Is DeLand, Fl a nice place to retire to? (Orlando: houses, neighborhoods)

[Penelope55]

We arrived at The Villages on a "festival day" and it was way too congested for us. Our thought was to try a place like The Plantation or one of those nearby and still be able to go to The Villages when we wanted. We will definitely stop there again this visit.

[keithwand]

Plus much cheaper and no comparison to TV.
If you found it too congested (desirable for 100,000 people) then why visit. It will still be "congested".
Other lesser priced homes can be found in Del Webb and Stonecrest.
Try Sun City S. of Tampa for real bargains.
There's a reason TV is congested and averages 400 home sales a month!

[Blondy]

Originally Posted by Penelope55

We are also targeting Central Floida for our retirement. We visited Victoria Gardens and were very impressed. The amenities and homes were beautiful. Does anyone know anything about this community or the Deland area?

We moved to Deland. I didn't look at Victoria Gardens because we wanted more land. But, its in a good part of town and Deland's a great small town. Their restaurant is supposed to be good but haven't had a chance to try it yet.

Convenient to everything as someone else already described. The Main Street Association is very active and brings things in to downtown all the time.....like arts festivals, holiday events, etc.

Day to day, everything you need is right around the corner including a Belk's Department Store(same quality as Macy's) if you don't want to driver further to the mall. There's more shopping and restaurants in Orange City which is 5-10 minutes. Also, Daytona and Ormond Beach.

Good health care is available in town for routine things and some specialists. The hospital is good for emergency and minor things. The medical center at Victoria Gardens is very convenient for tests, xrays.

Stetson University has things available to the community. I think it helps keep the town vibrant, but the students are really unobtrusive. They stay in their own housing, or a few hangouts priced and geared to them, but mostly go to Daytona or Orlando to party.

Overall, its a nice town, slower pace but not dead lol and friendly people.

[Penelope55]

Bloody, thanks so much for your input. The way you describe DeLand it sounds perfect. We will be spending time in the area in February and will definitely spend some time in the downtown area. This could be our place and we are excited at the prospect.....

[Grumpyprof]

Originally Posted by Penelope55

Bloody, thanks so much for your input. The way you describe DeLand it sounds perfect. We will be spending time in the area in February and will definitely spend some time in the downtown area. This could be our place and we are excited at the prospect.....

Penelope55 -

We find it interesting to check out the newsletters from the communities we are researching to see the sort of events/activities that occur as well as the list of community clubs and organizations available to residents. Here are a few we've found.

Victoria Gardens newsletter:
Victoria Gardens Weekly Newsletter, Victoria Park, DeLand, Florida

Dell Webb Orlando newsletter:
December 2013 Del Webb Orlando Breeze Newsletter

The Plantation newsletter (Leesburg):
http://www.palhoa.com/sitebuildercon...4_ptimes36.pdf

Sullivan Ranch newsletter (Mt. Dora): http://sullivanranchhoa.com/sullivan...inter_2013.pdf

Kings Ridge (Clermont): Doesn't seem to have a newsletter online but here is the webpage with links to a list of clubs and activities.
Kings Ridge - About Kings Ridge


I imagine that larger communities (many of which appear to be in the Ocala area) have even more activities but you have to find your comfort level in terms of size. Most of the 55+ communities in the Orlando area seem to range between 900 and 1100 homes while the communities in the Ocala area seem to be much larger. (For example: Stone Creek has 4,000, Top of the World has 10,000, and The Villages has about 56,000 homes). Those larger communities seem overwhelming to us...but I am sure others thrive on the activity which a community of that size must offer.

Hope some of this is helpful.

[Penelope55]

Grumpy prof thanks for the links. That will be really helpful! I think we are between Leesburg, Mount Dora and deLand at this point. We have not been to Sullivan Ranch yet but will in February....

[VTGal]

Originally Posted by rebi

Thanks for the feedback. I think my husband and I will take a trip to FL in February to see both the Villages and Victoria Gardens. We need to stay in the $250,000 or lower so I don't know what will be available, if anything.

We were looking in the Delaware area, but been thinking about winter coming and not crazy about the cold and snow.

Definitely do the trip

Why not consider renting? You'll get a feel for the place and get to know the area. If you find an area you like better you can move without worrying about selling. Buying locks you and gives you no options if you want to make a change. I'm renting and so thankful I am!

[carlgrahamjr]

We moved to Victoria Gardens in Sept, 2012. We bought one of the last Shea built homes, which are generally considered the better quality of the three major builders that have been in here (St. Joe, Shea, and currently Kolter). The neighborhood is very nice, great people, amenities, etc. The town of Deland is also very nice, well managed, clean and lots to do. Daytona Beach and New Smyrna beach are roughly 25 miles east and can be reached in about a half hour.

If you are looking for a slower pace of life, you should look at Deland. It is the exact opposite of The Villages. We have several couples that recently moved to VG from TV because they couldn't stand it anymore. The place is like a swarming beehive--very crowded. It seems everyone has one of those goofy golf carts that are modified to look like a Rolls Royce/'57 Chevy/Volkswagen, etc.,etc. The various Village Centers are just mob scenes. If you are a golfer, you would probably love it as the place is loaded with golf courses. There is always something going on, though, so if you can stand the crowds it may be worth looking at.

[Joey Falcon]

Deland is okay. The problem is it's near Deltona, which is horrible place. If the low income people from Deltona move in, Deland will go bad.

[Disney_Geek18]

Originally Posted by Joey Falcon

Deland is okay. The problem is it's near Deltona, which is horrible place. If the low income people from Deltona move in, Deland will go bad.

Stay in Orlando. DeLand is a very nice small town. Deltona isn't THAT bad, yes there are some areas of Deltona that are bad, but just like any city, there are areas that are nice. Not everyone in Deltona is low income, and fyi, DeLand has low income areas too. The "low income people" which you mention, will probably stay in Deltona because of just that.


To the OP: DeLand is a very nice town, especially for retirees. Victoria Gardens is actually part of a larger community, Victoria Park. You already know about the Gardens, Victoria Commons ("The Commons") is home to many families, with the main community pool, fitness center, tennis courts, and a small shopping center. Most community events (not the Gardens ones) take place here. Victoria Hills ("The Hills") is the golf course neighborhood, The Hills has higher end houses compared to the Commons, some families (not as much as the Commons), it also has the golf course and a restaurant. And lastly, Victoria Trails ("The Trails") is the newest part of the neighborhoods. The Trails is basically another Commons, with many families living here. A second community pool (though much smaller and more basic than The Commons' pool) has been opened here recently.

From a former Victoria Commons resident