56 HOMEBUYER // CENTRAL FLORIDA EDITION
In Volusia County, the Hatch
Seafood Company is one of many
colorful eateries near the 175-foottall
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. In
DeLeon Springs State Park (below
left) is the Old Spanish Sugar Mill,
which is also a rustic restaurant
where you can make your own
pancakes.
WINTER SPRINGS
Sandwiched between Casselberry and Lake Jesup, the city
got its start through agriculture, as did other Central Florida
cities. Settlers transported their products across Lake Jesup
to Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. The city originally
was called North Orlando, with about 600 residents. Today it’s
home to more than 36,000. One of its signature events is the
annual Scottish Highland Games.
VOLUSIA COUNTY (VOLUSIA.ORG)
Population estimate: 538,692
Number of housing units: 260,524
Median value of owner-occupied homes: $149,900
Mean travel time to work (in minutes): 25.4
Median household income: $43,838
This county likely marks off most must-haves on relocation
checklists: Good schools, outdoor recreation, miles of clean
beaches, historic communities and new homes. There’s even a
town — Cassadaga — famous for its large number of psychics and
mediums.
But it doesn’t take a fortune-teller to see growth in Volusia’s
future.
The Forbes 2017 List of Fastest Growing Cities in the country
ranked the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Metropolitan
Statistical Area, which includes Flagler County to the north,
at No. 4.
STATISTICS: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, AS OF JULY 2017
/(VOLUSIA.ORG