[Kayaker13]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days-in-Florida

Dirty Daytona is exactly what it is. A total dump with crime being done by the same people who say they are being victimized.

I recently learned that there are a number of people who have been arrested living in one of the area's nicer gated communities. I am talking child predators/stalkers and other loony bin material. Many of these people, it appears, had their homes left to them by their parents. Mommy and Daddy seemed to want to make sure Chester the Molester and Annie the Assaulter were tucked away safely so they had free access to everyone else who feels like they are paying for safety. I have come to the conclusion that the entire area is a cesspool.

[Snuggles01]

We have a condo reserved in Daytona Beach Shores for the month of February. Is this a bad move?

[kyle19125]

Daytona Beach Shores is largely out of the undesirable areas mentioned in this thread but if you're out and about, it won't be far. Had you considered other areas? It's worth a look in my opinion to do so.

[Otherside1]

I will give you my input as I lived in Volusia county for over 35 years. Daytona Beach is probably one of the most frustrating places to live. On the one hand it is a beautiful place with the nicest beach in the US and a great intercoastal waterway system. On the other hand it is a crime infested dump with extremely low wages and little opportunity to dig out of the hole. The biggest problem that I see is that there are so many people that move to the area with no job, no money and no ambition and just drag on the system. They will meet up wit the other dregs that live there and soon enough they are off to the pain management clinic to get their monthly scrip of oxys that they promptly sell to live on. Most also get addicted and end up robbing and stealing. I moved away from Daytona in 2013 because I have young boys and I genuinely feared for their future in that place. Daytona is a mess and looking at the political efforts there I do not think that things will get better anytime soon.

[cadillac811]

I lived in Daytona/South Daytona from 1973 to 1976 and visited as late as 1978 having wished all these years I had never moved. I finally visited for a week this past February in an effort to see if I or my wife would want to retire there in 2 or 3 yrs. The answer: NO! Absolutely No! Although you can never go back to the days of your youth Daytona has become Trash City revolving around the speedway, bike week and spring break. South Daytona which was the new middle class area when I lived there is now "dog eared and tired" Lots of empty stores. You know a strip mall is in trouble when it's biggest tenant is 'Goodwill Industries". The shores were always good. But who can afford to live at Daytona Beach Shores or Ponce Inlet or Wilber by the Sea? Port Orange which used to be a small community is now a suburb of the Daytona area built all the way out to I-95. Lots of nice golf and airport homes that have flooding problems in the heavy rainy season. The previous post (Otherside 1) had it right. No Industry. Few jobs and the jobs they do have pay nothing. Sure you can get a great deal on a home for 130,000 to 165,000 but then you can't afford to keep it up. That's the Daytona-South Daytona area. Port Orange runs 175,000 to over 265,000+ And if you can keep it up because you retired with a good retirement income I assure you your neighbors don't have that option, so the neighborhood deteriorates. Crime is rampant. All the low lives, Black, White, Hispanic, Martian, whatever are always keeping the police busy. What ever happened to 3 strikes and you're out! When we were young repeat offenders went away for a long time and troublemakers were escorted out of town. I saw it happen. I also saw chain gangs working on the county and town roads. Nobody cared about their feelings or self esteem. The liberal rot in the legal system was starting when I left Daytona in June of '76. It didn't matter if the powers that be were Democrat or Republican. Just read the local newspaper (Daytona Beach News Journal) on line, you'll get the idea. It's really a pity. All areas have their problems but looks like it's Palm Coast, St Augustine or (God forbid) the west coast for me.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by cadillac811

I lived in Daytona/South Daytona from 1973 to 1976 and visited as late as 1978 having wished all these years I had never moved. I finally visited for a week this past February in an effort to see if I or my wife would want to retire there in 2 or 3 yrs. The answer: NO! Absolutely No! Although you can never go back to the days of your youth Daytona has become Trash City revolving around the speedway, bike week and spring break. South Daytona which was the new middle class area when I lived there is now "dog eared and tired" Lots of empty stores. You know a strip mall is in trouble when it's biggest tenant is 'Goodwill Industries". The shores were always good. But who can afford to live at Daytona Beach Shores or Ponce Inlet or Wilber by the Sea? Port Orange which used to be a small community is now a suburb of the Daytona area built all the way out to I-95. Lots of nice golf and airport homes that have flooding problems in the heavy rainy season. The previous post (Otherside 1) had it right. No Industry. Few jobs and the jobs they do have pay nothing. Sure you can get a great deal on a home for 130,000 to 165,000 but then you can't afford to keep it up. That's the Daytona-South Daytona area. Port Orange runs 175,000 to over 265,000+ And if you can keep it up because you retired with a good retirement income I assure you your neighbors don't have that option, so the neighborhood deteriorates. Crime is rampant. All the low lives, Black, White, Hispanic, Martian, whatever are always keeping the police busy. What ever happened to 3 strikes and you're out! When we were young repeat offenders went away for a long time and troublemakers were escorted out of town. I saw it happen. I also saw chain gangs working on the county and town roads. Nobody cared about their feelings or self esteem. The liberal rot in the legal system was starting when I left Daytona in June of '76. It didn't matter if the powers that be were Democrat or Republican. Just read the local newspaper (Daytona Beach News Journal) on line, you'll get the idea. It's really a pity. All areas have their problems but looks like it's Palm Coast, St Augustine or (God forbid) the west coast for me.

Check out the space coast. Melbourne is a similar size to Daytona but that is where the similarities end. Better shopping, much better economy and cleaner, less touristy beaches

[Snuggles01]

So do I understand that Daytona Shores is bad and dangerous or what?