[htlong]

I have been planning on moving to daytona beach, I have never been to the gulf side of fl. I have heard the beaches are nicer. is the gulf coast more crowded than say daytona ?....I dont want to fight traffic everywhere i go

[vjennifer1230]

i do love the gulf coast...and the beaches are beautiful, and the water always has seemed a little warmer. all i know of daytona is that it is a big place for spring breakers=traffic in those months. other than that, i'm not sure. personally, i like the gulf coast, even though people may say that's where the retirees go.

[Cougar31]

West coast: beautiful sunsets...
East coast: beautiful sunrises...
-my opinion-

[BlueWillowPlate]

I spent a year and a half on the Gulf in northwest Florida, and now I've spent 6 months on the east coast, again, up here in the north.
Both have their good points. It depends what you are looking for.
I think maybe I prefer the vegetation where I am now, on the northeast coast.
I love the spanish moss and canopy oak trees.

[Tarastomsgirl]

The west coasts water is warmer and imo much more nice. The East coast has lots of people as its a big spring break spot.. ie Miami, Daytona, St. Pete etc. The east coasts water is also colder year round with it being the ocean and not a gulf

[Jammie]

We've been to both coasts and definitely prefer the west coast. The water is much calmer and it just seemed that we liked it there more.

[SoFLGal]

I've lived on the west coast my whole life, so I guess I'm partial to it. I prefer the beaches, warm water and I think it's generally less congested.

[riveree]

East Coast!

My west coast experience is mainly mid-coast (Sarasota, Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, etc.), so I don't know what the panhandle beaches are like, but the Gulf beaches I've been on are nice enough, though the Gulf water itself is a bit boring to me (no waves!).

The east coast beaches have the Atlantic Ocean with the waves and the breezes and all that encompasses and, at least in NEFL, the beaches are gorgeous (haven't been to Daytona Beach in years).

Spring Break doesn't happen on all the east coast beaches - we have NO spring break experience here in Jax or anywhere close by for that matter; it's a non-issue for us.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Tarastomsgirl

The west coasts water is warmer and imo much more nice. The East coast has lots of people as its a big spring break spot.. ie Miami, Daytona, St. Pete etc. The east coasts water is also colder year round with it being the ocean and not a gulf

I'm not so sure Miami's beaches are considered "East Coast"......aren't they more in their own category as "South Florida"?

St. Pete is definitely not East Coast - it is West Coast (Tampa-St. Pete).

Aside from Daytona, I don't think of Spring Break as being an "East Coast" thing - it's more of a city-by-city event since it stays localized in the city the Spring Breakers travel to.

As for colder water, yes, the Atlantic Ocean is colder, but it still gets bathwater warm at peak season.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Originally Posted by htlong

I have been planning on moving to daytona beach, I have never been to the gulf side of fl. I have heard the beaches are nicer. is the gulf coast more crowded than say daytona ?....I dont want to fight traffic everywhere i go

If you don't want to fight traffic, you might look into a different spot. With Race Week and Bike Week, the traffic is UNREAL there. Then you always have the tourist traffic.

I had occasion to speak with an FBI agent from Daytona and he said I would be shocked at what went on there that isn't shown on TV. I find Daytona smarmy, noisy and kind of low class.

I MUCH prefer the West coast of Florida, its a whole other planet.