Pros and Cons of Living in DeLand, Florida

I get calls from people all over the country asking about moving to Deland, Florida. They usually want to know what Deland has to offer, but sometimes they want to know what’s NOT SO GOOD about Deland, Florida. So today, I’ll be addressing some of the pros, and then I’ll be addressing some of the cons of moving to the Deland, Florida area from a local’s perspective. Then, at the end, I’ll be addressing one “sticky” issue that everyone almost always asks about.

PROS

Let’s jump right into why someone WOULD want to move to Deland, Florida. The weather is usually the reason that most people move to Florida, they’re just over shoveling, or driving in the snow. The winter months are the best here in the Deland area, when high temperatures reach the low to mid 70’s and the lows are in the 40’s.

Deland is a large, small town…or maybe it’s a small, large town, I’m not really sure, but it’s NOT a large town. Deland surely has a small-town feel to it. The people are friendly, mostly blue-collar folks, there’s not much pretentiousness here. There are quite a few retirees, but there’s surely a well-diversified group of people here.

Being the county seat for Volusia County, Deland’s downtown has all sorts of events throughout the year. The Artisan Alley Farmers Market on Friday nights is a great little event, but they’ve got bigger events like the Deland Art Festival, music festivals, and all sorts of great things to do here.

Deland’s location just 30 minutes or so from New Smyrna and Daytona Beach is a huge reason why so many move to Deland. We’re just 45 minutes north of Orlando, where there are all sorts of jobs and everything else that a large city offers. Disney, Epcot, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, water parks, and…I could go on and on, are all less than an hour away. St. Augustine, America’s oldest city and a great day trip, is about an hour and 15 minutes away and Deland is about an hour and 45 minutes from Jacksonville. Downtown Sanford is about a 30-minute ride.

Traffic isn’t really a thing here, although it has gotten worse in recent years. There’s like ONE traffic light in Deland that you might have to sit through twice to get through, and that’s usually on Thursday or Friday during the afternoon rush hour. But as a whole, it’s quiet here. Deland is the anti-New York City, or any other big city for that matter.

The cost of living here in the Deland area is generally better than in surrounding areas. Home prices here in Deland, and in neighboring cities like Orange City, Debary, and Deltona, are lower than those over at the beaches or down closer to Orlando. You’ll generally get more bang for your buck here than you will anywhere else in the area.

There’s really nothing to the north of Deland for miles and miles aside from De Leon Springs, the Ocala National Forest and country roads. It’s a 30-minute ride west before you get to Eustis or Mount Dora, which are similar in nature to Deland.

The State of Florida has no state income tax, and the state as a whole is right around the national average for cost of living. Our taxes in Volusia County are relatively high in comparison to other Florida counties, but as a whole, it’s pretty inexpensive.

To sum all this up, Deland offers a great location right in the middle of so much, with a small town feel and affordable living. I absolutely LOVE Deland, and I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t love it. However, I’ve been working as a local Realtor® here in the Deland area for over a decade and I’ve lived here in the area for over 25 years, so I DO KNOW that Deland is NOT all rainbows and unicorns.

CONS

I spoke of the great winter weather as a pro of Deland earlier here, and that still stands, but the weather in the summer is a definite con in my mind. In the middle of the summer, high temperatures stay in the mid 90’s and the humidity is oppressive. Yes, you can hide from the heat in the air conditioning, swimming pools or over at the beaches, but don’t think the weather here is perfect all year round.

Hurricanes are a thing, too. Although Deland is inland enough that the punch of the hurricane is often diminished, don’t think that hurricanes don’t come here. Several years back my power was out for over a week, and we had trees down all over the place. No, it doesn’t happen every year, but it DOES happen.

I received a call just the other day from a couple that lived in Anaheim California. They lived right in town next to Disneyland and Angel Stadium, and I was sort of intimidated, because Deland just cannot compete with all that. Now, it ended up that all that hustle and bustle is EXACTLY why they were leaving and considering Deland, but that’s not the case for everyone.

Before I get to the last couple cons, and that ONE issue everyone asks about, if you’ve got real estate needs anywhere here in Central Florida, just pick up the phone and give me a call.

If you’re looking for nightlife, then Deland is likely NOT for you. Yes, Deland has a wonderful downtown district and there is SOME nightlife as Deland is the home of Stetson University, but if you’re coming from a big city, be aware that you may not find that type of activity here.

It’s not just nightlife either. I recently had a medical procedure for which I had to go down to Orlando for. I ended up sitting in the I-4 traffic, which was like a parking lot, for about 30 minutes. It’s not that Deland doesn’t have numerous medical providers, but occasionally we still have to go down to Orlando. I said earlier that Deland is just 45 minutes from Orlando, but that’s IF you don’t get stuck in a traffic jam on I-4.

Deland has some great restaurants, and we eat here often, but Deland does not compare to that of Orlando. If my wife and I are considering eating out, we’re often considering Sanford, heading down to Orlando or over to New Smyrna Beach. Downtown does have some great options, like the Athens Theatre and Stetson University does offer some other cultural opportunities, but as good as it is, it’s still NOT Orlando.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Deland, but Deland offers ZERO hills, beaches, or the beautiful forests or scenery that you may have elsewhere. The St. Johns River is beautiful, but there isn’t much beyond that. Deland has a beautiful historic district, and its downtown is usually clean and well-kept, but it isn’t like you’re going to Deland for aesthetics. For that, you’ll need to head over to the beaches. Is it better than Orange City, Deltona, and Debary? Yes, it is, but it’s surely not a destination for aesthetics.

Crime is an issue that just about everyone asks about because I believe crime is everywhere. According to crimegrade.org, Volusia County is in the 82^nd percentile for safety, meaning that just 18% of US counties are safter and 82% of US counties are more dangerous. Is that perfect? NO. Is it better than average according to this website? You bet it is!