New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States, located on the central east coast of the state, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The downtown section of the city is located on the west side of the Indian River and the

Indian River Lagoon The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4, ...

system. The Coronado Beach Bridge crosses the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, 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, the ...

just south of Ponce de Leon Inlet, connecting the mainland with the beach on the coastal

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

. The population was 30,142 at the 2020 census; according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 32,655. The surrounding area offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation; these include fishing, sailing, motorboating, golfing, and hiking. Visitors participate in water sports of all kinds, including swimming, scuba diving,

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

, and surfing. In July 2009, New Smyrna Beach was ranked number nine on the list of "best surf towns" in '' Surfer.'' It was recognized as one of the "world's top 20 surf towns" by ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' in 2012. It has also been dubbed the "shark attack capital of the world." New Smyrna Beach's motto is ''cygnus inter anates'', which is Latin for "a swan among ducks." The city is located in the so-called " Fun Coast" region of the state of Florida, a regional term created by the Daytona Beach/

Halifax area 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 ...

Chamber of Commerce. This coincides with the local

area code 386 Area code 386 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan in the U.S. state of Florida. The numbering plan area comprises the counties of Columbia County, Florida, Columbia, Flagler County, Florida, Flagler, Hamilton County, F ...

, which spells FUN on touchtone phones.

History

The area was first settled by Europeans in 1768, when Scottish physician Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a friend of James Grant, the governor of British East Florida, established the colony of New Smyrna. Dr. Turnbull had married Gracia Dura Bin (some sources give her name as Maria Gracia Rubini), the daughter of a Greek London merchant from the Ottoman city of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

(modern-day

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) and named the settlement in honor of his wife's birthplace, and the homeland of some of those in his future labor force who were Greek from the

Mani peninsula The Mani Peninsula (), also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna (), is a geographical and cultural region in the Peloponnese of Southern Greece and home to the Maniots (), who claim descent from the ancient Spartans. The capital ci ...

. No one had previously attempted to settle so many people at one time in a town in North America. Turnbull recruited about 1,300 settlers, intending for them to grow

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

, and

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

, as well as to produce

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

, at his plantation on the northeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. The majority of the colonists came from

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

(historically called "Minorca" in English), one of the Mediterranean

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

of Spain, and were of Catalan culture and language. Although the colony produced relatively large amounts of processed indigo in its first few years of operation, it eventually collapsed after suffering major losses due to insect-borne diseases and Indian raids, and growing tensions caused by mistreatment of the colonists on the part of Turnbull and his overseers. The survivors, about 600 in number, marched nearly 70 miles north on the King's Road and relocated to St. Augustine, where their descendants live to this day. In 1783, East and West Florida were returned to the Spanish, and Turnbull abandoned his colony to retire in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. The St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine on St. George Street in St. Augustine honors the Greeks among the settlers of New Smyrna; they were the first

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

followers in North America. The historical exhibit adjoining the chapel tells the story of their plight, with accompanying exhibits, and of their contributions to the city. Central Florida remained sparsely populated by white settlers well into the 19th century, and it was frequently raided by

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, ...

Indians trying to protect their territory. United States troops fought against them in the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

, but they were never completely dislodged. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, on March 23, 1862, portions of the 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment defeated a small U.S. naval force that was attempting to land near New Smyrna. Later on, in 1863, the " Stone Wharf" was shelled by Union gunboats. In 1887, when New Smyrna was incorporated, it had a population of 150. In 1892,

Henry 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 founder ...

provided service to the town via 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 p ...

. This led to a rapid increase in the area's population. Its economy grew as tourism was added to its citrus and commercial fishing industries. During

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

in the 1920s, the city and its river islands were popular sites for

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

stills and hideouts for rum runners, who came from

the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

through Mosquito Inlet, now Ponce de León Inlet. "New Smyrna" became "New Smyrna Beach" in 1947, when the city annexed the seaside community of Coronado Beach. Today, it is a resort town of over 20,000 permanent residents. Like St. Augustine, established by the Spanish, New Smyrna has been under the rule of four "flags": the British, Spanish, United States (from 1821, with ratification of the

Adams–Onís Treaty The Adams–Onís Treaty () of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Spanish Cession, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty,Weeks, p. 168. was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to ...

), and the Confederate Jack. After the end of the Civil War in 1865, it returned with Florida to the United States.

Geography

The coordinates for the City of New Smyrna Beach is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and of it (9.09%) is covered by water. It is bordered by the city of Port Orange to the northwest, unincorporated Volusia County to the north, the census-designated place of Samsula-Spruce Creek to the west, and the cities of Edgewater and Bethune Beach and the Canaveral National Seashore to the south. Bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, New Smyrna Beach is on the Indian River. The city is connected to other parts of the state by

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 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

, U.S. Route 1, and State Road 44.

Climate

Like the rest of Florida north of

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee ( ) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the List of largest lakes of the United States by area, eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest ...

, New Smyrna Beach has a humid subtropical (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cfa'') climate characterized by hot, humid summers and warm, mostly dry winters. The rainy season lasts from May until October, and the dry season, from November to April. New Smyrna averages only about two freezes per year, and many species of subtropical plants and palms are grown in the area. The city has recorded snowfall only three times in its 250-year history. The summers are long and hot, with frequent severe thunderstorms in the afternoon, as central Florida is the lightning capital of North America. Winters are pleasant with frequent sunny skies and dry weather. Weather hazards include

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

s from June until November, though direct hits are rare. Hurricane Charley exited over New Smyrna Beach on August 13, 2004, after crossing the state in a northeastern direction from its initial landfall in Punta Gorda. The storm caused extensive damage to the beachside portion of the city and toppled many historic oak trees in the downtown area and along historic Flagler Avenue. New Smyrna was hit by Hurricane Ian in 2022, leading to flood damage for more than a thousand residents and one fatality, and by Hurricane Milton in 2024, causing power outages for almost 90% of local customers and further flooding in the local area.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 30,142 people, 14,796 households, 8,544 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 20,903 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 87.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.2% from some other races and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. The median income for a household in the city was $73,096. The per capita income for the city was $50,902.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 22,464 people, 11,074 households, and 6,322 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 16,847 housing units averaged 520.6 per square mile (201.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.8% White, 5.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other races and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population. Of the 11,074 households, 14.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were not families. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.54. In the city, the population was distributed as 13.9% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 20 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 31.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.3 years. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the city was $49,625, and for a family was $62,267. Males had a median income of $38,132 versus $32,087 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,013. About 10.9% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those aged 65 or over.

Education

All public education is run by Volusia County Schools.

Elementary schools

*Chisholm Elementary School *Coronado Beach Elementary School *Indian River Elementary School *Read-Pattillo Elementary School

Middle school

*New Smyrna Beach Middle School

High school

* New Smyrna Beach High School

Charter school

*Burns Science and Technology (K-12)

Private School

*Sacred Heart School (private Catholic, K-8)

Higher education

* Daytona State College (New Smyrna Beach Campus)

Culture

Named one of "America's Top Small Cities for the Arts", New Smyrna Beach is home to the Atlantic Center for the Arts, an artists-in-residence community and educational facility, the Harris House, the Little Theatre, and a gallery of fine arts, Arts on Douglas. Popular amongst tourists, roosters roam the main street of the city, Flagler Avenue. They are thought to be a result of abandonment by locals (as only hens are permitted for personal use). The New Smyrna Speedway is a half-mile paved racetrack opened in 1967 that currently hosts the

ARCA Menards Series East The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly known by other names) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Races are h ...

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

, Southern Super Series and World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.

Shark attacks

According to the ''International Shark Attack File'' maintained by the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, in 2007, Volusia County had more confirmed

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

bites than any other region in the world. Experts from the university have referred to the county as having the "dubious distinction as the world's shark-bite capital". The trend continued in 2008, when the town broke its own record, with 24 shark bites. An ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

'' photographer shot a picture of a four-foot spinner shark jumping over a surfer, a reversal of "

jumping the shark The idiom "jumping the shark", or "shark jumping", or to "jump the shark"; means that a creative work or entity has evolved and reached a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with or ...

". Sharks bit three different surfers on September 18, 2016, in the span of a few hours at the same beach. Very few of the shark bites are fatal. In July 2024, two men and a 14-year-old boy were bitten in three separate attacks in less than one week.

Government

Elected city government officials include: * Fred Cleveland – Mayor * Valli Perrine – Vice Mayor and Zone 1 Commissioner * Lisa Martin – Zone 2 Commissioner * Jason McGuirk – Zone 3 Commissioner * Randy Hartman – Zone 4 Commissioner

Notable people

* Joseph Barbara, actor best known for the soap opera '' Another World'' * Emory L. Bennett, United States Army soldier in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

winner * The Beu Sisters, music recording artists * Joyce Cusack, Florida politician and retired

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

* Suzanne Kosmas, Former U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

Jimmy McMillan James McMillan III (born December 1, 1946) is an American political activist and Vietnam War veteran. He was a perennial candidate in New York City. McMillan is best known as the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, a New York–based ...

, political activist,

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

veteran, and founder of the Rent is Too Damn High political party * Walter M. Miller, Jr., author of ''A Canticle for Liebowitz'' * Cory Mills, U.S. Representative for Florida's 7th congressional district (2023–present) * Jack Mitchell, photographer and author of dance and iconic artist images * Preston Pardus, American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver * Jim Parsley, American

driver * Jacob Winchester,

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Critic's Pick award-winning composer, producer, writer, and director

Athletes

* Dallas Baker,

alumnus, and professional football

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, current assistant football coach at Buffalo Bulls * Perry Baker, professional rugby player with the United States national rugby sevens team * Laura Brown, former American college and professional golfer * Wes Chandler, University of Florida alumnus, and professional football player in the NFL for 11 seasons during the 1970s and 1980s * Eric Geiselman, professional surfer with the world surf league * Chris Isaac, former

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

with the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

of the CFL * Raheem Mostert, football

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and kickoff returner for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the NFL * Duffy Waldorf, professional golfer, former member of the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

who plays on the Champions Tour

Gallery

Image:Ocean House, New Smyrna, FL.jpg, The Ocean House ''circa'' 1906 Image:Bank Corner, New Smyrna, FL.jpg, Bank corner in 1914 Image:Ancient Battle Scarred Tree, New Smyrna, FL.jpg, Battle-scarred tree in 1909 Image:Whales on Beach, near New Smyrna, FL.jpg, Whales on beach in 1908 Image:New Smyrna City Hall03.jpg, City Hall Image:New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins14.jpg, New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins Image:NSB FL Museum of History02.jpg, New Smyrna Museum of History Image:Cathedral Oaks, New Smyrna, FL.jpg, Cathedral oaks in 1909

References

External links

*
New Smyrna Beach Museum of HistoryAtlantic Center for the ArtsNew Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau
official tourism information
New Smyrna Beach tide informationA History of Central Florida Podcast
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European EarthenwareSt. Benedict MedalPrint Culture
{{authority control Cities in Volusia County, Florida Cities in Florida Greek-American culture in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Populated places established in 1768 Former county seats in Florida Beaches of Volusia County, Florida Beaches of Florida 1768 establishments in the British Empire