To evaluate Volusia County’s quality of life, you’ll want to consider its natural, economic, social and cultural offerings. And then, residents say, look beyond all that to the really important stuff: the essential character of the people.

Most people here agree on the big-picture quality of life elements. In Volusia County and Daytona Beach, a depth and breadth of choice is evident in every area, from music and art, to recreation and sports, from dining to shopping; and you don’t have to be over-burdened with money to enjoy many of these things. Housing is affordable, traffic is light, most attractions are reasonably priced (many are free), and getting out and doing things is easy.

“This is an unparalleled area for a high quality of life.”
~ John Albright,
President & CEO,
Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co.

John Albright, president and CEO of Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co., says Daytona Beach has all the backbone elements of a small city and many other advantages you might not expect to find, such as direct flights on large planes to Charlotte, New York and Atlanta, easy access to major interstates, universities offering continuing education, and two large hospital systems.

“In addition, there are miles of beachfront that you can access easily, and an environment that provides people with all kinds of recreational opportunities,” Albright says. “We have unique assets available to those living and doing business here.”

Music would be at the top of many people’s quality of life list.Think of Daytona Beach music and you think of the Allman Brothers, and lately, of Florida Georgia Line and Brian Kelley, or Kaleb Lee of “The Voice.” Music is in the city’s DNA, with great tribute bands playing free concerts all summer long at the historic Bandshell on the beach, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona where Harley lovers gather, and at Victory Circle at One Daytona.

Clubs, restaurants and museums, too, are alive with music throughout the year, as are festivals celebrating everything from kites to classic cars to cats. In fact, there are more celebrations and festivals than weeks in the year. For international music stars, it’s the Hard Rock Hotel, the Peabody Auditorium, Ocean Center and the Country 500 Music Festival.

Classical music is alive here, too. “The Daytona Beach Symphony Society has brought classical and modern music, dance and opera to the Daytona Beach area since 1952,” says Shirley Okhovatian, board member and past president of the Daytona Beach Symphony Society. Outreach programs offer young people, seniors, and those with special needs a way to experience these world-class performances.

Athletes and sport fans enjoy a wide variety of amateur and pro options. Golf Digest named Daytona Beach one of the top 15 places for golf in the country, with great weather year-round and a choice of championship private and public courses. The Ladies Professional Golf Association chose this as its international headquarters.

In June, football fans saw the 2018 Super Regional Combine at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium and also watched the Stetson Hatters knock it out of the park in DeLand as they advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals. Fans of minor league baseball catch the Daytona Tortugas, the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Whatever the watersport,it’s here, with a choice of the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and inland lakes and rivers. Boats of all kinds and sizes are offered for rent at marinas, fish camps and most parks, letting residents discover the many unique ecosystems of Volusia. Offshore, scuba dive among artificial reefs, explore sunken wrecks, or charter a fishing boat and land that sailfish. For a land-based water experience, there’s the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, where everybody loves the stingray touch pool.

City, state and national parks are tucked into unexpected spaces: some as primitive as when the Timucuan Indians lived here. Some with historical oak trees reminiscent of Civil War boat works, others with remnants of Seminole Indian wars, sugar mill plantations and indigo farms to explore. Gemini Springs, Blue Spring or DeLeon Springs, where you can make your own pancakes from stone-ground flour at a tabletop grill in a historic mill. In Tomoka State Park, shelter in a hammock of live oaks, see a 40-foot shell midden created by long-ago Indian inhabitants, and see the 45-foot statue of Chief Tomokie, created by the late artist Fred Dana March. Art — natural and man-made — is an integral part of life here, with the Museum of Arts & Sciences, Daytona Beach, the primary art, science and history museum in Central Florida. The Root and Brown families, long-time Volusia residents, have played significant roles in supporting the museum through the years. The Root Family Museum, within MOAS, features restored railroad and antique cars and the largest collection in Florida of Coca-Cola memorabilia. New on the MOAS campus is the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art, with the world’s largest collection of Florida-based art.

The Ormond Memorial Art Museum, the Casements, former winter home of John D. Rockefeller, and many others offer not only art but historical perspectives. The Mary McLeod Bethune home, the Halifax Historical Museum, and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum are only a few of dozens. Head west to the Museum of Art — DeLand, and to DeBary to see historic DeBary Hall.

Many people who could live anywhere choose to live here. “My husband, Mori, and I moved to Volusia County to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,” says Forough Hosseini, chair of the board of trustees, Daytona State College. Mori is chairman and CEO of ICI Homes. “We elected to build our lives here because of all that Volusia County has to offer. We valued that our community is home to many colleges and universities. Our cultural scene is as worthy as that found in many larger cities,” she says. “This jewel of a community is wrapped in beautiful, clean sandy beaches and fresh air. Where else could we have moved and be blessed by such qualities?”

Treasures South and North

As enthusiastic as Daytonans are about their town, they aren’t alone. Get on the road west to DeLand or south to New Smyrna Beach, and you will find two places with distinct personalities and happy residents.

New Smyrna Beach is often described as quaint and laid-back, a quieter place known for the Canal Street Historic District, local restaurants such as JB’s Fish Camp and the Grille at Riverview. What truly sets it apart, however, is the art scene, comprised of the Atlantic Center for the Arts, which offers residency programs to well-known artists in every discipline, and a breathtaking complex offering public performances and exhibits. Complementing ACA are Harris House, The Hub on Canal and the Arts on Douglas galleries, with new exhibits on the first Saturday of the month, and a reception known for its wine, local shrimp and spirited atmosphere.

DeLand, to the west, is the Volusia County seat and home to Stetson University, where lectures and concerts are offered in beautiful Elizabeth Hall, named for the wife of famed hat maker John B. Stetson, an early school benefactor. Their home, the Stetson Mansion, built in 1886, is open for tours.

Downtown DeLandis an award-winning Main Street community, dotted with owner-run specialty stores, galleries, antique shops and charming oddities such as Chess Park. It’s the site of classic car shows, art shows and performances in the nearby Athens Theatre, a 1922 jewel of Italian Renaissance architecture.

Venture beyond DeLandto the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, where believers and the simply curious are welcome. Blue Spring State Park is a manatee refuge, and the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, a living history destination. Byways, cruises on the St. Johns River and treks through the Big Scrub sand pine forest are favorite ways locals enjoy the outdoors.

Easy business and day trips to all parts of Florida are another advantage of Volusia’s central location. St. Augustine, just a hop away, takes you back to 1565, the year of its founding. Set out on foot over cobblestone streets into Old Town, or take the sightseeing trolley, and visit dozens of historic sites, such as the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth.

South of Volusia, the Space Coast envelops the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the southern end of Canaveral National Seashore, for prime bird watching. Nearby is the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, where space exploration, past and present, comes alive. Theme parks are close by too — Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Legoland, Sea World Florida and many others. All in your Volusia backyard.

• How much do Volusians value the environment? Enough that voters approved passage of the ECHO property tax in 2000 to support Educational, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor programs. “Every corner of the county has been positively impacted by this program,” says Pat Northey, former Volusia County Council chair. To date, the grant program has awarded $76 million for more than 190 projects, including Jackie Robinson Ballpark, beachside parks such as Andy Romano and Smyrna Dunes, a dog park in Ormond Beach, Athens Theatre in DeLand, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and DeBary’s Gateway Center for the Arts.
• Bird-watchers find this a perfect place to fill in the blanks on their life-list of birds. On the beach, at sea, in the mangroves, on Hontoon Island State Park, at Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge and in the northern sector of Canaveral National Seashore, binoculars are a must.

What is the character of Daytona Beach?

The tale of Brownie the Town Dog may give you an idea. Brownie, a stray, lived downtown from 1939 until 1954. He had no owner, and was loved by the whole city. He lived in a custom dog house, had a bank account at Florida Bank & Trust, and liked to eat steak and ice cream. He is at rest in Daytona’s Riverfront Park, a plaque marking his place. In June of this year, a bronze statue was added, because people still remember and still care. That’s Daytona Beach.