Mom2TwoBes

I live in Daytona Beach, and admit that it is a great place to visit if you love sunshine, the beach, and lots of speciality tourist events (Bike Week, Speedweeks, Spring Break, etc.). Daytona, however, is not a good place to live if you are working professional, are raising children, or if you desire a city with a strong cultural influence.

The job market here is horrible unless you are a college student, customer service rep, or a laborer. White collar professionals who do manage to find a job here are often shocked at how low paying the jobs are. The salaries in Volusia County are the lowest of any other county in the entire state, so don’t expect to get rich in Daytona – no matter what your profession. Most professionals are forced to commute to Orlando or Jacksonville to find job opportunities, and with it comes a horrendous 60+ minute commute to work (each way). And many people spend at least 3-4 hrs commuting each day since Orlando traffic is gridlocked and the transportation system cannot accomodate all the traffic.

Unless you love NASCAR or Harley Davidson, you’ll quickly find that there is little to nothing to do in Daytona besides lay on the beach. Since Daytona’s economy is heavily tourist-based, the community is severely lacking in permanent cultural attractions for the locals. Although things are improving in this area, it is going to take many more years for Daytona to even be on par with other cities of similar size. There are a number of ok bars in the area, but only 1-2 good clubs if you are a nightclub kind of person. Most young adults end up heading to Orlando to dance.

The schools in the area are subpar without a doubt and the school system is so desparate for teachers that many of the individuals who are hired have the right degree for the job, but clearly lack the finesse, experience, and aptitude to actually teach. Although there is a decent IB program here, many students graduate (if they do) with skills that fall short of graduates from other cities. Just look at our test scores… you’ll agree.