Orange City, Florida has some wonderful…and some not so wonderful things that you might need to consider before moving here. I’m a local Realtor® that’s lived in this area for many years, so I’ve come to accept Orange City for what it is. I hear some rave about how wonderful it is. Then I hear others that do nothing but complain about Orange City. Today I’ll be addressing a few PROS of Orange City, and then I’ll be addressing some of the CONS of this little suburb of Orlando.

PROS

So, let’s jump right into what I believe are pros of Orange City, Florida. I believe the first pro of Orange City is the location. Orange City on the south side of Deland and just 30 or 35 minutes north of Orlando. Deland is what I’d call the biggest little small-town in our area and it’s got all sorts of charm along with Stetson University, the airport and all sorts of housing options. Orlando has pretty much everything that every large town has-noise and congestion, commerce, and all that, but they’ve also got nightlife, the Mouse and all those attractions, and Orlando International Airport, which is about 50 minutes away.

Unless the stars are aligned just right and you can catch a flight out of Sanford, you’ll likely have to go to Orlando International Airport for most flights out of our area. Daytona and New Smyrna Beaches are just 35 minutes to the east, and Orange City is really the local hub for shopping for all of the surrounding towns, so you can see that Orange City really does have quite a bit to offer from the perspective of location.

Sticking with location, the SunRail is a commuter rail service that runs from down south of Kissimmee through Orlando, and the current plans have the last station up in Deland. While there is not a stop here in Orange City, the Debary stop is just down the road and with a short car or bike ride, you’re getting a traffic-free, inexpensive ride to Orlando.

Another pro of Orange City is the cost of living. Although taxes here in Volusia County are right around the median for the state and everyone seems to be fussing about them lately, the cost of a housing is relatively affordable. The median sale price of a home this month as I record this video, is right around $280k here in Orange City. For perspective, Orlando’s median currently sits at around $380k, Sanford is at $358k, and Deland, Orange City’s neighbor to the north, has a median sale price this month of right around $345k, or $65,000 more than right here in Orange City. It should be noted that they’ve got more neighborhoods up there with pricier homes in general, but that’s still quite a bit of difference to me. Although Orange City does have some white-collar commuters that head down to Orlando, for the most part, Orange City is a blue-collar town, and the overall cost of living is reflective of that.

Orange City does have a wide variety of home choices as opposed to say, Deltona, which is Orange City’s neighbor on the east side. There are plenty of newer communities with homeowner’s associations, but there are also plenty of similar homes without those homeowners’ associations. There are even some similar style homes with a country feel over in the Highlands and you can get a home with a few acres at a comparatively reasonable price, too, many of which aren’t too far from I-4, the connecter between Daytona, Orlando, and Tampa. However, if you’re wanting a luxury home, even say, something in the $700k to $800k range, your options are limited.

While I don’t typically comment on the schools, back in the day my children went to University High School and they both had great experiences. Some of my customers have spoken highly of the elementary and middle schools in the area, too. However, go online and check out the grades of the schools to see if the Orange City schools are right for you as these grades DO change over time.

Because it’s likely the only DESTINATION in Orange City, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note Blue Springs State Park as a pro of Orange City. This little park on the St. Johns River has some amazing natural springs that swimmers, snorkelers, divers, and kayakers get an up-close look at some of the most beautiful of Florida’s springs. The 72-degree water feels great in the summer and the manatees pretty much take over in the winter, and they’re a really cool thing to check out.

Orange City also has the Poker room, which is something that I haven’t been to, but there’s a lot of chatter about it and their parking lot, which is MASSIVE is ALWAYS packed! I’m told they’ve got table games, tournaments, and a bar and grill in there, too.

CONS

Although I’ve probably heard it all over the years, I believe the greatest complaint that I’ve heard about Orange City is that there is nothing to do IN Orange City. Yes, Orange City does have some grocery stores and a few chain restaurant and shopping options and Blue Springs State Park, but that’s about it. Yes, that ride to Orlando IS just 35 minutes, but you’d better be on your knees praying that I-4 isn’t stacked up with traffic or you could spend well over an hour. Deland, Orange City’s neighbor to the north does have MORE options, but Deland is a SMALL town, so how many times are you going to Downtown Deland? Maybe you’re living in Michigan and think that you’ll just pop over to the beach after work. Nope, we all thought before we moved down and very few of us actually do.

I noted before that there’s plenty of restaurant and shopping options, but you won’t find them in a downtown per se. Orange City’s commercial business is pretty spread out across Orange City, so it isn’t like anyone ever says “let’s go down to Orange City, grab a drink and hang out”. If you want to do that, you’ll need to head up to Deland. You could also head down 15-20 minutes into Sanford as they’ve got a really nice downtown district and Debary is working on getting their downtown area going too, but I’m not aware of any such plans for Orange City.

The next con of Orange City may surprise you. Orange City is inland, and while that could be a pro if you’re worried about hurricanes, which is about .001 percent of the time, it’s HOT here in the summers. We don’t get those ocean breezes this far inland. This morning I think the weatherman said it was supposed to be like 96 degrees, and there’s NO rain in the forecast today, but we’ll still have the humidity. Here in Orange City, the only way to beat the heat is to either stay in your air conditioning or get down to Blue Springs and get in that water.

While it’s NOTHING like it is down in Orlando, traffic IS becoming a real thing here in Orange City. 17-92 runs through the heart of Orange City and, while traffic seems to be worsening everywhere, it seems like it’s hitting Orange City worse than other local cities, except maybe for Debary to the south. When pulling out onto 17-92, I’ll sometimes go out of my way, a mile or so, just to be able to turn left at a traffic light because of that traffic. The local residents here in Orange City aren’t happy about how long it’s taking to get from point A to point B and they’re complaining about the safety issues, not to mention how the small-town feel is being impacted with all these lights and traffic.

I’ve been in this area for many years, so if you have any questions on Orange City or are thinking of buying or selling a home anywhere in Volusia, Seminole or north Lake county, please give me a call or send an email.

Published on August 01. 2023 / Tags: #Deland, Orange City Real Estate, Volusia real estate market / no comments.