So, you’ve heard of this little town of Deltona, Florida and maybe you’ve heard something good or something bad about it. Well, I’ve lived and worked in this area for many years, and I do see both good AND bad sides of this little suburb of Orlando. Today I’ll be sharing some basic information about Deltona as well as those good and bad sides from a local’s perspective. I’m Chuck Shaver of the Shaver Group with Keller Williams Heritage Realty and I’ll address several topics that you’ll need to know if you’re considering moving to Deltona, Florida.

What is Deltona?

Deltona is the most populous city in Volusia County with around 95,000 people. Deltona is primarily just a large residential community made up mostly single-family residences, many of which are situated around one of Deltona’s many Lakes.

Where is Deltona?

Deltona sits on the north shore of Lake Monroe in Volusia County, just north of Sanford and South of Deland, Florida. It’s located along I-4 about 30 minutes (without traffic) north of Orlando and 35 minutes west of New Smyrna and Daytona Beaches and about 2 hours to the beaches on the west coast of Florida.

Residential Components of Deltona

Single Family Homes – Deltona is basically one great big residential community and doesn’t have a huge variety as far as variation of income levels and styles of homes. In the early 60’s, the Mackle Brothers’ marketing, much of which was to northern states, attracted people to Deltona for their small, low-maintenance homes. Today, these homes are still popular here and many of these 2- and 3-bedroom homes are less than 1,200 square feet and have a similar style about them.

Deltona is primarily made up of these Mackle homes and 3- and 4-bedrooms homes, mostly on ¼ acre lots and from 1,200 square feet up to about 2,200 square feet. There are a couple of sections of Deltona that are a bit pricier, but today the average home in Deltona is selling for just under $300,000, which is a good value when you consider that just across the St. Johns River Bridge to the south of us in Sanford or Lake Mary, a similar home could cost you an extra $50k. In the last 90 days since I recorded this, one home closed at just $40,000 and the most expensive home in Deltona closed at just $561,000.

HOAs – There are a few homeowner’s associations here and I believe only two or three gated communities in all of Deltona, each of which may still be priced just a little higher than the other homes here in Deltona.

Condos – There are just a couple condos here. My favorite is the Lakeside and Edgewater Condos down on the south side off of Providence. These are currently maxing out at around $180,000 and it’s the location that I love most about these. The Sunset Gardens Condos are not too far from there and they’re close to I-4, but I personally think they’re not as nice as the Lakeside and Edgewater Condos.

Acreage – If you want land, maybe space for some horses, Deltona doesn’t have much for you. Out on the east side of town is Summerfield Farms, where you can get some acreage. But as a whole, there isn’t much of anything for you to spread out here. If you’re looking for land, you’ll probably need to head a bit further east into Osteen, where it’s a bit more rural. It’s priced pretty well out there, too and still just a short ride to Orlando.

New Construction – It seems like Deltona has someone building a home on just about every street. New homes in Deltona tend to be more affordable than just across the St. Johns River Bridge in Sanford and Lake Mary. Most of the building here is done by small investors, but DR Horton is building out Courtland Park off of Doyle in the Southeast corner of Deltona. It’s a community that is supposed to have about 197 homes starting in the $360’s and should be finished up by summer 2023.

Need an apartment? Deltona has very little in the way of apartment living. If you’re looking for an apartment, you may be better suited heading down to Sanford or up to Deland or even over to Orange City. However, Integra Myst is a 9-building, 4 story apartment complex of 301 units that is scheduled to be completed up near the Amazon Fulfillment Center on North Normandy.

Manufactured homes – Deltona has very few manufactured homes, and I cannot think of even one mobile home community or RV park, although there’s got to be something here.

What businesses does Deltona have to offer?

As I noted earlier, Deltona is a residential community. Yes, there is a Winn Dixie and two or three Publix Grocery stores, a Lowes and a couple restaurants (shout out to the Cocky Rooster), but here in Deltona, people head over to Orange City, Deland or Sanford for restaurants or shopping. There is not really a “downtown” or a business district here at all.

The Amazon Fulfillment Center opened in 2020 and that’s brought a TON of jobs to Deltona. It’s a huge place with like 1.4 million square feet. In that same area is the new Halifax Hospital and a movie theater. However, by the time you read this, things could’ve changed quite a bit as there’s a good bit of land clearing and chatter about new business activity off of I-4 on the north side of town next to Deltona High School.

One thing I do love about Deltona is the parks – they’ve got a ton of them. Wes Crile is one of my favorites. They have baseball fields, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, a splash pad, a playground, racquetball courts and all kinds of good stuff. Dewey Boster is another one that’s really nice. They have July 4^th celebrations there too. There’s even a really cool skate park in Deltona.

The Cross Volusia Trail on the south side runs from up in Deland and is supposed to run all the way to the east coast. It’s a great trail to walk, bike, or roller blade (or whatever). Green Springs is a nice little gem along that trail that’s a nice place to stop and chill out for a minute. The Lyonia Preserve is a great place with about 360 acres of trails through the Florida Scrub. There, you may see endangered Scrub Jays fly right up to you. Of course, there are many more parks, this gives you an idea of what Deltona has to offer.

Why would someone move to Deltona?

1. Many people move to Florida for the weather. Our coldest weather here is usually in January when we may get a freeze or two, but the average lows are around 48 degrees with average highs around 70. That sounds great, but in July and August, the average overnight lows are in the low 70’s and the average highs are in the mid-90s. Yes, that’s smokin’ hot, but SO many people here have swimming pools, and we have springs with 72-degree water flowing out of them. The beaches are just 30 to 40 minutes away, so it’s pretty easy to get relief from the heat.
2. Location. Many Deltona residents commute to Orlando, Sanford, or Lake Mary to work, and that ride isn’t too bad, although the Orlando traffic can get ugly. In Deltona, we don’t care too much what time of day it is because traffic just isn’t that big of a problem here. There are many restaurants and shopping just 15-20 minutes away in Orange City or Sanford. Being able to have your toes in the sand on the beach in under an hour is a price nice thing too! We’re just outside of Orlando and just inland of the beaches so if you’re freaked out by hurricanes, the distance between Deltona and the beaches DOES make a difference! Disney, Sea World, and all the other Orlando attractions are all under an hour away as well.
3. The cost of living here in Deltona is pretty good, although it does seem to have picked up a good bit in these last couple years. We have no state income tax and an older article I read indicated that Deltona was one of the 10 lowest tax rates of the 50 largest cities in Florida. Some research I recently did showed that central Florida sits just below the national average for the overall cost of living.

Why would someone NOT move to Deltona?

1. There is just NOTHING to do here IN Deltona. People here LIVE in Deltona and DO things elsewhere. You may have picked up on that earlier here when I noted that everything to do was close by, but that’s because there’s nothing to do HERE IN Deltona.
2. I noted that the overall cost of living was low, but the gas taxes here are among the highest in the area per that Kiplinger’s article I spoke of before.
3. One thing I personally hate about Deltona is the spaghetti bowl of streets. There’s almost nothing that goes straight from one point to another and after being in and around Deltona for over 20 years, I still use my GPS when I go almost anywhere in Deltona. It’s true that I have no sense of direction, but I never go into Deltona without my GPS and that just isn’t the case in other nearby towns.

What are the local schools?

Currently, Deltona residents are zoned for three high schools: Deltona High School, Pine Ridge High School and University High School. I believe there are just three middle schools for Deltona: Deltona Middle, Galaxy Middle, and Heritage Middle School; and there are probably 7 or 8 elementary schools. However, zoning for these schools is always changing, so if you need certainty with any school information, check out this link. There are also some private schools in Deltona and Daytona State College has a campus off of Providence Boulevard right next to City Hall.

How about crime?

I’m not an expert on crime rates and I encourage everyone to do their homework online. Here’s a link I believe is a pretty good resource for determining crime rates of any area. Check it out!

As you can see, Deltona is a bit different than the neighboring cities, and that it has both what I consider to be some good AND not so good characteristics. If you’re thinking of moving to Deltona, or if you have questions about the area, feel free to contact me or Kyla directly.

 

 

 

Published on June 24. 2022 / no comments.