Determining whether it’s better to move to Debary or Orange City, Florida isn’t as easy as it might seem. I’ve been in this area selling homes here for many years, so I can tell you that these cities have much in common: however, they ARE NOT the same. Today I’ll be comparing and contrasting these two cities up on the north side of Orlando, Florida.

Let’s jump right in with some similarities. First, they’re both located at the southern end of Volusia County, Florida and the residents of Debary AND Orange City are complaining about the massive growth they’re facing. They’re both split in half by highway 17-92 and run along the banks of the St. Johns River, and they’re both bedroom communities for those commuting down to Orlando or over to the beaches.

Debary and Orange City are both primarily single-family residential home communities with a few manufactured home communities sprinkled in, and Debary has Gemini Springs and Orange City has Blue Spring. So, there are A LOT of similarities.

Since we’re talking about moving to Debary or Orange City, let’s address what it costs to buy a home here. The median sale price of a home in the last month since this writing was $324,500 in Orange City, whereas the median price of that same single-family home in Debary was about $360,000.

The higher prices in Debary can be attributed to the higher number of neighborhoods with higher price points. Neighborhoods like Debary Plantation, Glen Abbey, Riviera Bella, and Rivington, among others, tend to have higher price points than those just north in Orange City. Many of these are estate style homes that can get pricey. Some of these communities offer golf courses, gates, or even St. Johns River access that they just don’t have in Orange City.

Does this mean that there aren’t nice homes in Orange City? Not at all. Orange City simply has less homes inside neighborhood boundaries with those homeowners’ associations that are so prevalent in Debary. Many homebuyers don’t want the restrictions of homeowner’s associations and the costs that are associated with them.

Some of Orange City has a bit more of a country feel to it. It’s not hardcore country, redneck, or anything like that, but there are some dirt roads around and some wooded plots of land that offer privacy that Debary offers so little of. Orange City’s West Highlands is a large community of homes with a few roads that haven’t been paved yet, and there’s a lot of homes that have been newly built in the last couple years.

If you’re considering a new construction home, there are plenty of options, and as I record this today, Debary has 44 homes available while Orange City has just 25. The big difference between these is that almost all those Debary homes have required homeowners’ associations, whereas the majority of those in Orange City don’t. There are plenty of homes in Debary that don’t have homeowners’ associations, it just seems like Debary is more defined by those communities.

If you’re thinking about moving to Orange City, Debary, or anywhere else here in the Orlando area, pick up the phone and give me call. We get these calls all the time and we enjoy helping out.

Census.gov says that Debary’s population is just under 23,000 people, whereas Orange City is much smaller with just under 15,000 people. The city of Debary is about 3 times the size that of Orange City but is apparently growing much more slowly than Orange City. From a local’s perspective, I don’t really see that difference. They both seem to be busting at the seams.

As of today, there isn’t much to do in Debary, whereas Orange City has all sorts of restaurants, medical offices, shopping, and all that. While I just released another video on the best restaurants in Debary, there just isn’t much of a commercial presence in Debary. Although Debary has a downtown district in the works, which could be fantastic, it simply isn’t ready today. Today, Debary just has more of a sleepy feel to it.

The millage rate, which is measure of the tax rate, in Debary last year was 2.92, which I believe is the lowest in Volusia County, while Orange City’s 7.79 is the highest in the county. This seems like a big deal, but I haven’t really heard too many complaining about the expense of Orange City AS COMPARED to that of Debary. Maybe it’s the lower cost of Orange City’s housing that offsets that? I’m not certain.

Published on May 03. 2024 / Tags: Central Florida, DeBary Living, Debary real estate, Debary Realtor, Moving to DeBary, Orange City, Orange City Real Estate / no comments.