Elements of Urbanism: Daytona Beach
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/467364050_a24HJ-M.jpg)
A look at the urban environment of Jacksonville's coastal neighbor to the south: Daytona Beach.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/1003
very nice photo set
I used to live there and worked for the City of Daytona Beach. I used to think the place was such a dump. US 1 on the mainland was in terrible, run down condition.
Daytona is not my favorite place to go but the photos look great.
Daytona is still kind of a hell hole, but it's gotten exponentially better since I was a kid. I remember when MTV stopped coming for Spring Break in '92 or '93 â€" that was a sign the city needed to improve its image.
Kind of reminds me of Fort Lauderdale and/or Sarasota with a little of West Palm Beach trickled in all rolled into one; but I am sure there are some areas that were not photographed that are not good if some of the posters say that Daytona Beach is not that good of a place to live. I haven't been there in over 15 years but when I used to visit, I really enjoyed myself; but that was when I used to drink and hit the bars.
Heights Unknown
Neat info. Out of curiosity, who are the famous Jacksonville citizens?
Excuse me; "notable inhabitants".
For your perusal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Jacksonville,_Florida
Very cool... Thanks Doc!
Nice tour!
I lived there through my childhood until '98. I remember the boardwalk had become a skeleton of what it was before I left. It also seemed that the construction boom really kicked off around '98 as well. The new water park, new condos, Ocean Walk, expanded Marriot (Adam's Mark), expanded Ocean Center, city garage, new performing arts center, speedway area improvements, and a plethora of landscaping/streetscaping took place.
As a kid the "beachside" was pretty dormant, development wise, but the yearly masses still flocked to Daytona for Bike Week, Spring Break, BCR, and Race Week. As a whole, the area has gotten much better. Infill and redevelopment has helped to fill some gaps in the Main Street area as well as the downtown. I'd say Daytona has been making some solid steps forward in cleaning up its image.
Also, add Ron Rice to the notable list. He technically lives in Ormond Beach, but he is the founder of Hawiian Tropic. He has an amazing beachside estate just north of Granada on A1A.