[Maui Babe]

Wow Sick of the Winter! Do we know eachother!! Weird. Anyway, thanks for the input. I miss Maui so much but the cost of living is crazy! And forget about ever owning a home, five hundred grand for a shack! Yea, Kahului is pretty ghetto. I lived in Kihei all my life and the North side is pretty gross too. Nice to hear someone else talk about it the way I see it. How are the beaches in Daytona? Whats the sand like? Are there a lot of sharks swimming close to shore?

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by Maui Babe

How are the beaches in Daytona? Whats the sand like? Are there a lot of sharks swimming close to shore?

The sand is white and powdery, but hard packed (hence the driving on the beach). Once you get further north into Ormond by-the-Sea the sand is red. It sticks to you and is almost impossible to get off.

There are sharks, and New Smyrna Beach has been called the shark attack capital of the US. The majority of sharks are down in Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna because of the inlet. Daytona itself isn't bad.

[beckycat]

I like Port Orange, but you can also try New Smyrna.

[sick of the winter]

Luckily prices have come down so 400K gets you an actual home now! We bought just because of the market and hoping it will turn around so we can have a profit in 3 years when we plan on moving back.

Beaches are definitely a little different. Florida is one long beach where, as you know, Maui(Hawaii) has a bunch of smaller beaches. I personally prefer Fl. a little bit. But Maui is definitely nice..

Besides my wife and daughter we have no family here. Hence the reason to move back East eventually. I like nice weather but it's not a substitute for the family. We would be atleast a bit closer to family in Fl.

Sharks are more prevailant in Fl. But Besides an occasional Bull shark, I think they are mainly reef sharks. So maybe not quite as deadly. Hawaii has more Tigers which seems to create more fear than necessary here. But there are also way more surfers in the water in Hawaii, and not nearly as many attacks. So I think it's a wash as far as how dangereous it may be?

I still like Fl. a little better. Island life is ok, but I need cities to drive to. And more options as far as entertainment than Maui can provide. But it definitely is a good adventure during this economic downturn. Can't complain!!

Florida will definitely take a bit to get used to. It can be run down and "white trashish" at times. But once you find your place and get into a daily routine I think you'll like it. I think people move to Florida (or Hawaii) expecting sunshine and daydreams and reality hits when the vacation feel is gone. Unless you have a ton of money of course.

[JohnVosilla]

Port Orange is real nice. Moving to Spruce Creek you probably would have little need to go to Daytona often anyway. Most of what you need is up and down Dunlawton including the beach<g>. Daytona area certainly is rundown and very transient. Lived in Pelican Bay a gated community a while back myself. Don't think I'd move back to that area but miss the cooler weather there..

[Brufunka]

My husband and I moved down to Florida in 2007. We live just south of Daytona Beach in a town called Port Orange. My husband got a job working as a tour guide at Daytona International Speedway. We are only 3 miles from the beach. We absolutely love it down here. There is alot to do down here and so much for kids to see and do. Its only 1 hour to Orlando and all the parks, one hour to St. Augustine (They have an alligator farm), and one hour to Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. I wouldn't want to live in Daytona, although some parts are very nice. The Speedway is definitely worth taking the kids to see even if you aren't race fans. It is free to see the speedway and $15 to take a 1/2 hour tram guided tour. Hope this is helpful.

[daytonadewd]

Originally Posted by Maui Babe

Hey. My husband may get a job in Daytona so I have been researching the area. So much info!! Any thoughts? My family consists of me, my husband, we are in our thirties, and our two children, aged four and two. I am originally from Maui and my husband is from Houston. We are currently living in Houston. We would love to live on Maui forever but the cost of living is ridiculous. I am a beach girl and cannot stand the thought of not living by it. I am also a paranoid person so....... Somewhere that is somewhat safe is a must. My husband is in car sales. How's that business doing out there?

I appreciate all advice and opinions.

First of all, Daytona Beach ROCKS! It is a magic place designed for people who DON'T drink the Kool Aid from Breakfast TV or want to live in the Matrix. (So if this is your aspiration, you might look into all the other cookie-cutter urban sprawl areas in Florida).

Please bear in mind the comments/advice you're getting may be lame -- source the location of the poster -- and the last time they visited Daytona Beach!

Daytona Beach gets such a bad rap (like I visited there 20 years ago and it sucked). So let's stick to the facts...Here's a link you can look up crime stats on ALL the fabulous places recommended and compare them with Daytona Beach:
Welcome to CrimeReports.com

You will see that DAYTONA BEACH IS VERY SAFE!

Also search my posts on C-D for the lowdown on the REAL Daytona! It's a great place to live!

Good Luck!


PS - There is truth to statements made about the Florida economy in general and auto sales would be pretty tough at the moment ANYWHERE in the state!

[citrushills]

Port Orange has it's nice areas but is also becoming drug infested especially around all the trailer parks there. There were two people murdered there not long ago and buried out in the yard of the trailer of one of the victims. Also, Port Orange has many low lying areas so be careful of the swamps and get flood insurance.

[citrushills]

Check out Pelican Bay which is in the Daytona Beach city limits. Probably the nicest subdivision in the whole city.