text:
Live Oak, Florida

Live Oak is a city and the county seat of Suwannee County, Florida, United States. The city is located at the midpoint between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. As of 2020, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,735.

U.S. Highway 90, U.S. Highway 129 and Interstate 10 are major highways running through Live Oak.

Freight service is provided by the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which acquired most of the former CSX main line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019.

It is served by the Suwannee County Airport as well as many private airparks scattered throughout the county.

There is also a community named Live Oak in Washington County, Florida.

19th century
Built along the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad in or prior to 1861, Live Oak was named for a southern live oak tree under which railroad workers rested and ate lunch. When a railroad depot was built nearby, the small community that sprang up around it was called “Live Oak Station” (first mentioned in records in 1861). The tree was located at the site of the present-day Pepe's Mexican Grocery on U.S. 90. During the Civil War, the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad served as a vital route for parts of North Florida. Defensive earthworks were built where it crossed the Suwannee River west of Live Oak, to deter Union attacks. These earthworks still exist as part of the Suwannee River State Park, one of Florida's first State parks.

In order to ease supply problems into other parts of the Confederacy, the Confederate government decided to create a north–south railroad link into Georgia through Live Oak. The railroad junction was completed in early 1865. It was too late to help the Confederacy, but it opened up the interior of the county to settlement in the postwar period.

An infamous resident of the town was Lewis Powell, one of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. At the age of 13, he had moved with his family from Alabama to Live Oak. He lived there until the age of 17, when he lied about his age to enlist with the 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment in the Confederate army.

In 1868 the legislature designated Live Oak as the county seat of Suwannee County. An election held the following year confirmed Live Oak as the county seat, and it has continued in this role. Live Oak was incorporated as a town in 1878. In 1903, it was incorporated as a city and was the largest community in Suwannee County. It served as a minor railroad hub for the region.

During Reconstruction, Live Oak suffered extensive violence by white supremacists against Black citizens. They attacked and assaulted Blacks to discourage their voting, to maintain dominance, and to expel Blacks from the community.

20th century
In the 1905 State census, Live Oak was the fifth-largest city in Florida (behind Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tampa, and Key West, in that order), and the largest inland city. Nearby resorts at Suwannee Springs and Dowling Park (formerly Hudson-upon-the-Suwannee) drew thousands of visitors from around the world to the sulfur springs and related nearby sports, boating, and hunting activities. The health benefits of the springs were touted in magazines and newspapers worldwide, supposedly curing everything from arthritis to “female problems”.

During the first decade of the twentieth century, Live Oak saw a construction boom. Notable buildings such as the Suwannee County Courthouse, Live Oak City Hall, and Suwannee Hotel were completed. Dozens of fine two- and three-story homes were erected along the major streets. By 1913, the main streets were bricked and a sewage system had been built.

Live Oak was surpassed as a destination when explosive growth occurred in south Florida. At the same time, people lost belief in the healing power of sulfur waters. Cotton crops were devastated by the boll weevil near the end of the First World War, which nearly finished off the economies of the city and county. Business stagnated with the coming of the Great Depression.

But, despite their relatively small populations, Live Oak and Suwannee County remained politically powerful for another four decades. The white and rural-dominated state legislature had resisted the required redistricting that would follow demographic changes throughout the state. Finally, after a United States Supreme Court ruling in 1964 for "one person, one vote", the state legislature redistricted. Southern Florida received its due in the number of state and congressional representatives to reflect its greatly increased population in relation to other areas of the state.

Ruby Strickland, former postmistress of the community of Dowling Park, was elected as mayor of Live Oak in 1924. She was the first female elected as mayor south of the Mason–Dixon line after universal suffrage was enacted in 1919. Strickland served two non-consecutive terms and represented the area at the Democratic National Convention of 1936.

In 1940, the men of the local National Guard unit, Company E of the 124th Infantry (historically called the Suwannee Rifles), were mustered into service for one year of training at Camp Blanding, Florida. A week after the December 7, 1941 surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the unit was assigned to the 31st Division at Fort Benning, Georgia, to serve as a model infantry training unit. The unit was briefly deactivated in 1944, but reactivated the following month after many of the original men had been dispersed to other units; members served in both the European and Pacific theaters of war during World War II.

Florida National Guard historian Robert Hawk noted that, "In the course of the Second World War, no unit of the Florida National Guard had more men killed, wounded in action, or dead from other causes than Company E, 124th Infantry." The Live Oak unit was reorganized several times over the years as infantry, tank, and engineering companies; as of 2019, it served as the 868th Engineer Company. The unit has purportedly been called up to serve more than any other unit in Florida.

In 1944, 15 year-old African American Willie James Howard was lynched in Live Oak, ostensibly for having "expressed his affections" to a white girl. He was murdered by a group of white men including the girl's father, former state legislator A.P. "Phil" Goff. They kidnapped Howard, bound him, and forced him to jump off a bridge. A Suwannee County grand jury failed to indict Goff or the other white men. Media attention to Live Oak in the aftermath of the death of Willie James Howard increased awareness of lynching in the United States.

In 1948, Live Oak and Suwannee County received their first public hospital. It was completed under the Hill-Burton Act, which provided Federal funding for health care facilities to rural areas. The Suwannee County Hospital was initially segregated, and served only white citizens of the region until after passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s. African Americans went to Brewster Hospital. The Suwanee County facility was replaced in the early 1990s.

In 1952, national attention was drawn to Live Oak and the county when Ruby McCollum, a wealthy African American, shot and killed Dr. Clifford Leroy Adams, Jr. He was a prominent, white, recently elected to the state senate. The fatal shooting took place in his medical office, across from the Suwannee County Courthouse. Investigators at first thought the shooting was related to an unpaid doctor's bill.

But it was soon revealed that the married Dr. Adams had fathered a child with McCollum, who was also married. She testified that he forced her into a sexual relationship. (Adams knew that her husband Sam oversaw an illegal "bolita" gaming operation and was said to benefit by it as well). Author Zora Neale Hurston was covering the trial for the Pittsburgh Courier and characterized this abuse of an African-American woman by a powerful white man as an assertion of paramour rights, which had also existed in the South under slavery.

McCollum's murder conviction and death sentence were overturned on a technicality in 1954. Before a second trial, her defense attorney gained a certification that she was mentally unfit to stand trial. She was held for the next twenty years in the Florida State Mental Hospital in Chattahoochee. She was released to her family after being assessed as no danger to herself or anyone else. The murder and events surrounding it have been the subject of numerous books and documentaries in the 21st century.

In the 1950s, the rest of Suwannee County received electricity and telephone service, something the City of Live Oak had since the late 1800s. In 1957, the Florida Sheriffs Association received property north of Live Oak for use as a Boys’ Ranch. Opening in 1958, this facility has continued to be used to help troubled boys from all of Florida; later, a Girls' Ranch and Youth Villa were constructed in other parts of the state for girls and sibling groups.

In September 1964, Hurricane Dora dumped massive amounts of water on Live Oak, flooding major intersections and leaving the downtown area partially submerged. The damage led to the abandonment or tearing down of several historic buildings and the relocation of other businesses to higher ground.

In 1983, the Suwannee County Development Authority opened a park north of Live Oak along the banks of the Suwannee River. This park was little developed until being sold to private individuals in the 1990s. Renamed and developed as the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, it hosts music festivals for all types of music, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area annually.

21st century
Tropical Storm Debby (2012) surpassed the amount of rain brought by Hurricane Dora, and despite vastly improved drainage, much of Live Oak once again flooded. Interstates were shut down as portions were underwater, and much of the surrounding area was cut off from the outside world. In addition, dozens of sinkholes, some quite large, opened up all over the city and county, causing further damage. Several downtown buildings that were more than 100 years old were impacted and later torn down, replaced by public parks for community events.

Live Oak remains the largest community and only full-fledged city in Suwannee County. Eco-tourism in and around Live Oak brings thousands of people from all over the country to places such as the nearby Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, the Suwannee River State Park, and numerous springs along the famed Suwannee River. In addition, agriculture-related business (including timber, pine straw, and watermelons) is still the dominant industry in Suwannee County, with international companies like Klausner Lumber making their home in and around Live Oak.

Geography
Geographically, Suwannee County is situated on a limestone bed riddled with underground freshwater streams, which surface in dozens of beautiful springs. This phenomenon of "Karst topography" gives the area a local supply of renewable fresh water and abundant sources of fishing. The county is known as a world-class cave diving site for SCUBA enthusiasts, and underwater cave explorer Sheck Exley chose to live here in order to have close access to many of the springs.

Fishing sites include a number of small lakes about 5 miles east of the town. Suwannee Lake is the most well stocked and notable, but there is also Workman Lake, Dexter Lake, Campground Lake, Little Lake Hull, White Lake, Tiger Lake, Bachelor Lake, and Peacock Lake.

The Twin Rivers State Forest is a 14882 acre Florida State forest located in North Central Florida, near Live Oak.

Climate
Live Oak has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,735 people, 2,450 households, and 1,401 families residing in the city.

The population density in 2020 was 882.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2.60 persons per household.

By age, the population in 2020 was split with 3.8% under 5 years old, 20.1% under 18 years old, and 17.3% 65 years and older. 49.6% of the population were female born persons.

In 2020, there was an owner-occupied housing unit rate of 48.2%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $104,400. The median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage was $1,121 and -without a mortgage was $374. The median gross rent was $773. 58.0% of households had a computer and 64.7% of households had a broadband internet subscription. The median household income was $45,417. There was a per capita income of $21,402. 26.2% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.

In 2020, 88.8% of the population 25 years and older were high school graduates or higher and 15.5% of that same population had a Bachelor's degree or higher.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 6,850 people, 2,345 households, and 1,620 families residing in the city.

History
The City of Live Oak is the headquarters for the Suwannee River Regional Library System.

Live Oak had a small town library up until the 1940s, which was financed by the County with $25 a month. This first library was a small wooden structure located on the corner of Pine and Wilbur, originally used as the public restrooms for white women.

In 1948, a library annex was included in the building expansion program by the Board of County Commissioners. This building was made of brick and housed the public restroom for white women, a draft board office, and the library. The draft board office and library shared space and personnel until the Fall of 1954. In October 1954, half a million dollars was budgeted by the County Commissioners, and the City Council approved $500 annually for the operation of the Suwannee County Free Library.

The library opened on February 28, 1955, and had a collection of 3,100 books, some of which they borrowed from the State Library. Mrs. Sara Rogers became the first librarian after resigning her position as Chairman of the Woman’s Club Library Project Committee. Rogers resigned on April 6, 1956, to become postmistress, and was succeeded by Mrs. W.D. Richardson on March 15, 1957.

In an effort to receive federal funds, the Suwannee Board convinced Lafayette County to join in a regional library cooperative in 1957. In 1958, the first regional library system was established in Florida, servicing Lafayette and Suwannee counties.

By 1958, the library's collection had grown from 3,100 books to 10,000, and a bookmobile was established. In 1959, the regional library system grew to include seven different counties. On July 20, 1959, the Suwannee River Regional Library Board hosted the five incoming counties who all officially joined October 1, 1959. In 1960, the main library was located in Live Oak, with eight local units, consisting of over 23,500 books. The Miami Public Library gave 3,000 of those as a gift. The start of construction on the new Suwannee River Regional Library on Ohio Avenue South began on January 4, 1996, and the new building was dedicated on November 24, 1996. At that time, students included a time capsule to be opened on December 16, 2045, during Florida’s Bicentennial.

Awards
In April 1960, the Book-of the-Month Club awarded the Suwannee River Regional Library with the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award. In the U.S., there were only eight rural libraries to qualify and receive the award, and the Suwannee River Regional Library was the only one from the south to be nominated and win the $1,000 prize.

On April 7, 1992, the Suwannee County Commission signed a resolution honoring the people responsible for the library’s thirty-five years of operation.

In 2009, the Suwannee River Regional Library was one of two-hundred and eight nationwide institutions to win a Big Read grant and The Maltese Falcon was chosen as the book to highlight. The library hosted a 1930s themed kick-off party on February 5, 2009 that turned into a monthlong "whodunit" when the model display Maltese Falcon was disappeared during festivities. The library used the grant to start a tween book club and created programs for middle and high school students including podcasts, art projects, and a film noir marathon. The library distributed three-hundred copies of The Maltese Falcon to the community with additional copies going to the high school and eleven life-size cut-outs of Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade were distributed throughout town to garner interest.

title: Live Oak, Florida


text:
Perry, Florida

Perry is a city and the county seat of Taylor County, Florida, United States. As of 2020, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,898. The city was named for Madison Perry, fourth governor of the state of Florida and a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War.

History
In 1922, Perry was a very small town of less than 2,000 people. During this time, a murder happened and three people were lynched for the crimes. Private retribution against the suspected families and those that gave them support ensued. The Perry Massacre occurred in Perry on the 14th and 15 December 1922, during which whites hanged Charles Wright and attacked the black community of Perry after the murder of a white schoolteacher. On the day following Wright's lynching two more black men were shot and hanged; whites then burned the town's black school, Masonic lodge, church, amusement hall, and several families' homes.

Firefighters battling a blaze at a natural gas plant in August 1998 were injured when an explosion ripped through the area, sending a mammoth fireball into the sky. The flames destroyed at least six houses and several vehicles and forced the evacuation of 100 homes within two miles of the plant. Four firefighters were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

In August 2023, Hurricane Idalia impacted Florida. Perry was in the path of the storm and suffered damage across the city.

Geography
The exact coordinates for Perry's location is at 30.11431°N, -83.58261°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 sqmi, all land.

Perry is approximately 50 mi southeast of Tallahassee.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,898 people, 2,443 households, and 1,808 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,017 people, 2,366 households, and 1,618 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,847 people, 2,661 households, and 1,828 families residing in the city. The population density was 284.6 /km2. There were 3,073 housing units at an average density of 127.7 /km2. The racial makeup of the city was 56.01% White, 41.17% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

In 2000, there were 2,661 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02.

In 2000, in the city, the population age was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $25,986, and the median income for a family was $29,602. Males had a median income of $26,595 versus $19,041 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,845. About 23.0% of families and 28.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 26.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Students are served by the Taylor County School District. For the 2007–2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education gave the District a "B" grade, with each of its four schools earning a "B" as well.

Taylor County High School's Bulldogs were the 1977–1978 Class 3A football District 3, Region 2 and State Semi-final Champions, losing to Bartow HS in the championship game, 7–0. The 1978–1979 football team were the District 3 champions and lost to Milton HS in the Regional championship game. The 1980–1981 football team were the District 3 champions and Region 2 runner-up, losing to Milton HS in the Regional championship game. The football team won 1997–1998 Class 3A State Championship. In 2010, the Bulldogs completed an undefeated football season going 10–0, claiming the district championship.

Transportation
Perry–Foley Airport is a public-use airport located 3 mi south of the central business district.

The city is served by Perry Shuttle, a bus route operated by Big Bend Transit.

Law enforcement
The Perry Police Department (PPD) is a 24-person agency with four Patrol K-9 teams. To be certified, each handler and K-9 partner receive at least 500 hours of training and, in some instances, as many as 800 hours.

Notable people

 * LeGarrette Blount, NFL player
 * Ethel Cain, singer-songwriter and artist
 * J. Broward Culpepper, university administrator
 * Victoria Joyce Ely, World War I veteran and nurse
 * Christine Falling, serial killer
 * O. W. Jones, politician
 * Claude Pepper, law professor and politician
 * Herbert St. John, NFL player
 * Saucy Santana, American rapper
 * Troy Sneed, gospel singer-songwriter
 * Rick Tuten, NFL player
 * C. Bette Wimbish, civil rights activist and politician

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Perry, Florida


text:
Lake Butler, Union County, Florida

Lake Butler is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census.

History
A post office called Lake Butler has been in operation since 1860. The city was named for Robert Butler, an acting governor of East Florida.

Geography
Lake Butler is located at 30.02167°N, -82.34083°W (30.021681, –82.340960).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 sqmi, of which 1.7 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (6.01%) is water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Lake Butler has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,986 people, 669 households, and 437 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,897 people, 777 households, and 458 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,927 people, 723 households, and 508 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,121.2 PD/sqmi. There were 832 housing units at an average density of 484.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 64.50% White, 31.81% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.68% of the population.

In 2000, there were 723 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 26.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $25,347, and the median income for a family was $29,000. Males had a median income of $26,951 versus $20,814 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,174. About 22.3% of families and 25.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 28.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Public primary and secondary schools in Lake Butler and Union County are administered by Union County School District, which is governed by an elected, five-member Union County School Board. The district administers four schools.

 * Lake Butler Elementary School, that services Pre-K–4th grade
 * Lake Butler Middle School, that services 5th–8th grade
 * Union County High School, that services 9th–12th grade and one Adult Education program.

Economy
As of 1985, almost all of the residents of Lake Butler work in Florida Department of Corrections prisons, are related to prison employees, do business with prison employees, and/or know prison employees.

Notable people

 * Jay North, played the character "Dennis" in the TV series Dennis the Menace (1959–1963)
 * Andrew Peterson, Christian singer-songwriter
 * C. J. Spiller, former NFL running back
 * Gerard Warren, former NFL defensive tackle

title: Lake Butler, Union County, Florida


text:
Raiford, Florida

Raiford is a town in Union County, Florida, United States. The first Florida State Prison was established here. The town now is the site of three prisons. Union Correctional Institution holds the state death row for men.

The town has a Masonic lodge, Raiford Lodge #82, under the jurisdiction of The Grand Lodge of Florida. The non-prisoner population was 224 at the 2020 census.

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Raiford is located at 30.06278°N, -82.23694°W (30.062892, –82.236999).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 sqmi, all land.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Raiford has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 224 people, 85 households, and 72 families residing in the town.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 255 people, 40 households, and 27 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 187 people, 68 households, and 48 families residing in the town. The population density was 356.7 PD/sqmi. There were 76 housing units at an average density of 145.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 83.42% White, 14.97% African American, 1.07% Native American, and 0.53% from two or more races.

In 2000, there were 68 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.46.

In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $18,747 and the median income for a family was $22,000. Males had a median income of $12,708 versus $10,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,684. About 68.0% of families and 88.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 82.00% of those under the age of 18 and 22.00% of those 65 or over making it the poorest town in the poorest county in the country.

Correctional institutions
Raiford is also the home of Union Correctional Institution (UCI). Florida State Prison (FSP) is right across the Bradford County line, the two institutions having originally been one. UCI was the state's first prison, and was originally called "Florida State Prison". The name went with the newer institution when the two were split. Both institutions house inmates in death row facilities. FSP conducts all executions, while most death row inmates are housed at UCI.

UCI has the most diverse population of any correctional institution in the state. It houses 'close management inmates' and 'psych inmates' as well as 'open population' inmates. Most of the latter are age fifty and over.

FSP houses the violent and criminally insane in solitary confinement. The men on death row are also in solitary.

The penitentiary compound encompasses over fifty acres (200,000 m2) and includes a farm where much food is grown that feeds inmates.

Although there are many other correctional facilities in the state, among many persons in Florida the term "Raiford" is a metonym for incarceration in Florida State Prison, the "big house". Only FSP is called a "prison". All others are called correctional institutions.

Nearby are the state's training facilities for Correctional Officers (COs), some housing for COs, and the warden's house.

Convicted serial killer Ted Bundy was held at Raiford for years and executed there in 1989.

title: Raiford, Florida


text:
Daytona Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, and is a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida.

Daytona Beach is historically known for its beach, where motorized vehicles are permitted on some hard-packed sand beaches. Motorsports on the beach became popular, and the Daytona Beach and Road Course hosted races for over 50 years, replaced in 1959 by Daytona International Speedway. The city is the headquarters of NASCAR.

Daytona Beach hosts large groups of tourists, and notable events include Speedweeks which attracts 200,000 visitors to the Daytona 500. Other events include the NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400, Daytona Beach Bike Week, Biketoberfest, and the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race.

History
The area where Daytona Beach is located was once inhabited by the indigenous Timucuan Indians who lived in fortified villages. The Timucuas were nearly exterminated by contact with Europeans through war, enslavement and disease and became extinct as a racial entity through assimilation and attrition during the 18th century. The Seminole Indians, descendants of Creek Indians from Georgia and Alabama, frequented the area prior to the Second Seminole War.

During the era of British rule of Florida between 1763 and 1783, the King's Road passed through present-day Daytona Beach. The road extended from Saint Augustine, the capital of East Florida, to Andrew Turnbull's experimental colony in New Smyrna. In 1804 Samuel Williams received a land grant of 3000 acre from the Spanish Crown, which had regained Florida from the British after the American Revolutionary War. This land grant encompassed the area that would become Daytona Beach. Williams built a slave-labor-based plantation to grow cotton, rice and sugar cane. His son Samuel Hill Williams would abandon the plantation during the Second Seminole War, when the Seminoles burned it to the ground.

The area now known as the Daytona Beach Historical District was once the Orange Grove Plantation, a citrus and sugar cane plantation granted to Samuel Williams in 1787. The plantation was situated on the west bank of the tidal channel known as the Halifax River, 12 miles north of Mosquito Inlet. Williams was a British loyalist from North Carolina who fled to the Bahamas with his family until the Spanish reopened Florida to non-Spanish immigration. After his death in 1810, the plantation was run by his family until it was burned down in 1835. In 1871, Mathias Day Jr. of Mansfield, Ohio, purchased the 3,200-acre tract of the former Orange Grove Plantation. He built a hotel around which the initial section of town arose. In 1872, due to financial troubles, Day lost title to his land; nonetheless, residents decided to name the city Daytona in his honor, and incorporated the town in 1876.

In 1886, the St. Johns & Halifax River Railway arrived in Daytona. The line would be purchased in 1889 by Henry M. Flagler, who made it part of his Florida East Coast Railway. The separate towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Kingston, and Seabreeze merged as "Daytona Beach" in 1926, at the urging of civic leader J. B. Kahn and others. By the 1920s, it was dubbed "The World's Most Famous Beach".

Daytona's wide beach of smooth, compacted sand attracted automobile and motorcycle races beginning in 1902, as pioneers in the industry tested their inventions. It hosted land speed record attempts beginning in 1904, when William K. Vanderbilt set an unofficial record of 92.307 mph. Land speed racers from Barney Oldfield to Henry Segrave to Malcolm Campbell would visit Daytona repeatedly and make the 23 mi beach course famous. Record attempts, including numerous fatal endeavors such as Frank Lockhart (Stutz Black Hawk, 1928) and Lee Bible (Triplex Special, 1929), would continue until Campbell's March 7, 1935 effort, which set the record at 276.816 mph and marked the end of Daytona's land speed racing days.

On March 8, 1936, the first stock car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, located in the present-day Town of Ponce Inlet. In 1958, William France Sr. and NASCAR created the Daytona International Speedway to replace the beach course. Automobiles are still permitted on most areas of the beach, at a maximum speed of 10 mi/h.

The city of Daytona Beach made national headlines when it designated the several–mile radius around Main Street on the barrier island portion of the city as a blighted area and has targeted it for redevelopment by private developers. This follows the Supreme Court decision of the eminent domain case in Kelo v. City of New London, which upheld the right of municipalities to use eminent domain to take private property for redevelopment by private entities.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 64.93 sqmi. of which 58.68 sqmi is land and 6.25 sqmi is water, with water thus comprising 9.6% of the total area.

The city of Daytona Beach is split in two by the Halifax River lagoon, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, and sits on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered on the north by Holly Hill and Ormond Beach and on the south by Daytona Beach Shores, South Daytona and Port Orange.

Notable weather events that have caused damage or injury in Daytona Beach include Hurricane Donna in 1960, the 1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak, and Hurricane Charley in 2004. In 1992, a 28 mi long rogue wave with a 9 ft high crest hit Daytona Beach, causing property damage and 75 reported injuries.

Climate
Daytona Beach has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), which is typical of the Gulf and South Atlantic states. As is typical of much of Florida, there are two seasons in Daytona Beach; the warmer, wetter season (late May through October) and the cooler and drier season (November through April).

In summer, temperatures are relatively stable and there is an average of only 8 days annually with a maximum at or above 95 °F; the last 100 °F reading was seen on August 2, 1999. The Bermuda High pumps hot and unstable tropical air from the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico, resulting in daily, but brief thundershowers. This results in the months of June through September accounting for a majority of the average annual rainfall of 51.25 in.

In winter, Daytona Beach has weather conditions typical of other cities on the Florida peninsula. On average, the coolest month is January, with a normal monthly mean temperature of 58.8 °F. It is the only month where the average high temperature falls below 70.0 °F. Occasional cold fronts can bring freezes, which from 1991 to 2020 were seen on an average of 3.0 nights annually; however, minima below 25 °F are very rare, and were last seen on December 28, 2010. Like much of Florida, Daytona Beach often can be very dry in late winter and early spring, and brush fires and water restrictions can be an issue.

Official record temperatures range from 15 °F on January 21, 1985, up to 102 °F on July 15, 1981, and June 24, 1944; the record cold daily maximum is 33 °F on Christmas day 1983, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 82 °F on September 1 and 10–11, 2008 and August 25, 2020. Annual rainfall has ranged from 31.36 in in 2006 and 1956, up to 79.29 in in 1953. The most rainfall to have occurred in a calendar day was 12.85 in on October 10, 1924, which contributed to 24.82 in of rain that fell that month, the most of any calendar month.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 72,647 people, 28,763 households, and 14,607 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 61,005 people, 25,093 households, and 12,234 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of 2000, 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.1% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.6% were non-families. Of all households, 39.4% were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.77.

In 2000, 17.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 16.6% was from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $25,439, and the median income for a family was $33,514. Males had a median income of $25,705 versus $20,261 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,530. 23.6% of the population and 16.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 34.9% of those under the age of 18 and 12.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Languages
As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 90.37% of all residents, and 9.62% spoke other languages as their first language. The majority were Spanish speakers who made up 4.01% of the population; French was the third most spoken language, which made up 0.90%; German was at 0.86%; and Arabic was at 0.66% of the population.

Economy

Tourism is a major part of the Daytona Beach economy, with over 8 million visitors in 2004. Other sources of revenue include manufacturing, and Daytona Beach has industrial sites within an enterprise zone and sites within a foreign trade zone adjacent to Daytona Beach International Airport.

Companies and organizations that have their corporate headquarters or a major presence in the area include:
 * Brown & Brown
 * Halifax Health
 * Halifax Media Group
 * International Speedway Corporation
 * Gambro-Renal Products
 * Ladies Professional Golf Association
 * NASCAR
 * Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Shopping

 * Volusia Mall, the largest shopping mall in Daytona Beach
 * Ocean Walk Shoppes, an open-air shopping center
 * Tanger Outlets, a 380000 ft2 retail center

Top employers
According to the City's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture
The Museum of Arts and Sciences is the primary cultural facility for Daytona Beach and Volusia County. Other museums located in the city include the Southeast Museum of Photography and the Halifax Historical Museum. The Museum of Arts and Sciences is actually a collection of museums and galleries and includes the Klancke Environmental Complex, the Cuban Museum, Root Family Museum featuring one of the largest Coca-Cola collections in the world, the Dow American Gallery and the Bouchelle Center for Decorative Arts which together form what is probably one of the finest collections of furniture and decorative arts in the Southeast. It also includes the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art, which houses the largest collection of Florida art in the world. There are also changing exhibitions and a children's science center opened in 2008. Since 1952, the non-profit Daytona Beach Symphony Society has sponsored performances by U.S. and international orchestras, opera and dance companies each season at the Peabody Auditorium.

Special events
The city attracts over 8 million tourists each year. Special events that draw visitors to Daytona Beach include:
 * Speedweeks (Daytona 500 NASCAR race, Rolex 24 sports car race, and others)
 * Coke Zero Sugar 400, NASCAR race held on the first Saturday of July (formerly called the Pepsi 400 and the Firecracker 400)
 * Daytona Beach Bike Week Daytona 200 motorcycle races, bike shows and biker reunion in March
 * Spring break (date varies, usually the first and second week of March)

During motorcycle events (Bike Week and Biketoberfest), several hundred thousand bikers from all over the world visit the greater Daytona Beach area. The city is also often associated with spring break, though the efforts of the local government to discourage rowdiness, combined with the rise of other spring break destinations, have affected Daytona's preeminence as a spring break destination. It is the destination of Dayton 2 Daytona, an annual event that draws over 3,000 University of Dayton college students since 1977.

Other points of interest

 * Daytona 500 Experience
 * Daytona International Speedway
 * Daytona Beach Boardwalk
 * Daytona Lagoon Water Park
 * Halifax Historical Museum
 * Jackie Robinson Ballpark
 * Main Street Pier
 * Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center and Visual Arts Gallery
 * Museum of Arts and Sciences
 * News Journal Center
 * Southeast Museum of Photography
 * The Ocean Center

Motorsports
Annual races at Daytona International Speedway include 24 Hours of Daytona and Daytona 500.

Baseball
The Daytona Tortugas, a minor league baseball team of the Low-A Southeast, play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Established in 1993, the team has six championships.

Beaches and parks

Daytona Beach has over 23 miles of public beaches, and more than ten waterfront parks. Cars can be driven on some of the beaches.

Notable golf courses include Daytona Beach Golf Course, established in 1922, and LPGA International.

Local government
Under Daytona Beach's commission-manager form of government, voters elect a City commission which consists of seven members who serve four-year, staggered terms. Six are elected by district, the mayor is elected citywide.

The city commission establishes ordinances and policies for the city. It also reviews and approves the city budget annually. The commission appoints a city manager, who carries out the will of the commission and handles day-to-day business.

Federal, state, and county representation
The United States Postal Service operates a post office at 500 Bill France Boulevard in Daytona Beach.

The Daytona Beach Armed Forces Reserve Center is home of the Florida Army National Guard 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Battery D.

Daytona Beach is part of Florida's 6th congressional district. It is part of Florida's 25th and 26th State House of Representatives Districts and the 6th and 8th State Senate Districts.

Florida's 6th congressional district, which extends from the southern Jacksonville suburbs to New Smyrna Beach and includes St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, is currently represented by Republican Michael Waltz.

Primary and secondary schooling
Public primary and secondary education is handled by Volusia County Schools. Daytona Beach has two public traditional high schools, two middle schools and six elementary schools. Some of the larger private schools include Father Lopez Catholic High School.

Elementary schools

 * Beachside Elementary
 * Champion Elementary
 * Palm Terrace Elementary
 * R.J. Longstreet Elementary
 * Turie T. Small Elementary
 * Westside Elementary

Middle schools

 * Campbell Middle School
 * David C. Hinson Middle School

High schools

 * Mainland High School
 * Seabreeze High School

Colleges and universities

 * Bethune–Cookman University
 * Daytona State College
 * Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
 * University of Central Florida, Daytona Beach Campus

Vocational schools

 * The Airline Academy – Offers flight training for pilots and other airline professionals.
 * Keiser College
 * Phoenix East Aviation – Offers flight training for pilots.
 * WyoTech (formerly AMI) motorcycle repair, and marine repair training.

Newspapers

 * The Daytona Beach News-Journal – Daily newspaper covering the Greater Daytona Beach Area.
 * Hometown News – Weekly newspaper covering the Greater Daytona Beach Area.
 * ''East Coast Current – Community Newspaper covering Volusia County. www.ECCurrent.com
 * Orlando Sentinel – Newspaper and news site based in Orlando with a bureau covering Daytona Beach and Volusia County.
 * The Avion Newspaper – Student college publication of Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.
 * The Daytona Times – Black newspaper covering Daytona Beach
 * HeadlineSurfer.com – Internet-only newspaper covering the Greater Daytona Beach-Orlando Area.

Radio
AM
 * WNDB, 1150 AM, Daytona Beach, News/Talk/Sports
 * WROD, 1340 AM, Daytona Beach, Classic rock
 * WMFJ, 1450 AM, Daytona Beach, Religious
 * WDJZ, 1590 AM, Daytona Beach, Adult Contemporary/Newstalk

FM
 * WHOG-FM, 95.7 FM, Ormond Beach, Classic rock
 * WCFB, 94.5 FM, Daytona Beach, Urban Adult Contemporary
 * WQMP, 101.9 FM, Daytona Beach, Modern rock
 * WIKD-LP, 102.5 FM, Daytona Beach, Campus Radio of Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
 * W231CN, 94.1 FM, Daytona Beach, Urban Contemporary "HOT 94.1"

Television

 * WESH, Channel 2, digital channel 11, NBC
 * WDSC-TV, Channel 15, digital channel 24, Educational independent
 * Central Florida News 13, Bright House Networks cable channel 13

Law enforcement
Law enforcement in Daytona Beach is provided by the 241-member Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) headed by police chief Craig Capri. In a unique and controversial program to help fund the Police Explorer program, run by a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America, T-shirts with the words Scumbag Eradication Team: Not in Our Town are sold at the police headquarters.

The T-shirts contain a caricature of Retired Chief Chitwood standing next to a toilet bowl with the legs of multiple individuals sticking out. The T-shirt has been cited in at least one lawsuit against the DBPD alleging police brutality, the lawyer in the case in which the client sustained broken ribs and a fractured eye socket during an arrest for an open container of beer, claims the T-shirt shows the DBPD condones violence.

The Volusia County Sheriff's office, headed by Mike Chitwood is a countywide law enforcement agency with 446 sworn positions, 438 civilian employees, 300 volunteers and an annual operating budget of $73 million that has jurisdiction in unincorporated areas of Volusia County and provides additional law enforcement support to Daytona Beach during such events as the Daytona 500 and aids in joint investigations of certain crimes.

The Volusia County Beach Patrol provides law enforcement as well as EMT services along Volusia County beaches including the beaches in the city of Daytona Beach.

Healthcare
Healthcare in Daytona Beach is dominated by Halifax Health (formerly known as Halifax Hospital). The Halifax Hospital Taxing District was established in 1927 by an Act of the Florida Legislature as a public hospital district. There are dozens of individual practitioners and Professional Associations (PA) in the Daytona Beach area.

Utilities
Basic utilities in Daytona Beach (water and sewer) are provided by the City Government. The city has a successful recycling program with separate pickups for garbage, yard waste and recycling. Collection is provided by several private companies under contract to Volusia County, Florida.
 * Florida Power & Light is Daytona Beach's local electric power provider.
 * TECO/People's Gas is Daytona Beach's natural gas provider.
 * Spectrum and AT&T networks are Daytona Beach's local cable providers.
 * AT&T (formerly BellSouth) is Daytona Beach's local phone provider.

Airports
Passenger airline services are located at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), which is centrally located within the city adjacent to Daytona International Speedway. The site was first used as an airport with terminals being constructed in 1952 and 1958. The present facility was constructed in 1992 at the cost of $46 million, and includes both a domestic terminal and an International terminal. Despite the new facilities, DAB has found difficulty in attracting and retaining carriers; Continental Airlines, AirTran Airways, and United Airlines discontinued flights to Daytona in 2007 and 2008. LTU & American Airlines also serviced Daytona Beach during the 1980s and 1990s, both of which ended all flights in 1994 & 1997.

Current passenger airlines serving DAB include Delta Air Lines (with nonstop service to Atlanta) and American Airlines (with non-stop service to Charlotte). Both carriers offer connecting service from those cities to destinations worldwide. International flights from DAB fly to destinations in the Bahamas through air taxi and charter services Airgate Aviation and IslandPass; non-stop flights are available from DAB to Marsh Harbour, Treasure Cay, and North Eleuthera. Sunwing Airlines also operates seasonal flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport. DAB is also heavily used for general aviation, largely due to Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, whose campus is located at the airport.

Larger airports nearby are Orlando International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport, each of which is approximately 90 minutes away.

Buses

 * Daytona Beach is served by Greyhound Bus Lines, which has a terminal located at 138 South Ridgewood Avenue (US 1). The Greyhound routes from Daytona Beach connect with hubs in Jacksonville and Orlando.
 * Votran is the local bus service provided by Volusia County.

Automobiles
Daytona Beach is easily accessible by I-95 that runs north and south and I-4 connecting Daytona Beach with Orlando and Tampa. US 1 (Ridgewood Avenue) also passes north–south through Daytona Beach. US 92 (International Speedway Boulevard) runs east–west through Daytona Beach. SR A1A is a scenic north–south route along the beach.

The Volusia County Parking Garage is located at 701 Earl Street at North Atlantic Avenue (SR A1A). The garage is strategically located, next to the Ocean Center, Daytona Lagoon, and across the street from the Hilton Hotel and Ocean Walk Shoppes. Over one thousand parking spaces are available inside the garage, which also houses an intermodal transfer station for VoTran.

Bridges
There are four bridges over the Halifax River (and Intracoastal Waterway) at Daytona Beach. They include (starting from furthest downstream) the Veterans Memorial Bridge (which carries CR 4050 traffic), the Broadway Bridge (which carries US 92 traffic), the Main Street Bridge (which carries CR 4040 traffic), and the Seabreeze Bridge (which carries SR 430 traffic). All four bridges charge no toll to traffic. In June, 2016, the Veterans Memorial Bridge was closed as part of a three-year project to demolish the drawbridge and replace it with a high span bridge.

Rail
Passenger railroad service to Daytona Beach was established no later than 1889 by the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway, predecessor of the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC). Long-distance trains such as the City of Miami and the South Wind (both from Chicago), East Coast Champion (from New York City) and the Havana Special (New York City) made stops at Daytona Beach. Long distance routes were diverted to Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad routes on the Florida interior south of the Jacksonville Union Station, following the beginning of a labor dispute on the FEC in 1963. Passenger trains continued calling at Daytona Beach until July 31, 1968, when the FEC terminated passenger operations system-wide. The FEC currently operates freight trains through Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach is served by Amtrak by way of an Amtrak Thruway connection between the beachside and Amtrak's DeLand station, 28 mi to the west. There, the service connects northbound with train 92, the Silver Star, and train 98, the Silver Meteor. Southbound connections from Daytona Beach are limited to Silver Meteor southbound train 97. The DeLand – Daytona Beach service is Amtrak's only Florida Amtrak Thruway route provided by a taxi-cab, rather than a bus.

Notable people

 * Duane Allman and Gregg Allman, musicians
 * Perry Baker, rugby player for U.S. national team
 * Fulgencio Batista, 19th President of Cuba
 * Pete Carr, musician
 * Vince Carter, basketball player, 8-time NBA All-Star
 * Ed Charles, former Major League Baseball player
 * Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR
 * Roland G. Fryer Jr., economist; In 2007, at age 30, he became the youngest African-American to be given tenure at Harvard University
 * Kenneth C. Griffin, hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, investor
 * Lee H. Hamilton former Indiana U.S. Congressman
 * Danielle Harris, actress
 * Carrenza Howard, baseball pitcher
 * Zora Neale Hurston, writer, anthropologist
 * Alex Kinsey, singer
 * E. J. Kuale, professional football player
 * Gary Russell Libby, art historian, curator, and former director of Museum of Arts and Sciences
 * Ryan Lochte, swimmer, winner of 12 Olympic medals including six gold
 * Martin Mayhew, pro football player and executive
 * Mary McLeod Bethune, educator and civil rights activist
 * Walter M. Miller Jr., author of A Canticle for Leibowitz
 * Jane Morgan, singer
 * Matthew Tyler Musto, musician
 * Kevin Nash, professional WWE wrestler
 * No Kum-sok, North Korean defector
 * Ransom Eli Olds, automobile pioneer
 * Pavlina Osta, radio host
 * Josef Papp, engineer
 * Kitty Pryde, rapper
 * Glen "Fireball" Roberts, NASCAR driver
 * Jackie Robinson, professional baseball player
 * Bob Ross, artist and television host
 * Galen Seaman, lawyer, Wisconsin State Assemblyman, and mayor of Daytona Beach
 * David Sholtz, 26th governor of Florida
 * Mike Skinner, NASCAR driver
 * Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, painter
 * Howard Thurman, author and theologian
 * Denzel Washington, actor
 * Eric Weems, professional football player
 * T. K. Wetherell, president of Florida State University
 * Robert Wright, musical theater writer
 * Aileen Wuornos, serial killer executed in 2002
 * Smokey Yunick, mechanic and motor racing innovator

In popular culture
Novels set in Daytona Beach include:
 * Day Number 142 (1974) by Edgar A. Anderson
 * Last Cruise of the Nightwatch (1956) by Howard Broomfield
 * Kick of the Wheel (1957) by Stewart Sterling

There have been a number of movies based on Daytona Beach, usually with a racing theme. The most recent example was the 1990 hit Days of Thunder, parts of which were filmed in Daytona Beach and nearby DeLand. Chris Rea wrote the song "Daytona" which was in his 1989 album The Road to Hell. Suzi Quatro's song "Daytona Demon" is often believed to refer to the city. Also, about half of the video for the song "Steal My Sunshine" by Len was filmed at Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach was also the destination of a group of plagued teenagers in the movie Final Destination 2.

Daytona Beach was also one of the settings in the 2008 film Marley & Me.

Daytona Beach was the setting of the Season 2 finale of the web series The Most Popular Girls in School.

General sources

 * Kettlewell, Mike. "Daytona", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles, Volume 10, pp. 501–503. London: Orbis, 1974.
 * Northey, Tom, "Land-speed record: The Fastest Men on Earth", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles, Volume 10, pp. 1161–1166. London: Orbis, 1974.

title: Daytona Beach, Florida


text:
Worthington Springs, Florida

Worthington Springs is a spring and town in Union County, Florida, United States. It is part of the North Florida region. The population was 378 at the 2020 census.

History
The community was named for early settler Sam Worthington, who arrived prior to the first Seminole War of 1814–1819. The mineral spring on the Santa Fe River was alleged to have medicinal benefits, attracting people from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. In the early years, swimming was segregated, with men and women assigned specific time intervals. In 1906, the new owner constructed a 12'×12' concrete box around the spring to divert water into a 90'×50' concrete pool with a wall dividing the bathing area into sections for men and women. The complex included a hotel, recreation hall and bathhouse for the spring pool. Independence Day was always a big celebration at the springs. Thousands of people from surrounding communities would converge on the springs to picnic, swim, politic, and converse with friends and fellow Floridians. A special train transported people from Jacksonville for the holiday festivities.

An iron and timber bridge was built across the river in 1908, facilitating access to and from the south. It was replaced in 1937 with the present concrete structure. In the mid-twentieth century, the outflow from the spring declined, and then stopped flowing completely. Activity at the resort likewise curtailed, and the facility was abandoned. The area around the Santa Fe River is subject to periodic flooding, just as the flow at the spring varies widely. In 1972, flow was measured at 233,280 gallons per day.

The Town of Worthington Springs was incorporated in 1963 with a Mayor–council government. Street lights were installed, and a playground was created in the town park. In 1975, a Community Center was built the included government offices for a City Hall.

Geography
The exact coordinates for the Town of Worthington Springs is located at 29.93389°N, -82.42444°W (29.933836, –82.424370).

The town is located along the Santa Fe River on the southern county line with Alachua.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 sqmi, all land.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Worthington Springs has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 378 people, 126 households, and 89 families residing in the town.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 181 people, 46 households, and 42 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 193 people, 70 households, and 52 families residing in the town. The population density was 536.7 PD/sqmi. There were 83 housing units at an average density of 230.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 89.64% White, 5.18% African American, 2.07% from other races, and 3.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.

In 2000, there were 70 households, out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.08.

In 2000, in the town, the age distribution of the population shows 31.6% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $27,083. Males had a median income of $26,458 versus $14,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,031. About 21.4% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 36.4% of those 65 or over.

title: Worthington Springs, Florida


text:
Daytona Beach Shores, Florida

Daytona Beach Shores is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,179 at the 2020 census.

History
Daytona Beach Shores was first organized in 1960 by local business leaders convinced that a smaller community could provide better services to its residents. The city was incorporated on April 22, 1960.

In the 1970s and the 1980s, the city saw a massive building program. Now about 80 percent of the residents live in high-rise condominiums that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean.

A resort and retirement community built on tourism and the service industry, Daytona Beach Shores has no manufacturing industry, but caters to tourists year-round with miniature golf courses and other types of family entertainment.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.34 km2, of which 2.33 km2 is land and 0.1 km2 (3.56%) is water.

The city of Daytona Beach Shores is located on a barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean. The other side of the island (the west side) is bordered by the Halifax River lagoon, part of the Intracoastal Waterway. The city is bordered on the north by Daytona Beach and on the south by Wilbur-by-the-Sea, and Port Orange. The major highway that serves the city is State Road A1A (Atlantic Avenue).

Daytona Beach Shores has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), typical for a city in the southeastern United States. Summers are hot and humid, with highs usually in the 90s (Fahrenheit) and a heat index often exceeding 100 degrees °F. Thunderstorms are frequent in summer afternoons, and the hot, humid weather can last right through the fall months. Winters are dry and mild, marked by a constant series of cold fronts and warm-ups. Temperatures dip into the low 30s°F and upper 20s°F on occasion, and freezes are not uncommon. Frost usually occurs a few times a year, but snowfall is very rare. The last time snow flurries fell on the city of Daytona Beach Shores was in December 2007. Temperatures in spring feature warm afternoons, cool evenings, and far less humidity. This beach-going weather attracts tourists to the beaches, usually by early March.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,179 people, 2,841 households, and 1,134 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 4,247 people, 2,404 households, and 1,226 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,299 people, 2,423 households, and 1,439 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,722.2 PD/sqmi. There were 4,385 housing units at an average density of 4,816.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.58% White, 0.58% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

In 2000, there were 2,423 households, out of which 4.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.77 and the average family size was 2.18.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 4.3% under the age of 18, 2.4% from 18 to 24, 11.5% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 49.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 65 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $43,796, and the median income for a family was $52,731. Males had a median income of $39,118 versus $24,826 for females. The per capita income for the city was $37,010. About 5.4% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government
Daytona Beach Shores features a City Manager/Commission form of government. Residents elect a five-member City Commission to four-year terms. The Commission members are elected at large and represent the entire community. The Mayor is also elected, and serves as one of the five Commission members and as chairman of the Commission. The City Manager is selected by the Commission members and is the City's chief administrator. That individual directs staff, carries out policies set by Commission, and provides advice to the Commission members, but does not vote. Daytona Beach Shores utilizes a department of public safety, which combines police and fire services into one department.

Elected officials

 * Mayor – Nancy Miller
 * Vice-Mayor - Michael Politis
 * Seat 1 Commissioner – Christopher Conomos
 * Seat 2 Commissioner – Mark Card
 * Seat 3 Commissioner - Stephan Dembinsky
 * City Manager (appointed) – Kurt Swartzlander

Federal, state and county representation
Daytona Beach Shores is in the 7th Congressional District. The residents of the 6th district are represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republican Cory Mills.

Daytona Beach Shores is part of Florida Senate District 8, and is represented by Republican Tom Wright. It is also part of Florida House of Representatives District 28, represented by Republican Tom Leek.

Public safety
Daytona Beach Shores has a public safety department which is responsible for combined fire-rescue as well as law enforcement. All full-time officers are certified as firefighters, EMTs, and police.

Notable people

 * Duane Allman, musician
 * Gregg Allman, musician

Parks and recreation

 * Dahlia Park
 * Fornari Park
 * Max Samuely Park
 * McElroy Park
 * Frank Rendon Park
 * Sundown Park
 * Sunglow Pier

title: Daytona Beach Shores, Florida


text:
DeBary, Florida

DeBary is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, on the eastern shore of the St. Johns River near Lake Monroe. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 20,696. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, which was home to 553,284 people in 2019.

History
The Timucuan Indians once lived in the vicinity of Lake Monroe, where the domain of Chief Utina extended to just north of Lake George. They hunted, fished, and gathered plants and berries from the forest. By 1760, however, the Timucua had disappeared and been replaced by the Seminole tribe from Alabama and Georgia. Florida was acquired from Spain in 1821, but the Seminole Wars delayed settlement. In 1866, Elijah Watson of Enterprise sold land to Oliver and Amanda Arnett on the northern shore of the St. Johns River at Lake Monroe, where they built a house.

The couple in turn sold 400 acre in 1871 to (Samuel) Frederick deBary, a wealthy wine merchant from New York City, and that same year, he erected a hunting lodge. Called "DeBary Hall", the 8,000-sq-ft (700-m2), 20-room Italianate mansion featured a two-tiered veranda, stables, an ice house, and the state's first swimming pool, fed by a spring. Visitors included Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Grover Cleveland. Over time, he acquired an additional 9,000 acre, planting orange groves and pecan trees. Some debate remains as to whether this was actually the first pool in Florida, as a St. Augustine pool has also made the same claim. One possibility is that this was the first spring-fed pool in the state, In 1875, deBary bought a small steamboat, the George M. Bird, to transport his horses and dogs along the St. Johns River for hunting expeditions, and also to take fruit to market. He established the DeBary Merchants' Line in 1876, a steamship service contracted to carry mail between Jacksonville and Enterprise. It acquired the sidewheeler Frederick DeBary. In 1883, the firm merged with the Baya Line, owned by Colonel H.T. Baya, to create the DeBary-Baya Merchants' Line, with 13 steamboats and a crew of 3,000 running to Sanford. The DeBary-Baya Merchants' Line sold its business in 1889 to the Clyde Line, which survived until 1928.

Frederick deBary died in 1898, and his mansion is today a restored museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The estate, reduced to 10 acre, now features the community's oldest building, the Arnett House. Incorporated in 1993, the City of DeBary is named for its noted settler.

Geography
DeBary is located at 28.88422°N, -81.311°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.4 sqmi, of which 18.2 sqmi are land and 3.2 sqmi (15.02%) are covered by water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,260 people, 8,235 households, and 5,555 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 19,320 people, 7,955 households, and 5,634 families residing in the city.

In 2010, the population density was 1018 PD/sqmi. The population was distributed as 20.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

Bus
DeBary is served by VOTRAN's #23,#31, #32, and #33 routes.

Rail
DeBary is served by SunRail, the Central Florida commuter rail system.

Parks and recreation
DeBary boasts several large parks and open land, each serving several outdoor activities.

City parks Volusia County parks
 * Alexandra Park
 * Bill Keller Park
 * Community Park
 * Eagle's Nest Park
 * Gateway Park
 * Memorial Park
 * Power Park
 * River City Nature Park
 * Rob Sullivan Park
 * DeBary Hall
 * Gemini Springs Park
 * Lake Monroe Park

Notable people

 * Luke Delaney (born 1979), astronaut
 * Keith Greene (born 1992), professional golfer

Education
Public primary and secondary education is handled by Volusia County Schools. The one elementary school in DeBary is DeBary Elementary. Students attend middle and high schools in the nearby cities of Deltona and Orange City.

title: DeBary, Florida


text:
DeLand, Florida

DeLand is a city in and the county seat of Volusia County, Florida, United States. The city sits approximately 34 mi north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately 23 mi west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. It is a part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 37,351.

The city was founded in 1876, and was named for its founder, Henry Addison DeLand. DeLand is home to Stetson University, Florida's oldest private college, as well as the Museum of Art - DeLand. The DeLand Municipal Airport serves as an uncontrolled general aviation reliever airport to commercial operations at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) and Orlando International Airport (MCO).

History

DeLand was previously known as "Persimmon Hollow" for the wild persimmon trees that grow around the natural springs, and the area was originally accessible only by steamboat up the St. Johns River.

The first settler in the area was probably Ruben Marsh. He first came to Florida during the Seminole Indian War in 1841, during a scouting party that stopped at a lake area within the modern city limits, and in 1846, when the war ended, Ruben Marsh got married and moved to what is now known as DeLand. He bought a settlers claim, where he built a cabin for his family and started raising livestock.

Henry Addison DeLand, a baking soda magnate from Fairport, New York, visited there in 1876, and envisioned building a citrus, agricultural and tourism center. He sold his northern business and hired people to clear land, lay out streets, erect buildings and recruit settlers, most of whom came from upstate New York (though DeLand never lived in the city year-round). On December 6, 1876, at 2:00 PM, the settlers decided to rename the community from "Persimmon Hollow" to "DeLand", in honor of him founding and helping develop its infrastructure.

In 1877, DeLand built a public school for the town. To enhance the community's stature and culture, and to enhance the value of his local real estate holdings, in 1883 DeLand established DeLand Academy, Florida's first private college. However, in 1885, a freeze destroyed the orange crop. One story has it that DeLand had guaranteed settlers' investments as an inducement to relocate, and so was obligated to buy back their ruined groves, though there is no hard evidence that this took place. As for many other would-be real estate magnates in the area at the time, his Florida investments were nearly worthless after the freeze, and he returned to his home in the North. DeLand entrusted the academy to his friend John B. Stetson, a wealthy hat manufacturer from Philadelphia and one of the institution's founding trustees. In 1889, it was renamed John B. Stetson University in its patron's honor. In 1900, it founded the first law school in Florida (which relocated to Gulfport in 1954). Its various sports teams are called the Hatters.

The community was officially incorporated as the "City of DeLand" in 1882, and became the county seat of Volusia County in 1887. It was the first city in Florida to have electricity. According to city officials, minutes of the first City Commission meeting in 1882 show the city decided to create a seal with the emblems of "Faith, Hope and Charity," namely a cross, an anchor and a heart.

The city seal was briefly the object of a controversy in 2013, when the national group Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent the city a letter in which they argued that the seal unconstitutionally promotes Christianity, thus allegedly breaching the First Amendment Establishment Clause. The controversy faded after the city refused to change the seal.

During the 1920s Florida Land Boom, fine examples of stucco Mediterranean Revival architecture by native architect Medwin Peek and others were constructed in DeLand. Many of these buildings have been handsomely restored, including the restored Athens Theatre.

Since 1992, the city has hosted the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts, a two-day event held annually in the historic downtown area on the weekend before Thanksgiving. As of 2009, the event has an annual attendance of more than 50,000 during the weekend.

Topography
The approximate coordinates for the City of DeLand are 29.02889°N, -81.30056°W, in western Volusia County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.1 sqkm, of which 45.6 sqkm is land and 0.5 sqkm, or 1.06%, is water. DeLand is drained by the St. Johns River.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of DeLand has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

On February 2, 2007, DeLand and the surrounding area was the site of a major tornado outbreak. One tornado passed through Deland. It reached a peak intensity of EF-3 (160–165 mph), had a track length of 26 miles, and was responsible for the deaths of 13 people. On August 18, 2020, an EF-2 tornado made landfall in DeLand Around 4 PM EST, and caused an estimated $7.4 million in damages over its 4.6 mile path.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,351 people, 12,675 households, and 7,753 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 27,031 people, 10,007 households, and 5,498 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of 2000, there were 8,375 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.92.

In 2000, in the city the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.8 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $28,712, and the median income for a family was $35,329. Males had a median income of $26,389 versus $20,114 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,936. About 14.2% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Historic districts
Downtown DeLand's main street, Woodland Boulevard, has a number of notable 19th-century buildings. It is officially known as Downtown DeLand Historic District.

The Garden District is a mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to downtown DeLand, which is officially known as Downtown DeLand's Historic Garden District. The neighborhood was originally developed between 1900 and 1920. It fell into a long period of decline after World War II, and by the 1980s, had become blighted.

In 2001,, a California artist, urban designer and filmmaker, bought 27 dilapidated structures, renamed the area the Garden District, and lobbied to create a new historic district. During the following eight years, he restored or rebuilt 32 homes and businesses, which have become the core of a neighborhood revival. The feature-length documentary film New Urban Cowboy: Toward a New Pedestrianism tells the story of DeLand and the Garden District. The film premiered in DeLand in January 2009 at the newly restored Athens Theatre. Previously, the film had appeared in seven film festivals and received the Audience Choice Award at the Real to Reel International Film Festival in 2008.

Shopping

 * Brandywine Shopping Center
 * DeLand Flea Market
 * DeLand Plaza Shopping Center
 * Northgate Shopping Center
 * Victoria Park Village Shopping Center
 * West Volusia Regional Shopping Center
 * Woodland Plaza

Businesses

 * Mystic Powerboats

Education
Public primary and secondary education is handled by Volusia County Schools.

Elementary schools

 * Blue Lake Elementary
 * Citrus Grove Elementary
 * Edith I. Starke Elementary
 * Freedom Elementary
 * George W. Marks Elementary
 * Woodward Avenue Elementary

Middle schools

 * DeLand Middle School
 * Southwestern Middle School

High schools

 * DeLand High School

Private schools

 * DeLand Preparatory Academy
 * Magnolia Christian School
 * Saint Barnabas Episcopal School
 * Saint Peters Catholic School

Montessori schools

 * Casa Montessori School
 * Children's House Montessori School

Colleges and universities

 * Daytona State College
 * Florida Technical College
 * Stetson University

Sister city
DeLand is a sister city of Belén, Costa Rica

Sports and recreation
DeLand hosts all home games for Stetson University Hatters athletic teams. The men's and women's basketball teams play at the J. Ollie Edmunds Center, an on-campus arena which opened in 1974 and seats approximately 5,000 spectators.

The Hatters baseball team plays at Melching Field at Conrad Park, a 2,500-seat ballpark located off campus just south of downtown DeLand. Melching Field was built in 1999 and is recognized as one of the finer college baseball venues in the NCAA, having hosted numerous Atlantic Sun Conference championships, the 2018 NCAA Baseball Regionals, and other baseball related tournaments and events. Prior to the opening of Melching Field, the Hatters played at old Conrad Park on the same site, which also hosted spring training games in the 1940s and 1950s and the DeLand Red Hats, a Florida State League minor league franchise.

Adjacent to Melching Field is Spec Martin Stadium, a 6,000-seat football stadium. Spec Martin Stadium hosts DeLand High School Bulldog football and soccer games, and serves as home of the Stetson University Hatters football team. Stetson had discontinued its football program in the early 1960s, but reinstated the sport in 2013, when it joined the Pioneer Football League. As part of Stetson's re-entry into college football, Spec Martin Stadium underwent significant renovations, including a new press box, handicapped and premium seating areas, and new locker room facilities.

DeLand has been called the "skydiving capital of the world", with the majority of skydiving industries calling it home. The skydiving industry employs over 500 workers from the DeLand area. This in combination with the tourist end of the industry makes it one of the town's largest supporters and invaluable to the local economy.

The Central Florida Warriors of the USA Rugby League are based in DeLand.

In the movies
DeLand has been the filming location for a number of television and movie projects, including the 1999 Adam Sandler comedy The Waterboy. Scenes showing the fictional South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs home football games were shot at Spec Martin Stadium. Classroom and exterior scenes were filmed at Stetson University. Scenes involving Sandler's character's home were actually filmed in neighboring DeBary.

Ghost Story, starring Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr and Craig Wasson, was filmed in part at Stetson University and the Holiday House.

The HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon filmed several scenes on the campus of Stetson University. The 1999 independent film The First of May, starring Mickey Rooney and Joe DiMaggio, was shot on various locations throughout DeLand. Days of Thunder, starring Tom Cruise, was partially filmed in DeLand.

New Urban Cowboy: Toward a New Pedestrianism (2008) was filmed almost entirely in DeLand in 2006 and 2007.

Walt Before Mickey filmed several scenes at the Stetson University campus in 2014 and Athens Theatre.

Newspapers

 * The West Volusia Beacon, a weekly news publication covering DeLand and West Volusia County
 * The Daytona Beach News-Journal, a daily newspaper covering the Greater Daytona Beach Area and Volusia County
 * The Orlando Sentinel, a newspaper based in Orlando with a bureau covering Volusia County

AM

 * WYND, 1310, religious
 * WTJV, 1490, Spanish language

FM

 * W247AK, 97.3, translator for WJLU
 * WOCL, 105.9, classic hits

Publishing
Everett/Edwards

Notable people

 * Horace Allen, professional MLB baseball player
 * Byllye Avery, health care activist
 * Charles P. Bailey, former U.S. Army Air Force officer and was a Tuskegee Airman
 * R. H. Barlow, author, poet, anthropologist, and historian
 * Bill Booth, skydiving engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur
 * David Cohen, CEO and founder of TechStars
 * Joyce Cusack, former member of the Florida House of Representatives and retired registered nurse
 * Terence Trent D'Arby, singer-songwriter
 * Jacob deGrom, current MLB baseball player
 * Paul Dicken, former MLB baseball player
 * Daniel Dye, professional stock car racing driver
 * Bert Fish, lawyer, judge, philanthropist, and ambassador.
 * R. Buckminster Fuller, mathematician, futurist, inventor of the geodesic dome, and coined the phrase "Spaceship Earth"
 * Mike Gillislee, former NFL football player
 * Lue Gim Gong, horticulturalist
 * Bridgette Gordon, head women's basketball coach at Florida A&M University, and a former WNBA basketball player
 * Stephen Guarino, actor and comedian
 * Ed Hickox, retired MLB umpire
 * Burling Hull, magician
 * Carolyn J. B. Howard, politician who previously served the Maryland House of Delegates
 * Craig T. James, lawyer and former congressman
 * Arthur Jones, inventor and founder of Nautilus, Inc. and MedX Corporation
 * Chipper Jones, MLB Hall of Fame baseball player
 * Danny Kelley, stock car racing driver
 * Kitty, musician and rapper
 * J. C. Van Landingham, former NASCAR driver
 * Dee Libbey, composer
 * Gary Russell Libby, art historian, curator, and director emeritus of Museum of Arts and Sciences
 * Vincent Martella, actor
 * Jack Ness, former MLB baseball player
 * , pornographic actress
 * Medwin Peek, Mediterranean Revival architect
 * Luke Scott, former baseball player
 * Frances Shimer, founder of Shimer College in Illinois
 * Maurice Starr, musician, songwriter, and a record producer, notably for New Edition and New Kids on the Block
 * John Batterson Stetson, hat manufacturer who invented the Stetson cowboy hat
 * Tra Thomas, IMG Academy coach and former NFL football player
 * William Amory Underhill, lobbyist and philanthropist
 * Noble "Thin Man" Watts, saxophonist
 * Luke Weaver, MLB baseball player
 * Verner Moore White, landscape and portrait painter
 * Earl Ziebarth, state representative

Sites of interest

 * African American Museum of Art
 * Alexander Haynes House
 * Athens Theatre
 * Chief Master at Arms House
 * DeLand Hall
 * DeLand Municipal Airport
 * Downtown DeLand Historic District
 * John B. Stetson House
 * Kilkoff House
 * Museum of Art - DeLand
 * Old DeLand Memorial Hospital
 * Stetson University Campus Historic District
 * Stockton-Lindquist House
 * Volusia County Fair and Expo Center
 * Volusia Speedway Park
 * West Volusia Historical Society & Museum

Rail and public transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, serves DeLand, operating its Silver Meteor and Silver Star trains daily in both directions between Miami and New York City. The line is primarily CSX's Sanford Subdivision. It also contains a spur leading from the station which was built by the Orange Ridge, DeLand and Atlantic Railroad and has received passenger service in the past.

Local transit service is provided by VOTRAN on the #20 and #60 routes.

Aviation
During World War II, the Babcock Airplane Corporation manufactured 60 Waco CG-4 assault gliders at DeLand, but the firm was out of business by 1945.

The DeLand Municipal Airport (a.k.a.; Sidney H. Taylor Field) still operates as a general aviation airport as well as a reliever airport for Orlando and Daytona Beach. It also contains the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum.

Roads

 * The major US highways through DeLand are US 17 (hidden SR 15) and 92 (hidden SR 600), which overlap each other from Lake Alfred in Polk County to the northern part of the city. From here, US 92 turns east onto International Speedway Boulevard toward Daytona Beach, while US 17 continues north towards Barberville, Jacksonville, and along the coast of Georgia, the Carolinas and southern Virginia.
 * The main west-to-east state highway in DeLand is Florida State Road 44 which runs along New York Avenue. SR 44 intersects US 17/92 in Downtown DeLand but making turns at the intersection is prohibited. Access between the two road requires taking side roads within the vicinity.
 * Florida State Road 15A is an alternate route of SR 15, one of the two hidden state roads along US 17 and 92. It runs along the west side of the city, and also serves as an undesignated truck bypass for US 17/92, as well as SR 44. North of International Speedway Boulevard (Volusia CR 92) and the city line, it is strictly a truck detour for US 17.

title: DeLand, Florida


text:
DeLand Southwest, Florida

DeLand Southwest is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,056 at the 2020 census.

Geography
DeLand Southwest is located at 29.00917°N, -81.30972°W (29.009037, -81.309675).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.6 sqkm, all land.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,169 people, 387 households, and 258 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 716.4 /km2. There were 459 housing units at an average density of 281.3 /km2. The racial makeup of the town was 25.15% White, 70.66% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 2.57% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.19% of the population.

There were 387 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, 30.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $13,090, and the median income for a family was $18,929. Males had a median income of $17,083 versus $17,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $8,373. About 41.9% of families and 45.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.9% of those under age 18 and 43.7% of those age 65 or over.

title: DeLand Southwest, Florida


text:
DeLeon Springs, Florida

DeLeon Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,614 at the 2010 census. De Leon Springs State Park is located in DeLeon Springs, as is the Strawn Historic Citrus Packing House District.

History
DeLeon Springs is named for Juan Ponce de León. It was originally called Spring Garden and the name was changed in the late 1800s to attract tourists. The region was developed in 1925 with a hotel/restaurant the DeLeon Spring Inn, later called the Ponce de Leon Springs Hotel, which was expanded into a larger tourist attraction in 1953. The attraction and surrounding area were purchased by the State of Florida to become a state park in 1982.

Geography
DeLeon Springs is located at 29.12028°N, -81.35306°W (29.120268, -81.352988).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.8 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,358 people, 727 households, and 569 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 346.2 /km2. There were 765 housing units at an average density of 112.3 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 66.67% White, 6.87% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 23.41% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.08% of the population.

There were 727 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,422, and the median income for a family was $34,643. Males had a median income of $25,424 versus $15,547 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $12,280. About 14.5% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
US 17 passes through the area and County Road 3 (former US 17) begins in the community. In addition, it is served by VOTRAN's #24 route. The CSX Sanford Subdivision also passes through the community, but does not have a station here.

Notable people

 * Wharlest Jackson (1930–1967) – treasurer of the Natchez, Mississippi branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was born in DeLeon Springs.
 * Luke Scott – (born 1978) professional baseball player

title: DeLeon Springs, Florida