The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-07-28

conferred a boon upon the travelling.
public just the same
| Orlando is one of the thriving plac-
es of South Florida and is keeping
fully abreast of the movements that
are focusing the eyes of a large part
of the world on Florida.
! It's palatial homes and it's pictures
que lakes give it the peculiar Florida
charm and makes it almost impossi-
! BILE of duplication elsewhere 1t has
some very fine hotels, splendid
schools, up-to-date stores, number
of fine newspapers, garages and all
the accessories of a progressive city.
Orlando, according to the census, is
| larger than Ocala and its citizens are
entirely loyal to it and pull together
in all matters that concern it's well
fare and when this is done success
is written on its portals everywhere.
The distance from Orlando to San
ford is twenty-five miles and the road
is good
In going from Orlando to Sanford
one passes through Maitland and
Altamonte Springs two extremely
pretty places. We did not know be-
fore that small places could be made
so beautiful but these South Florida
towns are certainly exquisite in their
avtarna1 charms
The style of architecture, the
trees, which the woodman has hap
PLY spared, the grounds. the flower
gardens, the lake fringed with hand
some homes, is the picture that
meets the eye of the autoist as he
makes these south Florida towns.
We next reached the celery city"
sometimes called Lucky Sanford"
Its development has been as mar
velous as some of the stories that
atrach to our bonanza kings. Prop
erty values crawled out of sight. in
very little while and Sanford
achieved a name that has become
familiar wherever, celery is appreciat-
ed.
Sanford has more paved streets
than the county site and is measuring
strength with Orlando for commercial
superiority
So far as we could remember there
are no towns along the road we
travelled between Sanford and De-
Land and in a good roads contest it
would not carry off the prize.
We crossed the st. Johns river at
Sanford The approach to the fiat is
very precipitous and several auto ac-
cidents have recently been narrowly
and miraculously averted
Next to Daytona, DeLand is one of
the prettiest of the smaller towns of
south Florida.
It's avenues are broad. its trees
majestic, it's homes models of beauty
and comfort, its hotels and stores
are attractive and John B. Stetson
and Stetson University have given
DeLand a national reputation. The
college buildings are large and COM
modious and the school is annually
growing larger Another big build
ing is now being erected. DeLand is
tourist town. and along advertising
lines it has been helpful to the whole
state.
The distance between DeLand and
Daytona Beach is twenty-five miles,
and were it not for fifty or more lit
tie bridges built with abrupt APP
proaches, and without regard for
automobiles, it would be a fairly good
road. Heards of cattle make it
TRUSTING place and they give the road
with as much reluctance as some
sure enough people.
Daytona, is beyond all odds entitl-
ed to the medal for being the pref
! test town in Florida. For natural
beauty, Ridgewood avenue has no
parallel in the United States and
great wealth and exquisite taste have
J DeSu IdNISnoO upon the uOmSS Thai
adorn either side of it. In des-
cription of it all the adjectives can be
exhausted without eXaggerating its
beauties.
| Daytona Beach is across the Hall
fax river and its inhabitants are
lulled to sleep by the music of the
oceans roar. We know of nothing
more refreshing than a plunge in its
depths. 1t is tonic and is alike good
| for physical and mental fag.
Daytona Beach is due east from
Ocala and as the crow flies is only
ffty-six miles. By way of Orlando it
! is one hundred and sixty-aix miles and
the road is bumpy and jolly for a
large portion of the way. In places
| it is hazardous.
If a good road were built direct
from Ocala to Daytona Beach the
distance could be shortened to