Crystal Lake - Port Orange, FL

The Legacy at Crystal Lake neighborhood encompasses part of Port Orange, which has a long history as the land of the Seminole and Timucuan Native Americans before being turned into the New Smyrna Colony in 1768. It was a plantation area with cash crops for a long time. Then, in the 1800s, the area changed its name to Orange Port and then to Port Orange since the previous name was already taken by a different city. The new settlement was based around freed slaves who influenced the culture of the area.

The area around this neighborhood has the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach. Its arts scene includes the annual Port Orange Art Fest, an annual jazz festival and ArtHaus, which produces exhibits and classes, and holds an annual street-painting festival.

This area has independent restaurants located just outside the neighborhood, mostly along Nova Road. You have close proximity to Thai Noodle City, Age's Lounge, and a few chain fast-food restaurants. Residents find more options closer to the city centers of Port Orange and Daytona Beach.

To experience one popular choice in the area, go to Daily Grind Burgers, which satisfies the biggest burger craving with monstrous patties, buns made on site and the choice of various toppings. Pick the usual toppings, or dress up your burger with more exotic options such as hickory or garlic ketchup, guacamole or picante. Choose your side from regular fries or something different, such as sweet potato fries or hash brown casserole.

For your pizza fix, check out Louie's Pizza House with a full menu every day, plus an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch on weekdays. Try the huge lasagna that seems to take up your entire table as you indulge in house-made tomato sauce. After you finish your main meal, dip your garlic bread into the leftover sauce for an after-dinner treat.

Taste a variety of Asian cuisines at Leanh's Chinese Restaurant, which serves Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food along with Chinese. Get everything from egg rolls and wontons to Mongolian beef, Moo Goo Gai Pan and Singapore Noodles. This restaurant can also create dishes for vegan, gluten-free and other specialty diets.

You have a few nearby options for going out at night as well. South Turn Lounge and Restaurant features wings, wings and more wings. Make sure to indulge in a plate full of curly fries topped with cheese and bacon bits for an appetizer that acts like a meal. Chicken wings arrive at your table huge, plump and juicy. Everything at this place has huge portions, and the happy hour specials keep customers coming back for drinks.

Houligan's Spirited Sports Grille has two bars, although the flavorful grilled Wally Wings really draw the locals. For a better nightlife scene, you have Razzle's nightclub, the 509 Lounge and many bars in Daytona Beach.

When you live in this neighborhood, you travel it by foot, bike or car. This small residential community has sidewalks for walking and allows for safe bike riding, although it doesn’t include bike lanes. Nearby Nova Road does provide designated bike lanes. The neighborhood has parking for residents and guests, but not for the public.

You need a car to get to work, shopping and dining areas. This neighborhood's location near Nova Road makes it convenient to get to other main roads, including International Speedway Boulevard. If you want to take public transportation, nearby highways Clyde Morris Boulevard and Nova Road have bus stops – one sits on Clyde Morris Boulevard right at the end of the neighborhood’s main road. You can't hail a cab from the street, but residents can call area cab companies, or use Uber to have a car pick them up.

The area in and around this neighborhood lacks parks, but you can travel just a little way to parks in Port Orange or Daytona Beach. A short drive brings you to Memorial Park, which includes a lake with a walkway around it and provides a friendly space to bring your dogs. For sports and a playground, head to City Center Sports Complex or Coraci Park. These free parks do not hold annual events.

When you live in Legacy at Crystal Lake, you pay an average of $827.61 in rent for a one-bedroom place, which falls lower than the average in Port Orange. The bus costs $1.50 to reach the Port Orange city center, and gas prices sit at 6 percent lower than the national average. A local pub charges about $3 for a beer.

With this apartment complex nestled in a residential area, you need to drive to one of the highways such as Nova Road to find shopping. Most of the stores in this area include independent boutiques and specialty stores, with a few chains, such as the Dollar General nearby. You find more high-value stores than high-end stores in this area.

Some of the nearby specialty stores include Amazing Aquariums and Color Wheel Paint. You also have a mall in Daytona Beach and many chain stores along State Road 421.

For groceries, residents have nearby Big Tree Market & Cafe, which sells some groceries on the side of its restaurant. You also have Sam's Fresh Produce and chain places, such as Publix and Wal-Mart Supercenter. For a farmers market, go to nearby Daytona Flea & Farmers Market.