Paisley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in rural eastern Lake County, Florida, on the western edge of the Ocala National Forest. The 2020 census counted 980 residents, and the community is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee metropolitan statistical area, though its daily life feels far removed from urban Florida. Paisley is the closest community to the Boy Scout camp Camp La-No-Che, underscoring its identity as a gateway to the forest and its lakes. The surrounding landscape is defined by longleaf pine, scrub, and a chain of spring-fed lakes, with the St. Johns River system to the east. County Road 42 runs through Paisley, connecting to State Road 19 at Umatilla about ten miles to the west and to State Road 44 near DeLand roughly ten miles to the east. This quiet rural setting draws retirees and others seeking acreage, privacy, and direct access to the outdoors. Clearwater Lake Recreation Area, managed within the Ocala National Forest, sits near the community and offers a spring-fed swimming beach, a 32-acre lake, a campground, and a nature trail. The unpaved Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail extends 22 miles through the forest, and the Florida National Scenic Trail passes through the area, making Paisley a practical base for hiking, cycling, fishing, and paddling. Local schools are part of the Lake County system, anchored by Spring Creek Charter School in Paisley, with additional campuses in Umatilla, Eustis, and DeLand. For homebuyers, Paisley offers a rural, heavily wooded housing stock of manufactured homes and modest single-family houses on larger lots, in a low-density community where ownership is the norm. The trade-off is distance from larger retail and employment centers, which lie in Umatilla, Eustis, Mount Dora, DeLand, and the greater Orlando area to the south and west.