[rottysofpdl]

Hello. I recently accepted a job with the state and will be moving to the Daytona area at the end of the month. My job is at 210 N. Palmetto Ave. in Daytona Beach. I'm considering renting a room in a small house on River Drive in Ormond Beach, about nine miles away from my job. The house is on the corner of River Drive and Circle Drive. It is about 1 1/2 blocks from the beach.

I googled the house and the area looks a little run down. The police wouldn't give me much information, other than to say they don't get a lot of calls out there.

Any advice? Is this a good, safe area? Or, should I keep looking? There are tons of rooms for rent out there, so it's not like I'm under a lot of pressure to rent this place. I appreciate your time and help.

Thanks,
Phil

[Guntersville Boomer]

I was born and raised in Ormond and my Dad still lives there and I notice you are from the Panhandle, do you live in Tallahassee? I lived there from 1986 to 2004, worked for the state then too. Anyway, that area around River Drive is fine, yes all those streets out there that run from the river to the ocean are alot alike, mostly little flat roofed retirement homes built around the 50's- 60's. We lived out Oceanshore Blvd. for years, the beach is great out there but there isn't much else. You have to drive down to about Granada Blvd. before you get to much on A-1-A. That is going to be a pretty good commute for you but there really isn't rush hour traffic around there so it should be a pretty easy commute. One warning for you and that is if you take Beach Street thru Holly Hill, do not speed, you will get a ticket, the speed limit is like 25 or 30 and they enforce it.

If the room rental is month to month, go ahead and take it for now and get down there and see where you really want to be after you get familar with the area. Good luck to you!

[rottysofpdl]

Guntersville,

Hello. Thanks for the info/advice. I actually live about 100 miles west of Tally in Ponce de Leon.

Thanks again!

[FSUMike]

Rotty, I grew up in Ormond and you really can't go wrong anywhere (not including the trailer parks). Sure Ormond by-the-Sea is a little older and more run down, but it's definitely safe, especially just to rent temporarily. Definitely rent for a while until you are more familiar with the Daytona Beach area. Most people who move to Ormond love it. I do miss it sometimes, but I love living in Alabama, and being farther from the in-laws

[daytonadewd]

Wouldn't do it! Don't know much about that specific property, but think you could do WAY BETTER nearby your work location. (Sooner or later you'll get hit with some excuse of "gridlock" around here for that commute.)

In the same price range, I'm sure you'd be able to find temp. housing all along Beach Street, south to Wilder Blvd; the same distance south on Palmetto; and north on N. Beach Street, NORTH of Fairview all the way to LPGA in Holly Hill. These rentals would all be nearby your work and have all the benefits of living in the downtown areas.

I'd also recommend researching rental properties from Seabreaze Blvd south to Silver Beach on the Beachside. An affordable property that comes to mind is complex at N Peninsula Dr/Harvey St that was recently remodeled and now full of vacancies. Close to everything!

There are also great condo complexes on Halifax Ave along the Halifax River that have great views, from Silver Beach to Granada.

I'd check these out first before you commit to this commute. You'd be surprised.

[FSUMike]

The commute for you won't be bad. Just take Beach St the whole way. It's a pretty drive and there's hardly any stop lights until you get to Mason.

[rottysofpdl]

Thanks FSUMike and daytonadewd for the input. BTW, FSUMike, I'm an FSU grad.

The house is about nine miles from work and most of the other places I've looked at are between one and three miles from work. And commute time is definitely something to think about. I agree that there are a lot of options out there, so I'm not really sure if I should take it or not at this point.

Are we talking about the difference between a five minute commute from Daytona and a 15 minute commute from Ormond? Because if that's the difference than it's not really an issue. Do you think it will take longer to get to 210 N. Palmetto in Daytona from 53 River Dr. in Ormond than 15 minutes?

15 minutes is how long the person who is renting the room is saying it should take using backroads.

Please let me know what you think and thanks again.

Phil

[FSUMike]

Go Noles!

If you take Beach St through Ormond and Holly Hill, it shouldn't take any more than 15 minutes. Will you be working regular hours (8-5)? The ride in the morning should be a breeze. It gets a little more busy in the evenings, but traffic in the Daytona area just isn't an issue except during events like Bike Week and the races. Granada Blvd in Ormond can get congested, as well as International Speedway Blvd in Daytona, but your commute will avoid both of those roads, so don't worry about the commute from River Dr. Also, the residential areas close to Palmetto aren't any place you'd want to live. With some exceptions, those neighborhoods tend to be very poor and transient.

[rottysofpdl]

FSU Mike,

Thanks. Yes, I'll be working 8-5. As I stated previously, I can certainly deal with a 15 minute commute. That's nothing for somebody who has lived in the country for the last 9 1/2 years. Heck, where I live now, it takes at least 15 minutes to get anywhere.

I think I'm probably going to rent the place and try it out for a month. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks again,
Phil