[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by ssg II

There is no beach in Melbourne. You have to cross a causeway to get to Melbourne Beach or Indialantic.

Semantics. Besides, a google search of "Melbourne, FL" will show you some beachside areas that are annexed into Melbourne

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q...oi=local_group

[DodgeGirl78]

Yeah those bikers are horrible with their stupid charity rides!! Collecting toys for children and having blood drives! And all that money they pump into the area twice a year! Egads let's outlaw motorcycles and leather ASAP!

[ssg II]

Don't forget the Nascar Rednecks! Guess they're lurking everywhere, not just Daytona, since Nascar ranks first in highest-attended spectator sports in the country. All that money spent for tickets, hotels, restaurants and shops, which help to fuel the local economies of about 30 major tracks in the U.S. .....It's just awful.

[mateo384]

bikers aren't scary people at all! They may LOOK intimidating, but underneath all that leather, they are rich folk. I'm not scared of bikers one bit. They are people who have money and choose to lead that lifestyle. It's not like they are poor and they are stuck dressed in expensive leather outfits. Does anyone know how much leather costs?

as for the Nascar rednecks, they come to Daytona to have a good, drunken time. If they cause violence, it's because they are drunk (like any drunk person), not because they are violent to begin with. How else could they afford a vacation?

when i lived in Daytona, i was questioning the bikers and racers. But at the end of the day, they come to Daytona to party, spend money, and nothing more. Sure, you get a bunch of roudy people together and there is sure to be some ruccus. But that can be said with any house party across the nation, if it involved alcohol. They come here to party and spend money on their vacation. It's really as simple as that.

now the cops are quite militant, i'll give you that. But that's because of the reputation of the roudiness, which is fine if you know your place and abide by the laws of decent society. If you drive drunk, then that's your own fault.

otherwise, just stay clear of the low-income neighborhoods (like in any other city of the US), and you'll be fine. I don't understand what the problem is really.

I had a great time while i lived in Daytona Beach.

[smarino]

Parts of Daytona are poor and essentially black areas. It's the South (provisionally, since it's Florida), and that's just how it is. That's usually the poorer neighborhoods. But I've lived in worse areas in other states, believe me! There's not always a correlation between poor and unsafe. Sometimes I wonder how many of the people here make it though. Jobs are certainly scarce, and because it's a transient town, it's even more difficult to get a good gig. Services for low income folks are very, very minimal, if they exist at all. This lends a bit of desperation to the mix, and as anyone can verify, the crime in Daytona is bad. Not many strong arm robberies or anything, but LOTS of shootings and break ins. Sometimes I wonder if this area is a dumping ground for felon paroles, and it's telling that one of the city buses here makes hourly trips to the jail on the way to Deland.

We like Daytona a lot, but can't afford to live in a "good" neighborhood. So we bought one of those nice trailers (sorry, manufactured homes) in South Daytona in an old fogey park (sorry, senior retirement community) and it's really nice! The best of both worlds. We zip into Daytona for stuff, then head back home for peace and quiet. Takes me 30 minutes on my bike, and I pedal slowly 'cause I'm 60. Right next to us is Port Orange. Everything looks nice and clean there, mostly new housing, but I hate it. Feels REAL conservative. South Daytona is very small, not built up, and has some of the nicest subdivisions I've ever seen. So my suggestion for someone moving to Daytona is, if you can't afford one of the nicer areas (there ARE nice, affordable apts, but we wanted our own space), then live someplace like New Smyrna, Ormond, or South Daytona. As for the bikers, these days aren't like the old days. Bike Week here was actually pretty neat, and the vast majority of the people were not bikers, they were motorcycle enthusiasts on expensive trikes and such. Much more of a mellow scene that it used to be. The ol' man, the ol' lady and the dog.... all riding around together. Cool. You don't see that everywhere. Met some nice folks from Germany.

[DodgeGirl78]

Originally Posted by smarino

Parts of Daytona are poor and essentially black areas. It's the South (provisionally, since it's Florida), and that's just how it is. That's usually the poorer neighborhoods. But I've lived in worse areas in other states, believe me! There's not always a correlation between poor and unsafe. Sometimes I wonder how many of the people here make it though. Jobs are certainly scarce, and because it's a transient town, it's even more difficult to get a good gig. Services for low income folks are very, very minimal, if they exist at all. This lends a bit of desperation to the mix, and as anyone can verify, the crime in Daytona is bad. Not many strong arm robberies or anything, but LOTS of shootings and break ins. Sometimes I wonder if this area is a dumping ground for felon paroles, and it's telling that one of the city buses here makes hourly trips to the jail on the way to Deland.

We like Daytona a lot, but can't afford to live in a "good" neighborhood. So we bought one of those nice trailers (sorry, manufactured homes) in South Daytona in an old fogey park (sorry, senior retirement community) and it's really nice! The best of both worlds. We zip into Daytona for stuff, then head back home for peace and quiet. Takes me 30 minutes on my bike, and I pedal slowly 'cause I'm 60. Right next to us is Port Orange. Everything looks nice and clean there, mostly new housing, but I hate it. Feels REAL conservative. South Daytona is very small, not built up, and has some of the nicest subdivisions I've ever seen. So my suggestion for someone moving to Daytona is, if you can't afford one of the nicer areas (there ARE nice, affordable apts, but we wanted our own space), then live someplace like New Smyrna, Ormond, or South Daytona. As for the bikers, these days aren't like the old days. Bike Week here was actually pretty neat, and the vast majority of the people were not bikers, they were motorcycle enthusiasts on expensive trikes and such. Much more of a mellow scene that it used to be. The ol' man, the ol' lady and the dog.... all riding around together. Cool. You don't see that everywhere. Met some nice folks from Germany.

Great thought out post!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by KeyLargoGuy

And you Sir are type that makes Daytona what it is today, a Dump.

So should poor people just not exist in this world?

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by KeyLargoGuy

And you Sir are type that makes Daytona what it is today, a Dump.

How disrespectful....So sad for you.

[ChrisA70]

I knew a biker in Vero Beach(a REAL biker, not a "wild hog" biker), he was part of the outlaw bikers Florida East coast. He was one of the nicest, coolest dudes I ever knew at a property I worked. He even helped me out with a young punk when I had the guys car towed for improper registration. The punk made threats, my biker friend came out of his apartment and asked what the problem was, Mr saggy pants shut right up and never said another word. Bikers get a bad rep, but not all of them are bad people.

[mateo384]

They get a bad rep because their vehicles make loud noises.