birdpix

Close to just about anything in Daytona Beach, with the airport, mall, and beach only a few miles away, this mainland location offers mostly 50's and 60's era houses made of concrete block and was once a fairly prestigous upscale family development.

Winston Park was one of the "modern" developments in Daytona back in the 60's, so there is a lot of bungalow homes and some that look straight out of the Brady Bunch, but it is now a nice working class family area with a decent percent of retirees. It was an early family subdivision in Daytona that inspired places like nearby Fairway Estates later, but homes here are much less expensive.

The street is very convenient for public transportation, with Nova Road and Votran bus access right at the end of the street. The traffic flow in the development is minor, with the wide grass traffic median used by area kids for playing. There is a mix of families and retirees on the street, with slightly more retirees, with most homes and lawns usually kept very neat looking. Not a lot of traffic on the street, mostly just residents of the development.

House values on the street are lower than many areas of the mainland as most homes are smaller (1000-1400sq.ft.) and have carports instead of garages, so this is a good street to find a lower priced starter home or retirement house.

Schools in the area still leave a lot to be desired. The middle school had a reputation for being overcrowded, very tough and urban. The highschool just opened a huge brand new building, and is a very large school. There are private church schools close by on US-1 and further north on Nova for grades PK-8 that are popular choices for those who can afford that option. There are several daycare centers very near for working parents of little ones.

Shopping is convenient with 24 hour drugstore, malls, grocery stores, and convenience stores all within quick driving distance. Eating out offers a wealth of choices with a lot of fast food and sit down eateries withing a mile or two.

For the most part, it is a safe street, BUT there is a low rent 80's apartment complex that backs up to backyards on the North side of the street and there are pretty frequent crime issues in that complex, so homes on the South side of the street may be considered safer. Our family had a wedding reception at a house on the North side of the street a few years after the apartments opened and while the newly wed couple opened gifts in the living room, we had no idea some criminal scum were watching everything through the the back windows from the apartments across the back fence. When the party was over, my aunt ran to the corner store with her baby son and came back less that 15 minutes later to discover her back door jammed open and thieves still in her home. She escaped safely but lost a lot of irreplacable family items like her jewelry box to the break-in. Since then, the apartments have gotten even worse, so home security and an alarm system are not bad ideas for added safety.

Having had two different family homes on this street over several decades, this street which was at one time almost all retirees has changed some in the last 10 years or so as aging homeowners have passed and homes have either been sold, rented out, or been moved into by relatives and family of the original owners. There are a couple rental homes that have tend to be occupied by younger, lower income types who usually do not stay in the area for long, so you never know who will end up in those few homes and when it's not someone good, they usually are gone within 6 months or so.

There are several younger (mostly 30-somethings) couples and families who now live here, as well as a few rental homes that attract an even younger resident. But there are still slightly more older, established retirees on the street which gives the street a nice "look" to it with most home well maintained and neat looking from the street. There are some children on the street who are usually well-behaved and only seldom seen in the front yards or street playing, which is a good thing safety-wise as there tends to be a fair amount of non-resident cut-through traffic doing the 1/4 mile drive from A1A to Penninsula Drive at speeds over the safe posted speed limit.

This street is one of a few streets in a tiny section of Daytona Beach that are in a weird zoning area - despite the "Welcome to Daytona Beach Shores" sign you pass about 3 blocks NORTH of this street, the street itself is actually in Daytona Beach, and not "the shores". The nice part of this is that you will pay less for homes not being part of "the shores" proper, but the street looks and feels like one from "the shores". The (very slightly) bad part is that you are in Daytona Beach, so your police response will come from Daytona, and not the (closer, smaller, and more responsive) Shores Police Dept., although you will have Shores and Beach Patrol police vehicles driving on Sunrise and down Shultze many times a day as they use the street to turn around from thier patrols on A1A. Speeding on A1A in particular is enforced with a vengence by the shores police dept. and since A1A at the END of Park Ave. is considered "the shores", watch your speed with great care anytime you are on A1A as they look for an excuse to pull folks over and will nail you for a couple mph over!

High-speed internet is available with cable, but the other widely advertised option of broadband wireless service is NOT. For some odd reason, this street is in a "nearly-dead zone" for the local wireless broadband and they will sign you up for it only after they come out to your specific home to test signal strength. One neighbor who had it briefly had nothing but service issues with it, so cable is the best bet for broadband internet. Phone lines are notoriously bad in this area as there is constant salt corrosion issues being so close to the beach, so dial-up is often hit with very slow-connection speeds.

Speaking of the beach - it's at the end of the street, but you currently have a few hotels in the other side of A1A, so other than glimpsing it through the parking lot of the Castaways, you'll have to go (only) 2 blocks north to the beach approach which allows access to the beach. This is a driving section of the beach, and usually lower-traffic than areas to the north nearer Speedway Blvd. and Main Street area. During "special events", the beach and A1A are both impacted by heavy traffic, but street residents know to only use Penninsula for North-South travel and Dunlawton for beach-mainland access at those few weeks of the year when traffic is an issue.

There are plans for a LARGE condo complex to be on the other side of A1A at the end of the street, with the few remaining hotels bull-dozed and talk of putting in a parking garage/retail shops across the street actually on Sunrise and between Shultze and A1A with a walkover. These were rumors heard by a reputable beachside concession owner, but this is Daytona, and the over aggressive developers are all starting to change thier plans as the real estate and condo market has begun to cool after years of skyrocketing madness. However, the same company that owns all the big Oceans resorts, Bahama House, and the now-vacant (and reputed demolition-bound) Treasure Island also owns the entire block of land off Sunrise and between Shultze and A1A, and only this past year demolished the lone home that stood on Sunrise in that section, so that may be a sign of things to come at the end of the street.

This is a nice street where most folks know each other and watch out for one another. Crime is low, but it IS a beachside street and has it's share of transients and nearby local petty thieves always looking for crimes of opportunity such as open car doors and things left in plain sight outside, so just use good common sense and lock your doors and be aware of things. It is not an unsafe area at all, it's just going to be slightly more vulnerable to things like petty thefts with the extra pedestrian and bicycle traffic it gets. We have a single, senior relative living on this street currently and her safety from crimes is never a worry - it's a nice, safe street.

House prices are HIGH being on the beachside, although starting to soften with the rest of the state and country, but not as quickly because they are on the beachside where real estate is alway higher priced. Remember that not only is real estate more expensive on the beachside, but insurance is UNREAL for hurricane/flood and homeowers as most homes on this street are 1950-1960 era and insurance companies hate older homes near the ocean! Also remember that the constant salt spray coming from the ocean at the end of the street will EAT things away in short order - expect about 7 years before your outdoor Central A/C unit has to be replaced due to corrosion, and paint jobs on cars usually start to show damage in a few years unless garaged and washed often to counteract the salt damage. Painting has to be done more often (a major US paint company used to test paints for fading just a couple miles south of here for many decades) but it's all part of the price to live in paradise.

One minor note to conside also - if you are really bothered by any airplane noise, find another street. It's not like living right next to and airport, but the currently empty Treasure Island hotel which sits on A1A between Sunrise and Park Ave. is about 2.5 miles due East from the end of the longest main runway at Daytona Beach airport and there is a constant flow of airplanes overhead on most days as the winds usually run east-west and you will have planes taking off or landing depending on which way the winds are going. There are only 4 or 5 airline flights a day from Daytona Airport and they are smaller "regional jets" but you do hear them. One of the largest pilot training schools in the world, Embry-Riddle University is located at the airport as well, and they have a fleet of about 100 planes that is in the air almost constantly most days with training flights. Daytona is one of the heaviest general aviation (small planes) airports in the country due to the training done there, so if the buzz of little planes drives you nuts, look elsewhere. During special events, race weeks in particular, the race teams and corporate sponsors all fly in with impressive private jets and the evening/morning after a big race can get busy with jets headed back up North. There is a LOT of extra airplane traffic during special events - so much that the airport closes one runway and uses it for parking all the visiting planes!

An older beachside street with a mix of retirees, families, and beach vacation renters. Less expensive than "The Shores" but the same quality of life!

Since the condo craze has hit Daytona, the eastern (ocean) skyline view has been blocked with one completed massive high-rise condo and an even larger one is planned for the near future where the abandoned Treasure Island hotel sits at the end of Park Ave., which sure cuts into the formerlly enjoyable pretty ocean sunrise sky views.

A nice street in general that is close enough to the beach ramp for walking and also close to a bridge (Silver Beach/Orange Ave) in case you ever have to evacuate for a hurricane.

Since they closed the scooter rental store at the end of the street, there is less "drive-thru" traffic on the street, but it's still common to see non-residents speeding down the street cutting from A1A to Penninsula.

Home values have skyrocketed here in recent years almost as fast as the unreal insurance rates (beachside+old houses=ouch!) and property taxes. Still a decent value for beachside property when compared to other cities, and this street may be located in Daytona Beach, but it feels more like a street in Daytona Beach Shores.

Crime is not as bad here as it is a bit more to the north, but there have been home and car break-ins and petty thefts, so keep your doors locked and eyes open. There are a fair amount of homeless and area youth who walk the area who look for opportunity. Not a dangerous or violent area by any stretch of the imagination - just a beachside street with transient traffic that one needs to be aware of. Our family has had a neighbors home burglarized, a garage broken into more than once, and things stolen from the backyard in 15 years there.

There are some nice residents on the street and the area is friendly and open, so get to know your neighbors!

What an awesome little street to raise a family on!
A small cul-de-sac, this street is a safe place for kids to play in the street and yards as everyone watches out for everyone else and thier families safety, so it's common for kids to use the street as a play area. Which is fine, since anyone living on the street knows they do that and are very careful to watch out for them all when driving on the street.

A super friendly and open street, with neighbors who generally know each other by name and spend time socializing with each other as well. Nice, real people who enjoy life, family, and weekends. There is a nice, large city park, CENTRAL PARK, with a small lake and excercise trail as well as a playground that is just around the corner from this street and in easy walking distance.

We lived there for 7 years and LOVED it, and miss the street and people on it since moving to a new area that is nowhere near as friendly or open. It was a place that always felt like home and welcoming.

The beach is about a 5 minute drive away, and there is plenty of dining and entertainment in Ormond and nearby Daytona Beach. Shopping is plenitful! Hopsital(s) and medical offices are all around the area as well. This part of Ormond is out of the main "event traffic" for special events in Daytona pretty much, so the pace of life is a lot more relaxed in general.

Kudo's to Ormond Beach for being progressive thinking for those who work from home or have a home business. Ormond makes home office biz occupancy permits a simple form and 50 dollar annual fee, with no hassles. (Unlike some other cities and counties nearby.)

The only real downside of this street is that it is located in a "special hazard flood zone" (most expensive insurance) and the street can get underwater in a heavy rain. We lived there 7 years and it never came up to the house, although it did make it partway up the driveway and it was impossible to get in or out of the street unless you had a large truck or van. In 2005, they changed drainage practices and that flooding issue got a LOT better, with the street draining very quickly usually. Being in a low-lying area though did make cell phone reception poor and forget getting tv signals without cable or satellite.

We would move back to this street in a heartbeat, and miss it and the nice folks who lived there since moving.

Still a lot of empty lots on street, with several completed homes still for sale or rent. Prices have fallen as Palm Coast real estate market crashed after unreal growth and speculation frenzy a couple years ago, and there are a lot of great deals to be had on houses already completed by builders left holding the "spec" bag. Many sellers unable to sell in a market loaded with empty homes have turned to rental for short term cash flow, and the prices for rentals here are MUCH less than just 10 miles away in Ormond/Daytona area and you're getting a new house to rent and good value for the dollar.

Mix of older retired couples and young families, with an overall friendly vibe on the street and no "problem" houses, but is lacking the warmth found in older, established areas. Most everyone smiles and waves as you drive by, but we're been here almost a year and barely have met our neighbors despite trying to introduce ourselves to several right around us. No one is hostile, just kind of a "mind your own business" street in general.

Renters occupy about half the street and I think there is some natural fear/distrust between homeowners and renters, which is sad as not all renters are bad people!

Only a few families on the street with kids, although a recent move-in added teen children who spend a lot of time on skateboards in the street with buddies, and there are some younger kids at play on bikes as well. For the most part, everyone on the street seems aware of the kids at play and keeps an eye out for them while driving on the street.

Speaking of driving on the street - there are NO streetlights in this area and streets are DARK at night. Couple that with odd designed streets with (unmarked) grass medians on only parts of the street (usually right after a curve too) and driving at night can be trying. You must also be on the lookout for wildlife as well.

My wife has had to stop for deer crossing many mornings on her way out to work, and we have seen deer, wild pigs, armidillo, rabbits, snakes, and the usual assortment of Florida bugs around the area.

The area in general is nice and peaceful, UNLESS they happen to be building one of the new homes on one of the dozens of currently empty lots around you. In that case, expect to be treated to the constant "beep-beep-beep" of bulldozers and other construction gear from 7am-sunset for several months per house. It it is being built really close to you, further expect long days of latino spanish music from the boombox that construction workers play every darn day, and always too loud.

I actually like the area in general and for the price, the value was impossible to pass up when compared to old homes just a few miles down the road in Volusia County.

It is in an area called SEMINOLE WOODS for a good reason - you are in the woods with pine trees everywhere. There is a huge new retail complex planned for SR100 and Seminole Woods Blvd. in the future, but at the moment, it is 6 miles to any fast food or shopping. Very isolated feeling compared to more suburban/dense/populated Volusia County. Hospital is already at SR100, so that is a good thing!

One of my biggest concerns is that Palm Coast in general is NOT a small/home business friendly area, AT ALL.

Designed to be a retirement community before the real estate market morphed it's development, it still holds on to stringent old-school home association style rules that make even a simple home office (talking about just a computer, desk, phone- no walk-in customers or impact on street traffic!) occupational license an expensive fiasco involving a lot of expense, multiple inspections, and revealing your private information to neighbors via a yard sign notice! Positively stone-age home biz policy when compared to other more cyber-savy progressive communities who get the new economy where people work from home on thier computers, and all you do is pay a 40 dollar license fee and they issue you a paper, no muss and no fuss. NOT the way it's done here, so check the Palm Coast website if you are working from a home office or (God Forbid!) drive a work vehicle home at night that has signage on it.