Orange City

By Jessica McCormick
FORMER STAFF WRITER

Orange City may be small (about 7 square miles), but it still plays an important role in West Volusia.

Nestled between DeLand and DeBary, the city is home to numerous banks and local and national businesses, with its commercial prospects still growing. This concentration of small and big companies creates an invaluable business corridor for West Volusia — Orange City is even the home of the Chamber of Commerce of West Volusia.

But Orange City also manages to clearly convey its warm, small-town ambience with quiet neighborhoods, a weekly farmers' market, and a reverence for the town’s past. More than 125 years old, Orange City cherishes its history. Its historic district is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the city dedicates itself to preserving old homes and parks so future generations can see how the city has grown and changed.

And speaking of parks, Orange City has plenty. From tiny Dickinson Park at the corner of Graves Avenue and U.S. Highway 17-92, next to the public library, to the 2,700-acre Blue Spring State Park (where visitors can swim and canoe in the warm months, and spot manatees in the winter), the city offers plenty of recreational spots for members of every generation.

Playground areas, tennis and basketball courts, and baseball, football and soccer fields await families at Valentine Park. Walking trails beckon at Marshall Park. And even shuffleboard aficionados have a spot of their very own at the Shuffleboard Complex.

Nature lovers will enjoy Mill Lake Park, a 20-acre natural preserve. And our growing senior-citizen community has a great place to meet friends and stay active at Wava's Hall, Orange City’s multipurpose senior center.

Having moved to Orange City in 2004 after graduating from Stetson University, I am still exploring everything the city has to offer. But, so far, I am really appreciating what I have discovered.

I am glad to live in my low-key neighborhood. As a film fan, I love having a movie theater not 10 minutes from my house. I don't have to even leave my city to visit major stores like Target, Home Depot (or Lowe's) or Kohl's, and finding a restaurant is certainly not an issue. And, for a tree-hugger like myself, having a park like Blue Spring State Park nearby is a truly great thing.

Orange City is the spot for me.

— info@beacononlinenews.com

Jessica McCormick is a former staff writer for The DeLand-Deltona Beacon and lived in Orange City from 2004-2007. She currently resides in Tampa.

Enjoyed this article? Subcribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!