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Dade City, Florida
| With an imposing,
historic white-topped courthouse anchoring the downtown,
Dade City is in many ways a quintessential Florida
small-town. It has a population of about 7,000 people
and has an easy going, rural ambiance, reminiscent of
the way Florida is to be. History plays an
important part in Dade City's sense of community, and it
has an appreciation for its past. The
cost-of-living is 12% below the national average, and
housing is affordable, with the median home price
approximately $125,000. Of the
residents, 40% are age 45 or better.
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Dade City has been growing and is is located roughly
halfway between Orlando and Tampa. It has a
cute downtown with, and in addition to the Old Pasco
County Courthouse, has restaurants, art galleries and
antique stores.
Festivals play a large part in the city's way of
life, with the Kumquat Festival taking the prize as
probably the biggest and the best. It attracts
close to 40,000 people each year, all of whom come to
enjoy dancing music and lots of good food. This
part of Florida is also known for its horse
culture, and outside of town horse races and
competitions are common.
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| Pasco
Regional Medical Center is a 120-bed acute care hospital
and is ranked among the top 5% of hospitals in the
nation for general surgery. It is fully accredited
by the Joint Commission and was named among the Top 100
Hospitals in the nation in 1997 and 2003. Medicaid
and Medicare patients are accepted.
The sun shines upon Dade City 245 days
of the year. It is hot in the summer
(temperatures in the 90s) and mild in the winter
(temperatures in the 50s and 60s). There is
no snow but it does rain a lot, particularly in the
summer. Spring is quite beautiful, with camellias,
azaleas and magnolias in bloom.
Unfortunately, Dade City has a very
high crime rate, well above the national average.
It also has a high tornado risk, nearly 130% above the
national average.
Dade City has a lot going for it,
including certain charm not found in other small Florida
towns. The high crime rate, however, is worrisome
and should be definitely considered when thinking about
Dade City for retirement.
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