So you’re thinking of moving to Deland, FL. Where do you start? Or Maybe you don’t know where Deland is or even what it is. I’m Chuck Shaver of the Shaver Group with Keller Williams Heritage Realty. I’ve been in the Deland area for many years and, although this guide is not a comprehensive guide to this little town in West Volusia County, it should give you a good idea of what it has to offer. Read on or watch my video.

What is Deland?

Deland is a suburb of Orlando with about 40,000 people sitting mostly along the east side of the St. Johns River and is the County Seat of Volusia County. The first settlers in Deland likely arrived during the Seminole Indian War. But they really started filing in after the end of the Civil War. Henry Deland visited Deland first in March of 1876. He appreciated that the land he saw here and noted that the land looked like the West. He loved the orange groves, prospered, and gave a bunch of money to the community, so they named the town after him.

Where is Deland?

Deland is about an hour north of Orlando, 30-45 minutes from Daytona and New Smyrna beaches and about 30 minutes to Sanford and Lake Mary. We’re surrounded here by Orange City, Deltona, Lake Helen and De Leon Springs.

Why move to Deland?

There isn’t really a lot to do in Deland. We do have a wonderful downtown shopping area with restaurants and we’re close to the St. Johns River, the beaches and Orlando. There are plenty of great restaurants (we’ll talk more about that later), a theater and some commercial activity, most of which is up on the north and east sides of town. Real estate is moderately priced here and many homebuyers come to our area seeking refuge from the higher prices of Orlando or even the beaches. I believe we have a small-town feel, but we still have Walmart, Lowes, and some other establishments that you typically only get in larger towns.

Residential Components of Deland

Country living: The west side of Deland runs generally from McGregor Road up into Glenwood and this area tends to have larger parcels of land. The northern section, Glenwood, has many parcels with several acres, and it is an area that many locals really seem to like. There are primarily single-family residential areas and homes tend to be more private here. The upside to this the northern section (Glenwood), is the country feel, the downside is the distance to I-4. The Volusia County Spring to Spring Trail runs through Glenwood and makes this area especially desirable for those who enjoy walking or cycling without the noise that you may find in other areas of Deland.

Manufactured home parks: There are several manufactured home parks, too many to mention here, but they generally provide inexpensive living and are pretty-well kept.

Subdivisions: There are numerous subdivisions here in Deland and I won’t try to cover them all here. However, there are several subdivisions that have lot sizes between ¼ and ½ acre throughout Deland that have either no homeowner’s association or that have one that is less restrictive. Most of these subdivisions were built between the 70’s and the 2000’s although there is plenty of new construction occurring as well. Most new construction tends to be on smaller parcels and have more restrictive homeowner’s associations.

Lake County: Deland IS Volusia County, but there is also a section of it located in Lake County, along highway 44 and highway 42, which gets you up near the Ocala National Forest. This area is really country and manufactured homes abound over there on the west side of the St. Johns River.

Daytona Park Estates: Daytona Park estates is an area northeast of town off of International Speedway Boulevard with a country feel as there are still a few dirt roads up here. The advantage here is that it is very close to Daytona Beach and homes tend to be more reasonably priced in this area. Most of the lots are a quarter to half-acre lots.

Historic District: Deland has a magnificent historic district that is right near downtown. Most of these historic homes started being built in the early 1900’s and Deland has done well to keep these homes looking very nice. This area is pleasant to walk through, especially at Christmas when it’s decked out with all the lights.

Victoria Park: Victoria Park is a planned community with homeowner’s associations throughout it. There is WAY too much to go over here, so I’ve created a special video just for Victoria Park. Be sure to check it out!

Condominiums: Deland has several condominium options, most of which are on the north end of town and most of them are for those over 55. They’ve been here for many years.

Apartment communities: There are several apartment communities here and most of them have been around for some time, we don’t really have the growth in this area that they’ve seen in other areas like down in Orange City, but there are plenty of them here.

Restaurants

Enough about housing, let’s talk about what everybody REALLY wants to know about, where do the locals EAT around here? After all, Deland has several great eateries. I’ll address a few of them, but this is surely NOT a comprehensive list.

1. 1. Santorini’s Greek restaurant in downtown. Everyone loves this place. Great food, great service and it’s right downtown. I love the lamb shank-it’s usually enough for two.
   2. Odom’s Thai. Best Thai food EVER! The food here is great, especially the pineapple fried rice!
   3. Anthony’s Pizza down off of Orange Camp. The best pizza in town, only challenged, in my opinion, by Angelina’s right across the street. The rest of their menu is also great, but I’m always eating pizza when I go to Anthony’s.
   4. Emmy’s Time Out Tavern out near the tracks on the west side of town. This one isn’t really one of MY favorites, but everyone else around here seems to love the food. The atmosphere takes me back to the 60’s.
   5. Forno Bello. I know, another pizza place…but I LOVE pizza! The eggplant, and the Brussel sprout pizza is fantastic! This is more of a specialty type of pizza place, but I’ve never been disappointed here. Like Anthony’s, the rest of their menu is also fantastic.
   6. Manzano’s has the best sandwiches in the area and it is a great place to stop for a quick bite right downtown, although sometimes the lines to get a sandwich can be a problem if you’re in a hurry.
   7. Of course, Deland has a few chains including: Chick fil A, McDonalds, Wendy’s and all that, but those are surely not destination locations unless you’re….like 7 years old.
   8. I hate to stop there as there are several other great places to eat here, but I could probably go on all day about where to eat this is cute little town!

Business

Deland has a vibrant Main Street downtown. There are numerous small businesses here and it’s nice to walk along this area for restaurants, catch a play at The Athens Theatre, or for shopping and chocolate or an ice cream cone from Pat & Toni’s. But Deland also has an industrial area up by the airport and there is some manufacturing activity, which also provides for many of jobs for our area. We also have a Tractor Supply and I believe 4 or 5 grocery stores.

Schools

Deland is the home of Stetson University. This beautiful campus is located just north of downtown and is a private university that was founded in 1883. The DeLand campus is home to the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, School of Music, and most graduate programs.

Of course, Deland has several schools for primary education. Deland High School, Southwestern and Deland Middle Schools, and several elementary schools. For their ratings, check them out online at greatschools.org as this is a handy site to quickly compare schools from various cities.

Healthcare

Deland has the AdventHealth system on the north end of town. If you lived on the south side of town, you could also consider Halifax Health in Deltona or AdventHealth in Orange City, but you’re pretty well covered in this area. We have several assisted living facilities here in Deland providing a wide range of care options. The Alliance Community is located close to downtown and I believe they offer a wide variety of services.

Entertainment

So, what is there to do here in Deland? Although Deland is a small town, there are some options, especially when you consider our proximity to surrounding attractions.

1. 1. Watch the skydivers. Skydiving is big business here in Deland and my family and I have spent many sunny afternoons having lunch at The Perfect Spot watching them parachute safely to the ground.
   2. The St. John’s River runs through Deland and incorporates several lakes in our area that are desirable for fishing. People come from all around to fish for Bass and Specs here or to head over to the beaches or Mosquito Lagoon, my favorite place to spend a day, for Trout, Redfish or Snook. Of course, in just 30 to 45 minutes you could be on a boat for a day of deep-sea fishing for just about anything under the sun.
   3. Oh yeah, some people like to spend a day at the beach, which is only about 30 minutes from Deland. It’s not my gig, but many locals enjoy nothing more than spending a day sitting on the beach taking in some rays.
   4. Downtown Deland regularly hosts all sorts of festivals and events which can be nice. The Athens Theatre is a part of Deland’s history and is one of a few theatres in the area where you can catch a play. Downtown also has a Museum of Art.
   5. Orlando is the big city in these parts and it offers everything that other big cities do. Of course, they’ve got Micky Mouse and all the attractions about an hour’s ride down I-4.
   6. Deland also has several parks, the big one being Earl Brown Park. Earl Brown has basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, a pond with walking trails and the Sanborn Center sits next to it, which is a nice event center for a small city like Deland. Earl Brown regularly hosts special events as well. Freedom Park up off of Stone is a great park for the kids, we’ve spent many hours there when ours were younger. Lake Beresford Park is another favorite of mine, this one also has biking, skating and walking trails, playgrounds and pavilions, but it is much more rural in nature. This is a great place for afternoon walk or a nearby hike. There really are just too many parks here in Deland to even begin to cover them all.

As you can see, Deland is a wonderful little town with many reasons to move here. Although it isn’t a cultural mecca, the downtown area provides for a little of that, if that’s your thing. Housing is generally affordable here and there are a wide variety of options for whatever you may be looking for. It isn’t the activity capital of the world, but you could argue that Deland is located right in the middle of everything you could ever need with its proximity to Orlando and all the big city activity and the beaches. The hometown feel is something that most people here desire and I believe that should you move here, that you’ll appreciate it too. If you have questions, please reach out to me directly.

Published on October 11. 2022 / Tags: #Deland, #delandfl, #Downtowndeland, athenstheater, victoriapark / no comments.