[Tishtosh74]

We will be relocating from suburban Atlanta to either Ormond Beach or Port Orange by spring of 2010. We are in our 30's with children under 7 years of age who will be attending public schools. Like all parents the quality of the school system is of huge importance to us, so I'm doing lots of on line research in preparation for on site visits.

Our needs are pretty routine, with a budget of 300k, which community do you think would serve a young family best? I'm under the impression that there is not a huge difference between the two communities, but would welcome info about the minor differences.

ETA Being new here, I'm not sure if this would be better served in the Orlando forum or not, as I don't see a Volusia Co or Daytona section...

[BioAdoptMom3]

I live in Port Orange and was raised in Daytona (about halfway between Port Orange and Ormond Beach), but have friends in Ormond. There really isn't a lot of difference between the two communities. I think Ormond is a bit more expensive as far as housing is concerned and I would say in general, that Port Orange tends to be a bit on the friendlier side as far as the people are concerned. There also seem to be more restrictions in PO as far as buidling and things like that are concerned (the city is not too quick to approve buildings, signs, etc. that do not meet certain specifications). I teach in a PO school, have taught in a Holly Hill school (next community south of Ormond) and we have three kids whom we've raised here. We have been happy with the schools. Those in Ormond and PO do tend to have more middle class families, so in either of those communities you will find good neighborhood schools with an overall decent quality of families. Both communities have pretty much the same ammenities.

Let me know if you'd like more info.

Nancy

[daytonadewd]

Don't know how previous poster believes both are the same. Where is the beach in Port Orange city limit?

Port Orange is a solid middle class community with excellent opportunities for youth sports. Hence, PO has the only SuperTarget and Kohl's in the area. Ormond is more upper middle class and more worldly, cultured interests and generally has more cache as an address (depending on where in the city you live). Ormond has the Trails shopping center that has upscale stores. The main shopping mall and national chains are clustered on International Speedway Blvd in Daytona Beach, which is the halfway point between these 2 towns.

Both have good schools, but focus is different depending on your childrens interests (as mentioned). Spruce Creek High in PO is nationally recognized, but also very overcrowded.

The beach area for Port Orange is Daytona Beach Shores or Ponce Inlet areas, which are strong retirement areas (who don't mind kids for 5 minutes, but not hanging out regularly).

The beach area for Ormond is their own and plenty of outlets for them to discover there.

It's all going to boil down to what's more important to your family regarding status vs middle class options.

New Smyrna Beach (beachside) is also an excellent area to raise kids.

Best advice is to have a solid "plan" for your kids to follow as the area offers many distractions, both positive and negative. This should include socializing, fitness and college choice based on interests/capabilities. You also should plan for additional options such as tutoring, special camps, etc. to expose them to the "larger world" than what is typically available here.

[Tishtosh74]

Thank you both for answering.

My FIL lives in Ormond Beach so I'm familiar with that town but only from a touristy perspective. We will be going down next month so that I can visit the schools, YMCA, and other places that we would frequent while actually living there.

I got the impression that PO was where we would spend a lot of time as a family with young kids but it will be up to us whether or not living in Ormond would make more sense.

daytonadewd, I couldn't agree more with the idea of having a "plan" for raising your kids. It applies for any location but is especially true from what I have experienced in the Daytona area. My husband and I are both from the NE, and always thought that we'd live near a major city. But we are in the very unusual position of earning a lot more money there (thru a family business) hence our move. That financial freedom will definitely translate to our children being exposed to how the world operates outside of beach towns

[RE Susan]

I'm curious how TishTosh74's trip to this area went. With the absolute gridlock of Atlanta's traffic, either Port Orange or Ormond should be a breeze to navigate. Though some schools are rated higher than others children can excel at any of them given our low instance of crime elements in the schools. I think a neighborhood where they find friends their own age thus eliminating the problem of being transported everywhere for socializing would make for a happy household.