Holly Hill

Within 5 miles of Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach, Riviera is a neighborhood where neighbors often know each other well and where some residents have lived their entire lives. It reflects the spirit of the surrounding city of Holly Hill. In the community of 13,000 people, no one is too hard to get a hold of — not even local leaders. In fact, Mayor Chris Via lists his cell phone number on the city website. “You can call me directly,” says Via, who lives in the Riviera neighborhood. “You can call the police chief directly. You can’t get that level of service in any other city. We pride ourselves on being citizen-centric.” Riviera is a primarily residential neighborhood of nearly 700 homes, centered around a country club with which it shares a name. Members and non-members alike tee off at Riviera Country Club. Golf Magazine ranked the 18-hole, par-71 course among the 10 best in the Daytona Beach area. As the name suggests, Sunrise Park offers a riverfront spot to watch the sun emerge over the horizon. The public park 2 miles from Riveria also features a playground, fitness court and a fishing pier. South of the neighborhood, locals play on 49 outdoor and covered pickleball courts at Pictona. One of the nation’s largest pickleball facilities, Pictona is used for open play and organized tournaments. The city’s Pictona facility is used for more than pickleball matches. The championship court is where the community hosts live concerts, from dueling piano performances to throwback tribute bands. Whether it’s a 600-player pickleball tournament or a high school graduation, Pictona serves as the heart of the area’s event scene. The neighborhood’s homes surround Riviera Country Club, but they’re not extravagant houses sometimes seen along private golf courses. Rather they’re largely midcentury ranch homes, and the median size is a modest 1,400 square feet. Houses sit close together on snug lots with Spanish moss-cover oaks and palm trees dotting some yards. Trains occasionally roll along the nearby tracks, though houses are buffered from the rails by at least 500 feet of forest. Prices for two-bedroom homes start in the mid-$100,000s, while a three-bedroom house with a screened-in pool may cost around $375,000. Children attending Volusia County Schools can start their education at Holly Hill School, half a mile away. The school teaches prekindergartners up to eighth graders, receiving a grade of C. Teens can advance to Mainland High School, 6 miles south of Riviera. Students at the B-rated school can earn the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education, a rigorous college preparatory curriculum developed by Cambridge University in England. The neighborhood is home to United Brethren in Christ Academy, ranked the fifth-best private high school in the county by Niche. Local dive Rowsey’s Pub occupies a corner in Riviera. Out back, the pub’s beer garden provides an outdoor lounge space complete with a fire pit and hot tub. Less than a mile east, businesses line Ridgewood Avenue. Here residents can shop at Dollar Tree and Holly Hill Pharmacy or grab empanadas at Arroz Con Leche restaurant. On the west side of the neighborhood, shoppers pick up groceries at Walmart Neighborhood Market. When Riviera residents need to visit the hospital, they can access AdventHealth Daytona Beach 4 miles away. Given Riviera’s location near the coast, floods and storms are possibilities. Swaths of the neighborhood are in federally designated flood zones, though FEMA reports the annual chance of flooding is 1% or less. Sections of Holly Hill flooded in 2022 after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole made landfall in Florida, but they were to the east and south of Riviera. In recent years, Holly Hill has invested millions of dollars into its stormwater system to mitigate flooding, Via says. Countywide transit system Votran operates a bus route that stops in Riviera along Flomich Avenue. However, cars are the primary way to get around, and nearby U.S. Route 1 extends throughout the east side of Volusia County, with businesses and neighborhoods along either side. Seven miles away, planes depart for seven U.S. destinations from Daytona Beach International Airport. For a wide selection of flights, locals can hop on Interstate 95 and drive 80 miles to Orlando International Airport.