure to check out the iconic Silver Springs in Ocala, just named Florida’s newest state park.

The livin’ is easy and healthy
Gainesville ranks No. 35 on Livability.com’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live” and one reason is its healthcare, which was rated No. 4 out of 100. So it should come as no surprise that two local hospitals have snagged 10 top 50 spots on U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 list of “America’s Best Hospitals:” UF Health Shands Hospital for adult nephrology, cardiology/heart surgery and pulmonology, and UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital for pediatric diabetes/endocrinology, cardiology/heart surgery, gastroenterology, pulmonology, neonatology, cancer and nephrology.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Agriculture and Forestry

• Buckeye Technologies Perry
• PCS Phosphate White Springs
• Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation Live Oak
• Suwannee Lumber Company Cross City

Logistics and Distribution

• Cheney Brothers Ocala
• Johnson & Johnson Madison

Manufacturing

• E-ONE Ocala
• Lockheed Martin Ocala Operations Ocala
• Monterey Boats Williston
• Signature Brands Ocala

Healthcare

• Munroe Regional Medical Center Ocala
• UF Health Shands Hospital Gainesville
• Ocala Health Ocala

Tags: Business Florida