[AKgirl08]

Hey All!
My boyfriend and I are moving from Alaska to the Daytona Beach area. We are looking for a nice, safe, reasonably priced 1 BR/1 BA apartment. Our monthly budget range for the apartment is around $700-$800. I will be transferring to one of the community colleges for nursing and my boyfriend will be transferring with a job through FedEx. We have to be close (20-30 min drive is OK) to the airport and a good community college. We don't want to live right in Daytona Beach (because of traffic, crime, tourists, etc.) and would ideally like to live close to the beach. We are a young college couple who loves to be outdoors, going to restaurants, going out on the weekends, so would like to be in an area of town that can supply those things. If anyone knows of specific apartment complexes that would fit our needs I would LOVE to hear about them. I heard Flagler, Ormond Beach, Bunnell, Crescent Beach, Gainsville, and Palm Coast areas are nice and would like to hear more opinions about those areas from people who have either live there, moved away from there, or visited.
Thank you so much!

[FSUMike]

Well, you have plenty of options for apartments. Try Indigo Plantation in Daytona Beach, and The Crowne in Ormond Beach. Being right in Daytona Beach is not necessarily bad. Not all of it is dangerous, and traffic is only bad during race week and bike week. Anywhere in Ormond Beach or Daytona Beach is close to DBCC and the DB Airport, and Orlando Arpt is only an hour away. Crescent Beach and Gainesville are way too far. Bunnell and Palm Coast aren't that far, but why live there when you can live in Ormond or Daytona for basically the same price? Also, PC and Bunnell don't have near as much of a choice in apts. I've lived in Ormond my whole life, so if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[AKgirl08]

Ok, I've been doing more research and Ormond Beach sounds perfect for us. Do you know how far a drive it is from there to the airport or the nearest community college that offers nursing? I am looking into the The Crowne apartments but do you know any information about the Anatole Apartments, Sun Pointe Apartments, or the Harbor Apartments? I am also going to be looking for a job in a restaurant or bar where I could make some tips (I am currently a barista in AK) so do you know any great places?

[FSUMike]

Daytona Beach has an "international" airport which is just down the road from Ormond, though most flights connect through Atlanta or Charlotte, but you can still get pretty much anywhere. Jax Airport is about an hour and a half, and Orlando Airport is only about an hour, and that's where you'll probably be doing your flying in and out of. Daytona Beach Community College is right down the road from Ormond as well, and I'm pretty sure they have nursing, but you can check their website to see for sure. (Daytona Beach College (broken link) i think, but you can google it). I know it is officially called "Daytona Beach College" now, because it now offers 4-year degrees, but it is still a community college.

Personally, I would recommend Crowne over any place in the city of Daytona Beach (My wife and I live in the Crowne and we love it). I don't really know anything about Sun Pointe, but between Anatole and Harbor, both of them have alot of college students, which can be good or bad, depending on what you're looking for, and I think Anatole is the newer of the two, so it's probably a little nicer.

The Daytona area is FULL of bars. Lots of opportunity there. I have never worked in a restaurant/bar, so I don't really know how they compare as far as $$ earning potential, but Houligan's (which has 2 locations in Ormond Beach), and Oyster Pub in Daytona are both great places that I think you would enjoy. They are definitely my favorite bars here.

[iheartflorida]

I recommend checking out Sutton Place. My husband lived there while he was in college and it was very well maintained, clean, and quiet.

[FSUMike]

Sutton Place got messed up by the tornadoes about 18 months ago. They've fixed it back up since then, but it's in a bad neighborhood.

[iheartflorida]

I wouldn't call it a bad neighborhood. Some might think this because right across the street are apartments and homes that are subsidized by the government, but the Daytona Beach Police Station is also right across the street. I lived in the Daytona Beach area for 14+ years and I would feel VERY safe living in those apartments. Now that my husband and I are living in Miami we wish we could find an apartment complex that is as nice and affordable as Sutton Place.

[Paprika56]

Great info FSUMike, thanks. The Crowne looks great! Could you give me some info on the age demographics there, and how/if you would recommend the area to a young single professional? I am trying to decided between Gainesville and Daytona Beach and both have their perks. I see that Ormond Beach has a small population but I imagine it seems larger due to tourism, and those cities along the coast probably tie into each other. Any advice? Thanks again!