Seven Miles…

That’s the distance from my home to work. It has been amazing to watch as the trees come down and new homes, apartment buildings, storage units, businesses, the new local mall, and the Outlet Mall consume the space on the northern end of Williamson and Clyde Morris as well as all areas surrounding them.

On the way to work, I casually counted seven newies in the seven miles area. One day someone on Facebook referred to the Daytona/ Ormond area as the new New York. That brought a smile to the face, imagining our tourist location becoming like the former capitol of the United States! Now I gulp each time I see another apartment complex under construction… and again when finished and cars are parked in all the spaces. Wow.

I decided to look us up and see what the world thinks is happening here. From Forbes magazine: “Volusia County, FL–The Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach area has been listed among America’s fastest-growing cities in 2017. According to Forbes, the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area ranked 4th on their list as an area in the U.S. experiencing surges in growth.”

That is information from 2017. I’ve really been behind the times. It’s been happening the last four years. We actually have changed along with what we notice and what we commit to memory. Adding years could have something to do with it, though 2020, the Pandemic year, deserves a lot of blame.

The latest changes in the Daytona/Ormond area is the widening of streets and adding access to all the new buildings.
We were here when they were planning the fantastic Daytona Speedway that brings so many to the races… and now, for even more events. Now we have Daytona One.

We were here when Palm Coast was planned and built. We were here when Port Orange grew to a fine city and when the south end of Williamson grew and added a new kind of mall. As a result, morning and afternoon traffic has increased many times over.

As to whether or not this will become a southern New York, growth the last four years actually has changed what we notice and what we commit to memory.‎

If this area becomes a southern New York City, big and busy, it remains to be seen. I always liked it the way it was. I like it the way it is now and will wait and see what the future brings.

Kitty Maiden is a staff writer for Seniors Today.