Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of

Volusia County Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...

near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately northeast of

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, southeast of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, and northwest of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area which has a population of about 600,000 and is also a principal city of the

Fun Coast The Halifax area or simply Daytona is a region of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the area around Daytona Beach. It is roughly coextensive with the Daytona Beach metropolitan area and Volusia County. There have been a number of attempts ...

region of Florida. Daytona Beach is historically known for its beach, where the hard-packed sand allows motorized vehicles on the beach in restricted areas. This hard-packed sand made Daytona Beach a mecca for

motorsports Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

, and the old

Daytona Beach and Road Course The Daytona Beach and Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set. Beach and r ...

hosted races for over 50 years. This was replaced in 1959 by

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

. The city is also the headquarters of

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

. Daytona Beach hosts large groups of out-of-towners during the year, who visit the city for various events, notably

Speedweeks Daytona Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth is a series of racing events that take place during January and February at Daytona International Speedway. Traditionally leading up to the Daytona 500, in 2021 it concluded with the Daytona road cour ...

in early February when over 200,000 NASCAR fans come to attend the season-opening

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

. Other events include the NASCAR

Coke Zero Sugar 400 The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series cir ...

race in August, Bike Week in early March,

Biketoberfest Biketoberfest is an annual motorcycle rally held in the fall in Daytona Beach, Florida since 1991 or 1992. In 1992 it was known as "Daytona Fall Tour"; in 1993, it started to be called Biketoberfest, and is now known as the "little brother" of th ...

in late October, and the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

endurance race in January.

History

The area where Daytona Beach is located was once inhabited by the indigenous

Timucuan The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

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 Attrition may refer to *Attrition warfare, the military strategy of wearing down the enemy by continual losses in personnel and material **War of Attrition, fought between Egypt and Israel from 1968 to 1970 **War of attrition (game), a model of agg ...

during the 18th century. The

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...

Indians, descendants of Creek Indians from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, frequented the area prior to the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

. During the era of British rule of Florida between 1763 and 1783, the

King's Road King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents), is a major street stretching through Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

passed through present-day Daytona Beach. The road extended from

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

, the capital of

East Florida East Florida ( es, Florida Oriental) was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of Spanish Florida from 1783 to 1821. Great Britain gained control of the long-established Spanish colony of ''La Florida'' in 1763 as part of ...

, to Andrew Turnbull's experimental colony in New Smyrna. In 1804 Samuel Williams received a land grant of from the

Spanish Crown , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

, which had regained Florida from the British after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. This

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

encompassed the area that would become Daytona Beach. Williams built a slave-labor-based plantation to grow

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

and

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

. His son Samuel Hill Williams would abandon the plantation during the

, when the

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and ...

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 The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was originally known as the North Mosquito River, but was renamed after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (for whom ...

, 12 miles north of

Mosquito Inlet The Ponce de Leon Inlet is a natural opening in the barrier islands in central Florida that connects the north end of the Mosquito Lagoon and the south end of the Halifax River to the Atlantic Ocean. The inlet originally was named 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 Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...

, who made it part of his

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pr ...

. The separate towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Kingston, and

Seabreeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes ar ...

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 The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...

attempts beginning in 1904, when

William K. Vanderbilt William Kissam "Willie" Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kiss ...

set an unofficial record of . Land speed racers from

Barney Oldfield Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946) was an American pioneer automobile racer; his "name was synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". After success in bicycle racing, he began auto r ...

Henry Segrave Sir Henry O'Neal de Hane Segrave (22 September 1896 – 13 June 1930) was an early British pioneer in land speed and water speed records. Segrave, who set three land and one water record, was the first person to hold both titles simultaneous ...

Malcolm Campbell Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a 1 ...

would visit Daytona repeatedly and make the beach course famous. Record attempts, including numerous fatal endeavors such as Frank Lockhart ( Stutz Black Hawk, 1928) and

Lee Bible Lee Bible (May 27, 1887 March 13, 1929) was an American garage operator and a racing-car driver. He was killed attempting to break the land-speed record on March 13, 1929, at Ormond Beach, Florida. Early life He was born Conway Lee Bible on ...

( ''Triplex Special'', 1929), would continue until Campbell's March 7, 1935 effort, which set the record at and marked the end of Daytona's land speed racing days. On March 8, 1936, the first

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, located in the present-day Town of Ponce Inlet. In 1958,

William France Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992), also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill, was an American businessman and racing driver. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based stock ca ...

and

created the

to replace the beach course. Automobiles are still permitted on most areas of the beach, at a maximum speed of .

Geography

Daytona Beach is located at 29°12′N 81°2′W (29.2073, −81.0379). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of . of which is land and is water, with water thus comprising 9.6% of the total area. The city of Daytona Beach is split in two by the

lagoon, part of the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

, and sits on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered on the north by Holly Hill and

Ormond Beach Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...

and on the south by Daytona Beach Shores, South Daytona and

Port Orange Port Orange is a city in Volusia County, Florida. The city's population was estimated at 64,842 in 2019 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area; the metropolitan area's populati ...

Climate

Daytona Beach has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''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 ; the last 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 . In winter, Daytona Beach has weather conditions typical of other cities on the

Florida peninsula A peninsula ( la, paeninsula from ''paene'' "almost" and ''insula'' "island") is a piece of land that is bordered mostly by water but connected to mainland. The surrounding water is usually understood to be continuous, though not necessarily nam ...

. On average, the coolest month is January, with a normal monthly mean temperature of . It is the only month where the average high temperature falls below . Occasional cold fronts can bring freezes, which from 1991 to 2020 were seen on an average of 3.0 nights annually; however, minima below 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 on January 21, 1985, up to on July 15, 1981, and June 24, 1944; the record cold daily maximum is on Christmas day 1983, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is on September 1 and 10–11, 2008 and August 25, 2020. Annual rainfall has ranged from in 2006 and 1956, up to in 1953. The most rainfall to have occurred in a calendar day was on October 10, 1924, which contributed to of rain that fell that month, the most of any calendar month.

Hurricanes and tornadoes

Typically

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

s pass offshore once they reach the northern portion of the Atlantic coast of Florida. As such, the hurricane risk for Daytona Beach is significantly lower than areas of southern Florida like Miami and Key West. The 2004 hurricane season was by far the most active in the Daytona Beach area in the last 50 years. However, since 1950 there has only been one direct hit by a tropical cyclone to the Daytona Beach area,

Hurricane Donna Hurricane Donna, known in Puerto Rico as Hurricane San Lorenzo, was the strongest hurricane of the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season, and caused severe damage to the Lesser Antilles, the Greater Antilles, and the East Coast of the United States, ...

in 1960. Although Daytona Beach has a significantly lesser tornado risk than areas like the Great Plains and Midwest, there have been a few deadly and destructive tornadoes in the last 100 years in Daytona Beach area. Most recently, on February 22, 1998, a tornado killed three people, injured 70, and caused $31 million in damages.

Rogue wave

On July 3, 1992, a long

rogue wave Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, episodic waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves) are unusually large, unpredictable, and suddenly appearing surface waves that can be extremely dangerous to ships, even to lar ...

hit the Volusia County beaches. The wave's range was from Ormond Beach in the north, to New Smyrna Beach on the south. The crest was high and centered at Daytona Beach. Sailboats crashed ashore onto cars and many people suffered cuts and bruises from glass and debris. Two people required hospitalization and 200 vehicles were damaged. Seventy five injuries were reported. The prevailing theory is that an underwater landslide caused the rogue wave, although others have theorized that it was the result of a

squall line A squall line, or more accurately a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS), is a line of thunderstorms, often forming along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front (which often are accompa ...

Law and government

Local government

Under Daytona Beach's commission-manager form of government, voters elect a

City commission City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

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 A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

, who carries out the will of the commission and handles day-to-day business.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement in Daytona Beach is provided by the 241-member

Daytona Beach Police Department The Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for Daytona Beach, Florida. There are 241 sworn full-time police officers, 105 sworn part-time officers and 81 civilians on the force which is headed by Jakari Young ...

(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 The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

, 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 Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

, 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.

Eminent domain case

The city of Daytona Beach made national headlines when it designated the several–mile radius around Main Street on the

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...

portion of the city as a blighted area and has targeted it for redevelopment by private developers. This follows the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

decision of the

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

case in ''

Kelo v. City of New London ''Kelo v. City of New London'', 545 U.S. 469 (2005), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held, 5–4, that the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private own ...

'', which upheld the right of municipalities to use eminent domain to

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

private property for redevelopment by private entities.

Federal, state, and county representation

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

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 The Florida Army National Guard is Florida's component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. In the United States, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the federal army's available combat forces ...

1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Battery D. Daytona Beach is part of

Florida's 6th congressional district Florida's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. The district is located on the Eastern Florida Coast and stretches from the southern Jacksonville suburbs to New Smyrna Beach. It includes the c ...

. 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 New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, located on the central east coast of the state, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its population is 30,142 in 2020 by the United States Census Bureau. The downtown section o ...

and includes St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, is currently represented by Republican

Michael Waltz Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974) is an American politician and United States Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 20 ...

Demographics

As of 2010, there were 33,920 households, out of which 19.5% were vacant. 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, the city the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 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 The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

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 A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

accounted for 90.37% of all residents, while 9.62% spoke other languages as their

mother tongue A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

. The most significant were Spanish speakers who made up 4.01% of the population, while French came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 0.90%, and German was at fourth, at 0.86%, as well as,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

with 0.66% of the population.

Culture

The Museum of Arts and Sciences is the primary cultural facility for Daytona Beach and

. Other museums located in the city include the Southeast Museum of Photography and the

Halifax Historical Museum The Halifax Historical Museum displays local history from 5,000 BC to the present day in a National Register of Historic Places listed building designed by Wilbur B. Talley in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. The museum is housed in the fo ...

. 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 The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

. 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 The Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at th ...

Beaches and parks

Daytona Beach has over of white sandy beaches open to pedestrians without time restrictions. Cars can be driven on some of the beaches during daylight hours. There are more than ten waterfront parks in Daytona Beach.

Thong The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions. Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a bikini bottom, but at the b ...

bikinis are prohibited in all areas of Daytona Beach, with a penalty of up to $500 and 60 days in jail.

Sports

Daytona Beach is home to the headquarters of the

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive direc ...

International Speedway Corporation International Speedway Corporation (ISC) was a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of motorsports race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International ...

, in Florida.

Motorsports

The

hosts the annual

(Rolex 24 at Daytona) and

races, among other events.

Baseball

In addition to motorsports, Daytona is also the home of the

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in ...

, a minor league baseball team of the

Low-A Southeast The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

who play at

Jackie Robinson Ballpark The Jackie Robinson Ballpark (also known as Jackie Robinson Stadium or City Island Ball Park) is a historic baseball field in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 105 East Orange Avenue on City Island, in the Halifax River. ...

; it was established in 1993 and currently has 6 championships.

Golf

There are a number of golf courses in Daytona Beach. * Daytona Beach Golf Course: Two courses, North and South Courses designed in 1922. *

LPGA International LPGA International is a golf club located in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County, Florida, United States, and the main golf facility used by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). The golf facili ...

: The golf club offers two 18-hole courses, Hills and Jones (originally Legends and Champions).

Special events

The city attracts over 8 million tourists each year. Special events that draw visitors to Daytona Beach include: *

(

race,

Rolex 24 The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layout ...

sports car race, and others) *

, NASCAR race held on the first Saturday of July (formerly called the Pepsi 400 and the Firecracker 400) *

Daytona Beach Bike Week Daytona Beach Bike Week, also called Daytona Bike Week, is a motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since 2021, events have been added in DeLeon Springs. Approximately 500,000 people make their way to the rally area f ...

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Associati ...

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 The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

college students since 1977.

Media

Newspapers

* ''

The Daytona Beach News-Journal ''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'' is a Florida daily newspaper serving Volusia and Flagler Counties. It grew from the ''Halifax Journal'', which was started in 1883. The Davidson family purchased the newspaper in 1928 and retained control unti ...

'' – 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 The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' – Newspaper and news site based in

with a bureau covering Daytona Beach and

. * ''

The Avion Newspaper ''The Avion Newspaper'' is the student-led college newspaper of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. ''The Avion'' publishes weekly, and has a print circulation of approximately 1,000. The 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 WNDB (1150 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Daytona Beach, Florida, the station is owned by Southern Stone Communications. It signed on the air in . WNDB is powered at 1,000 watts. By day, it is ...

, 1150 AM, Daytona Beach,

News News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

Sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

WROD WROD (1340 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Daytona Beach, Florida, and broadcasting a classic rock radio format. As of June 24, 2015, WROD is owned by Miracle Media LLC. WROD is a Class C radio station transmitting with 1,000 watts, ...

, 1340 AM, Daytona Beach,

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

WMFJ WMFJ is a radio station broadcasting on 1450 kHz, which is licensed to Daytona Beach, Florida.AM, Daytona Beach, Religious *

WDJZ WDJZ (1590 AM) is a radio station that serves the Daytona Beach area. Most recently, the station had an urban gospel and progressive talk format targeted toward the African American community. It is owned by Glenn Cherry. History The station ...

, 1590 AM, Daytona Beach, Adult Contemporary/Newstalk FM *

WHOG-FM WHOG-FM (95.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Ormond-By-The-Sea, Florida, the station serves the Daytona Beach metropolitan area. The station is owned by Southern Stone Communications. The radio studios ...

, 95.7 FM, Ormond Beach,

Classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

WCFB WCFB (94.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Daytona Beach, Florida, serving the Greater Orlando area. WCFB is owned by Cox Radio and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. Its studios and offices are located on North Jo ...

, 94.5 FM, Daytona Beach,

Urban Adult Contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

WQMP WQMP (101.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Daytona Beach serving the Orlando and Space Coast areas of Central Florida. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format branded as "FM 101.9". Its studios are located in Maitlan ...

, 101.9 FM, Daytona Beach,

Modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

WIKD-LP WIKD-LP (The WIKD 102.5 FM) is the radio station of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The station broadcasts in the Daytona Beach area as a LPFM, covering about a 5- to 7-mile radius from the transmitter site, ...

, 102.5 FM, Daytona Beach, Campus Radio of Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University *W231CN, 94.1 FM, Daytona Beach,

Urban Contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

"HOT 94.1"

Television

WESH Wesh or WESH may refer to: *Wesh in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province, Afghanistan *Wesh–Chaman border crossing The Wesh–Chaman border crossing is one of the major international border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Located on the ...

, Channel 2, digital channel 11,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

WDSC-TV WDSC-TV (channel 24) is an independent non-commercial educational television station licensed to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States. Owned by Daytona State College, the station maintains studios at the Center for Educational Telecommunica ...

, Channel 15, digital channel 24,

Educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Central Florida News 13 News 13 (also officially known as Spectrum News 13 as of September 24, 2017) is an American cable news television channel owned by Charter Communications. The channel provides 24-hour rolling news coverage focused primarily on Central Florida, ...

Bright House Networks Bright House Networks, LLC also simply known as Bright House, was an American telecom company. Prior to its purchase by Charter Communications, it was the tenth-largest multichannel video service provider and the 6th largest cable internet provi ...

cable channel 13

Economy

A major part of the Daytona Beach area economy is involved in the

tourist industry Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

. Over 8 million visitors came to the Daytona Beach area in 2004. The area's economy includes other industries besides tourism, such as manufacturing. Daytona Beach has industrial sites within an enterprise zone and sites within a foreign trade zone adjacent to

Daytona Beach International Airport Daytona Beach International Airport is a county-owned airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of Daytona Beach, next to Daytona International Speedway, in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The airport has 3 runways, a six-gate d ...

. Prime Interstate 4 and

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

sites are available with access to road, air, rail and

water transportation Water transportation is the international movement of water over large distances. Methods of transportation fall into three categories: * Aqueducts, which include pipelines, canals, tunnels and bridges * Container shipment, which includes trans ...

. Companies and organizations that have their

corporate headquarters Corporate headquarters is the part of a corporate structure that deals with important tasks such as strategic planning, corporate communications, taxes, law, books of record, marketing, finance, human resources, and information technology. Corpor ...

or a major presence in the area: * Brown & Brown * Halifax Health *

Halifax Media Group Halifax Media Group was an American newspaper company owning more than 30 newspapers in five Southeastern U.S. States. It was founded on March 31, 2010 when a group of investors purchased ''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'' from the Davidson famil ...

* Gambro-Renal Products *

Ladies Professional Golf Association The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Infor ...

* TopBuild * Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University * Cobb Cole * DMW Delivers

Shopping

Volusia Mall Volusia Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the largest retail shopping center in the Volusia- Flagler market. Opened on October 15, 1974, the mall comprises more than 120 stores on one level, as well a ...

, 1700 West International Speedway Blvd. The largest shopping mall in Daytona Beach. Anchored by

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

, and

Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an upscale American department store chain with approximately 282 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The ...

. *

Ocean Walk Shoppes Ocean Walk Shoppes is an open-air shopping mall located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Major Retailers Major retailers within the centre include: * Satellite Cinemas Movies * Wyndham Resorts * Maui Nix Surf Shop * Point Break * Brik A Brak * Rocket ...

, 250 North Atlantic Ave. Open-air shopping center, located in the heart of the beach area. *

Tanger Outlets Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. ( ) is a real estate investment trust headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that invests in shopping centers containing outlet stores in the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2019, the comp ...

, located in the southeast quadrant of Interstate 95 and LPGA Blvd. The retail center was completed in November 2016.

Top employers

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

Education

Primary and secondary schooling

Public primary and secondary education is handled by

Volusia County Schools Volusia County Schools is the public school district for Volusia County, Florida, United States. The district serves the 16 cities of Daytona Beach, DeBary, DeLand, DeLeon Springs, Deltona, Edgewater, Enterprise, Holly Hill, Lake Helen, New S ...

. 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 Father Lopez Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando. 413 students are enrolled. History Father Lopez Catholic High School was established i ...

. Elementary schools * Bonner Elementary * Ortona Elementary * Champion Elementary * Palm Terrace Elementary * R.J. Longstreet Elementary * Turie T. Small Elementary * Westside Elementary Middle schools * David C. Hinson Middle * Campbell Middle High schools * Seabreeze High * Mainland High * Father Lopez Catholic High School

Colleges and universities

Bethune–Cookman University Bethune–Cookman University (BCU or Bethune–Cookman) is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The primary administration building, Wh ...

Daytona State College Daytona State College (DSC) is a public college with its main campus in Daytona Beach, Florida. DSC also has 6 smaller regional campuses throughout Volusia and Flagler counties. It is part of the Florida College System. The college offers more ...

* Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University *

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

, Daytona Beach Campus Vocational schools * The Airline Academy – Offers flight training for

pilots An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

and other airline professionals. * Keiser College * Phoenix East Aviation – Offers flight training for pilots. *

WyoTech WyoTech, formerly known as Wyoming Technical Institute, is a for-profit, technical college founded in Laramie, Wyoming in 1966. WyoTech provides training programs that prepare students for careers as technicians in the automotive and diesel industr ...

''(formerly AMI)'' motorcycle repair, and marine repair training.

Infrastructure

Health systems

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. *

Florida Power & Light Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc. (formerly FPL Group, Inc.), is the largest power utility in Florida. It is a Juno Beach, Florida-based power utility company serving roughly 5 million customer ...

is Daytona Beach's local electric power provider. * TECO/People's Gas is Daytona Beach's natural gas provider

* Charter Spectrum, Spectrum and

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

networks are Daytona Beach's local cable providers. * AT&T (formerly

BellSouth BellSouth, LLC (stylized as ''BELLSOUTH'' and formerly known as BellSouth Corporation) was an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after ...

) is Daytona Beach's local phone provider. The city has a successful

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

program with separate pickups for garbage, yard waste and recycling. Collection is provided by several private companies under contract to

Volusia County, Florida Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 20 ...

Transportation

Airports

Passenger airline services are located at

(DAB), which is centrally located within the city adjacent to

. 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 Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started o ...

AirTran Airways AirTran Airways was a low-cost U.S. airline that was originally headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and ceased operation following its acquisition by Southwest Airlines. AirTran Airways was established in 1993 as Conquest Sun Airlines by the ...

, and

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

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 Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

(with nonstop service to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

) and

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

(with non-stop service to

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

). Both carriers offer connecting service from those cities to destinations worldwide. International flights from DAB fly to destinations in

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

through

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...

and charter services Airgate Aviation and IslandPass; non-stop flights are available from DAB to

Marsh Harbour Marsh Harbour is a town in Abaco Islands, Bahamas, with a population of 6,283 as of 2012. The settlement lies on a peninsula just off the Great Abaco Highway, which runs south through Great Abaco to Cherokee Point and Little Harbour. North of to ...

Treasure Cay Treasure Cay, is a parcel of land connected to Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. It has a population of 1,187 as of the 2010 Bahaman census. There are two resortBahama Beach Clubdeveloped by Businessman Craig H. Roberts and Treasure Cay Beach Ho ...

, and

North Eleuthera North Eleuthera is one of the districts of the Bahamas, on the island of Eleuthera. It has a population (2010 census) of 3,247. The Bluff, Lower Bogue, Current and Upper Bogue are the main settlements. Sweetings Pond in North Central Eleuthe ...

Sunwing Airlines Sunwing Airlines Inc. is a Canadian low-cost airline headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Sunwing Airlines offers scheduled and charter services from Canada and the United States to destinations within the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, ...

also operates seasonal flights from

Toronto Pearson International Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surro ...

. DAB is also heavily used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

, largely due to Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, whose campus is located at the airport. Larger airports nearby are

Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it handled 19,618,838 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport i ...

and

Jacksonville International Airport Jacksonville International Airport is a civil-military public airport 13 miles (21 km) north of Downtown Jacksonville, in Duval County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. History Construction star ...

, each of which is approximately 90 minutes away.

Buses

* Daytona Beach is served by

Greyhound Bus Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pa ...

, which has a terminal located at 138 South Ridgewood Avenue (US 1). The Greyhound routes from Daytona Beach connect with hubs in

and

. *

Votran Votran, officially the Volusia County Public Transit System is the public transportation system in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The system was established in 1975. Votran provides fixed bus and paratransit service throughout the entire ...

is the local bus service provided by Volusia County.

Automobiles

Daytona Beach is easily accessible by

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

that runs north and south and I-4 connecting Daytona Beach with

and

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

(Ridgewood Avenue) also passes north–south through Daytona Beach.

US 92 U.S. Route 92 or U.S. Highway 92 (US 92) is a 181-mile (291 km.) U.S. Route entirely in the U.S. state of Florida. The western terminus is at US 19 Alt. and SR 687 in downtown St. Petersburg. The eastern terminus is at SR A1A in Daytona ...

(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 Ocean Center is a convention center located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It opened in 1985 and is the fifth–largest convention center in Florida. Building and design The Ocean Center features of prime meeting space; of exhibit space at t ...

, Daytona Lagoon, and across the street from the

Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

and

. Over one thousand parking spaces are available inside the garage, which also houses an intermodal transfer station for

VoTran Votran, officially the Volusia County Public Transit System is the public transportation system in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The system was established in 1975. Votran provides fixed bus and paratransit service throughout the entire ...

Bridges

There are four bridges over the

(and

) at Daytona Beach. They include (starting from furthest downstream) the Veterans Memorial Bridge (which carries CR 4050 traffic), the Broadway Bridge (which carries

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 Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use ** Shadow 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.

VMB(DB)-0794.JPG, Veterans Memorial Bridge BB(DB) broad4sm.jpg, Broadway Bridge MSB(DBF) 0806.JPG, Main Street Bridge SB-0877.JPG, Seabreeze Bridge ISS067-E-174830 Daytona Beach, Florida.jpg, Bridges over the Halifax River on ; taken from the International Space Station

Rail

Passenger railroad service to Daytona Beach was established no later than 1889 by the

Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pro ...

, predecessor of the

Florida East Coast Railroad The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a pro ...

(FEC). Long-distance trains such as the ''

City of Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at t ...

'' and the ''

South Wind A south wind is a wind that originates in the south and blows in a northward direction. Words used in English to describe the south wind are auster, buster (a violent south gale), föhn/foehn (alps), ghibli (Libya with various spellings), friage ...

'' (both from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

), '' East Coast Champion'' (from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) and the ''Havana Special'' (New York City) made stops at Daytona Beach. Long distance routes were diverted to

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

and

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

routes on the Florida interior south of the

Jacksonville Union Station Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in 1986, it was built incorporating Jacksonville Terminal Complex / Union Station as well as several thousand square feet of newly b ...

, 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 The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

by way of a

Thruway Motorcoach Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, tran ...

connection between the beachside and

DeLand Station DeLand station is a train station in DeLand, Florida, United States. It is served by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation). It is about three miles west of downtown DeLand, at the location formerly known as DeLand Junction. DeLand s ...

, to the west. There, the service connects northbound with train 92, the ''

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

'', and train 98, the ''

Silver Meteor The ''Silver Meteor'' is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was the flagship train of the Seaboard Air Line ...

''. Southbound connections from Daytona Beach are limited to ''Silver Meteor'' southbound train 97. The DeLand – Daytona Beach service is Amtrak's only Florida Thruway Motorcoach route provided by a taxi-cab, rather than a bus.

Points of interest

National Historic Places

Daytona Beach looking north near Ormond Beach border

* The Abbey *

Mary McLeod Bethune Home The Mary McLeod Bethune Home is a historic house on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida. Built in the early-1900s, it was home to Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), a prominent African-Ameri ...

* Bethune–Cookman College Historic District *

Delos A. Blodgett House The Delos A. Blodgett House (also known as 8VO4385) is a historic house located at 404 Ridgewood Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida. Description and history The -story house was completed in 1896 for Delos A. Blodgett and his wife Daisy A. Pec ...

* City Island *

City Island Ball Park The Jackie Robinson Ballpark (also known as Jackie Robinson Stadium or City Island Ball Park) is a historic baseball field in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 105 East Orange Avenue on City Island, in the Halifax River. ...

Cypress Street Elementary School Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

Daytona Beach Bandshell and Oceanfront Park Complex The Daytona Beach Bandshell is an amphitheatre in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at Ocean Avenue, north of the junction of Main Street and Atlantic Avenue. On March 5, 1999, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Hist ...

Daytona Beach Surfside Historic District The following buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Daytona Beach ''Multiple Property Submission'' (or ''MPS''). References {{commons category, National Register of Historic Places in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

Bartholomew J. Donnelly House The Bartholomew J. Donnelly House is a historic home in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 801 North Peninsula Drive. On August 2, 1993, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Regi ...

* El Pino Parque Historic District *

Amos Kling House The Amos Kling House is a historic house located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is locally significant for its association with the development of the resort community of Daytona Beach during the early 20th century. Description Constructed in ...

S.H. Kress and Co. Building This is a List of S. H. Kress and Co. buildings that are notable. This includes buildings named Kress Building or variations. Notable historic S. H. Kress & Co. structures include: * S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Augusta, Georgia) * S. H. ...

* Merchants Bank Building *

Olds Hall The Olds Hall (also known as the Arroyo Gardens Hotel or Daytona Terrace Hotel), built in the 1920s, is a historic site in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 340 South Ridgewood Avenue. On September 23, 1993, it was added to ...

* Rogers House * Seabreeze Historic District *

Seybold Baking Company Factory The Seybold Baking Company Factory, also known as Columbia Baking Company or Southern Bakeries Factory, is a historic building at 800 Orange Avenue in Daytona Beach. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 30, 1997. The ...

South Beach Street Historic District The South Beach Street Historic District is a U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a ...

South Peninsula Historic District The following buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects dee ...

* South Ridgewood Elementary School *

Southwest Daytona Beach Black Heritage District The following buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects dee ...

Tarragona Tower Structure’s Design and Construction The structure is called the Tarragona Tower (a.k.a. Tarragona Arch or Tarragona Castle) was designed by the Florida architect Elias F. De La Haye. It was built from local coquina rock of irregular shapes (al ...

Howard Thurman House The Howard Thurman House is the historic home of Howard Thurman in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 614 Whitehall Street. Supporters including Reverend Jefferson P. Rogers, a former student of Thurman's at Howard University ...

* Tourist Church *

US Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

White Hall White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

S. Cornelia Young Memorial Library The S. Cornelia Young Memorial Library (also known as the Cornelia Young Memorial Library or "Old Corny") is a historic library in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places The National ...

Other points of interest

Daytona 500 Experience The Daytona 500 Experience, formerly known as Daytona USA, was an interactive motorsports attraction and museum located at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Intrinsically linked to the Daytona 500, the museum primarily foc ...

* Daytona Beach Boardwalk * Daytona Lagoon Water Park *

* 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 * List of Registered Historic Buildings in Daytona Beach, Florida

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 ''Days of Thunder'' is a 1990 American sports action drama film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, C ...

'', parts of which were filmed in Daytona Beach and nearby DeLand.

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, fie ...

wrote the song "Daytona" which was in his 1989 album ''

The Road to Hell ''The Road to Hell'' is the tenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989. Coming on the back of several strongly performing releases, it is Rea's most successful studio album, and topped the UK Albums Chart for th ...

''.

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...

's song "

Daytona Demon “Daytona Demon” is the fourth solo single and third UK hit by Suzi Quatro, released in 1973. The song is frequently believed to be a revision of Freddy Cannon's "Tallahassee Lassie" and a reference to Daytona Beach in Florida Florida ...

" is often believed to refer to the city.Ausländer, Phillip; ''Performing Glam Rock: Gender And Theatricality in Popular Music''; p. 210. Also, about half of the video for the song "

Steal My Sunshine "Steal My Sunshine" is a song by Canadian alternative rock band Len from their third studio album, ''You Can't Stop the Bum Rush'' (1999). The song was initially released on the soundtrack to the 1999 crime comedy film '' Go'', which resulted in ...

" by

Len Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *Le ...

was filmed at Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach was also the destination of a group of plagued teenagers in the movie ''

Final Destination 2 ''Final Destination 2'' is a 2003 American supernatural horror film directed by David R. Ellis. The screenplay was written by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, based on a story by Gruber, Bress, and series creator Jeffrey Reddick. It is the seq ...

''. Daytona Beach was also one of the settings in the 2008 film ''

Marley & Me ''Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog'' is an autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan, published in 2005, about the 13 years he and his family spent with their yellow Labrador Retriever, Marley. The dog is poorly be ...

''. Daytona Beach was the setting of the Season 2 finale of the web series ''

The Most Popular Girls in School ''The Most Popular Girls in School'' (abbreviated ''MPGIS'') is an American adult stop-motion animation, animated comedy web series that debuted on YouTube on May 1, 2012. Created by Mark Cope and Carlo Moss, the series animates Barbie, Ken (dol ...

''.

Notable people

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

and

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

, musicians *

Perry Baker Perry Baker (born June 29, 1986) is an American rugby sevens player for the United States national rugby sevens team. With over 230 tries, Baker currently ranks first among Americans and third among all players in career tries scored in the Worl ...

, rugby player for U.S. national team *

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

, 19th

President of Cuba The president of Cuba ( es, Presidente de Cuba), officially the president of the Republic of Cuba ( es, Presidente de la República de Cuba), is the head of state of Cuba. The office in its current form was established under the Constitution of ...

Pete Carr Jesse Willard "Pete" Carr (April 22, 1950 – June 27, 2020) was an American guitarist. Carr contributed to successful recordings by Joan Baez, Luther Ingram, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Boz Scaggs, The Staple Singers, ...

, musician *

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

, basketball player, 8-time NBA All-Star *

Ed Charles Edwin Douglas Charles (April 29, 1933 – March 15, 2018) was an American professional baseball third baseman in Major League Baseball. A right-handed hitter, Charles played for the Kansas City Athletics (1962–67) and New York Mets (1967–69). ...

, former Major League Baseball player * Bill France Sr., founder of

* Roland G. Fryer Jr., economist; In 2007, at age 30, he became the youngest African-American to be given tenure at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

* Lee H. Hamilton former Indiana U.S. Congressman *

Danielle Harris Danielle Andrea Harris (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress and film director. She is known as a " scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the ''Halloween'' franchise ('' Halloween 4'' and '' 5''; 19 ...

, actress * Carrenza Howard, baseball pitcher *

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

, writer, anthropologist * Alex Kinsey, singer *

E. J. Kuale Ejiro "E. J." Megetaveh Kuale uh-WAL-ee(born June 22, 1983) is a former professional American and Canadian football linebacker. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football for the LSU Ti ...

, professional football player *

Gary Russell Libby Gary Russell Libby (born June 7, 1944) is an American art historian, author, educator and former museum director known for his books and scholarly exhibitions in the visual arts and his work on the history and development of the Florida School of ...

, art historian, curator, and former director of Museum of Arts and Sciences *

Ryan Lochte Ryan Steven Lochte ( ; born August 3, 1984) is an American professional swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. Along with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson, he is the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by to ...

, swimmer, winner of 12 Olympic medals including six gold *

Martin Mayhew Martin Mayhew (born October 8, 1965) is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A former cornerback, Mayhew played college football at Florida State prior t ...

, pro football player and executive *

Mary McLeod Bethune Mary Jane McLeod Bethune ( McLeod; July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, Womanism, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, established th ...

, educator and civil rights activist *

Walter M. Miller Jr. Walter Michael Miller Jr. (January 23, 1923 – January 9, 1996) was an American science fiction writer. His fix-up novel, ''A Canticle for Leibowitz'' (1959), the only novel published in his lifetime, won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel. ...

, author of ''

A Canticle for Leibowitz ''A Canticle for Leibowitz'' is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating n ...

'' * Matthew Tyler Musto, musician *

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his r ...

, professional WWE wrestler * No Kum-sok,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n defector *

Ransom Eli Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automotive industry, after whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1887 and his first gasoline-power ...

, automobile pioneer * Pavlina Osta, radio host *

Josef Papp Josef Papp (1933? in Tatabánya, Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Hungary – April 1989 in Daytona Beach, Florida) was an engineer who was awarded U.S. patents related to the development of an engine, and also claimed to have invented a jet sub ...

, engineer *

Kitty Pryde Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character First appearance, first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980) and was ...

, rapper * Glen "Fireball" Roberts, NASCAR driver *

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

, professional baseball player *

Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of '' The Joy of Painting'', an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on ...

, artist and television host * Galen Seaman, lawyer, Wisconsin State Assemblyman, and mayor of Daytona Beach *

David Sholtz David Sholtz (October 6, 1891 – March 21, 1953) was the 26th Governor of Florida. Prior to serving as Governor he would be a state attorney serving Florida's 7th Judicial Circuit Court and previously as a member of the Florida House of Repres ...

, 26th governor of Florida * Mike Skinner, NASCAR driver *

Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté (April 6, 1869 – January 29, 1937) was a French Canadian painter and sculptor. He was one of the first native-born Canadian artists whose works were directly influenced by French Impressionism and Post-Impre ...

, painter *

Howard Thurman Howard Washington Thurman (November 18, 1899 – April 10, 1981) was an American author, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements ...

, author and theologian *

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

, actor *

Eric Weems Eric Grimes Weems (born July 4, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver, special teamer, and return specialist. He played college football at Bethune–Cookman and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 200 ...

, professional football player *

T. K. Wetherell Thomas Kent Wetherell (December 22, 1945 – December 16, 2018) was an American politician and educator. He served as member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1980 to 1992, and was president of Florida State University from 2003 thro ...

, president of

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

* Robert Wright, musical theater writer *

Aileen Wuornos Aileen Carol Wuornos (; born Pittman; February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002) was an American serial killer. In 1989–1990, while engaging in street prostitution along highways in Florida, she shot dead and robbed seven of her male clients. W ...

, serial killer executed in 2002 *

Smokey Yunick Henry "Smokey" Yunick (May 25, 1923 – May 9, 2001) was an American professional stock car racing crew chief, owner, driver, engineer, engine builder, and car designer as well as being a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps in World W ...

, mechanic and motor racing innovator

References

Citations

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.

External links

City of Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce

Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

A History of Central Florida Podcast
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{{Authority control 1876 establishments in Florida Beaches of Florida Beaches of Volusia County, Florida Cities in Florida Cities in Volusia County, Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Populated places established in 1876 Seaside resorts in Florida

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