Ormond Beach is a city in

central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the ...

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 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the ...

. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of

Daytona Beach 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 the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is known as the birthplace of speed, as early adopters of motorized cars flocked to its hard-packed beaches for yearlong entertainment, since paved roads were not yet commonplace. Ormond Beach lies in Central Eastern Florida.

History

Ormond Beach was once within the domain of the

Timucua 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 v ...

n Indians. Ormond Beach was frequented by Timacuan Indians, but never truly inhabited until 1643 when

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

blown off course to the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

area ran ashore. They settled in a small encampment along the Atlantic shore. Early relations with neighboring tribes were fruitful, however, in 1704 a local Timacuan chief, Oseanoha, led a raid of the encampment killing most of the population. In 1708 Spaniards inhabited the area and laid claim until British control began. The city is named for James Ormond I, an Anglo-Irish-Scottish sea captain commissioned by King

Ferdinand VII of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_p ...

to bring

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

settlers to this part of Florida. Ormond had served

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and Spain in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

as a ship captain, and was rewarded for his services to Spain by King Ferdinand VII. Ormond later worked for the Scottish Indian trade company of Panton, Leslie & Company, and his armed brig was called the ''Somerset''. After returning to Spanish control, in 1821, Florida was acquired from Spain by the United States, but hostilities during 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 and Black Indians. It was part of a ser ...

delayed settlement until after 1842. In 1875, the city was founded as New Britain by inhabitants from

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford. According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135. Among the southernmost of the communities encompassed wi ...

, but would be incorporated in 1880 as Ormond for its early plantation owner. With its hard, white beach, Ormond became popular for the wealthy seeking relief from northern winters during the Floridian boom in tourism following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 polici ...

. The St. Johns and Halifax Railway arrived in 1886, and the first bridge across 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 who ...

was built in 1887. John Anderson and James Downing Price opened the

Ormond Hotel The Ormond Hotel (also known as The Flagler Hotel) was a historic hotel in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States. It was located at 15 East Granada Boulevard. History Built by John Anderson and J. D. Price, the hotel opened on January 1, 1888. B ...

on January 1, 1888.

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 ...

bought the hotel in 1890 and expanded it to accommodate 600 guests. It would be one in a series of

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...

hotels catering to passengers aboard 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 ...

, which had purchased the St. Johns & Halifax Railroad. Once a well-known landmark which was listed on 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 deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1980, the hotel was razed in 1992. On December 5, 1896, the Nathan F. Cobb, a wooden schooner built in 1890, ran aground on a sandbar off Ormond. One of Flagler's guests at the Ormond Hotel was his former business partner at the

Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co- ...

, John D. Rockefeller. He arrived in 1914 and after four seasons at the hotel bought an estate called

The Casements The Casements is a mansion in Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S., famous for being the winter residence of American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller. It is currently owned by the city of Ormond Beach and is used as a cultural center and park. It is loc ...

, that would be Rockefeller's winter home during the latter part of his life. Sold by his heirs in 1939, it was purchased by the city in 1973 and now serves as a cultural center. It is the community's best-known historical structure. Beginning in 1902, some of the first

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

races were held on the compacted sand from Ormond south to

. Pioneers in the industry, including Ransom Olds with his Pirate Racer, and

Alexander Winton Alexander Winton (June 20, 1860 – June 21, 1932) was a Scottish-American bicycle, automobile, and diesel engine designer and inventor, as well as a businessman and racecar driver. Winton founded the Winton Motor Carriage Company in 1897 in Clev ...

, tested their inventions. The

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...

brought timing equipment in 1903 and the area acquired the nickname "The Birthplace of Speed." In 1907

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

set an unofficial world record of 136.36 miles per hour (219.45 km/h), on a 40-horsepower (30 kW) 269 cu in (4,410 cc) Curtiss V-8 motorcycle.

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 ...

, in the record-breaking, but fatal, White Triplex, was less fortunate. Driving on the beach is still permitted on some stretches. The city was renamed Ormond Beach following a referendum held on April 25, 1950. File:Royal Arch Oak.jpg, Royal Arch Oak in c. 1905 File:Ormond Hotel FL 1905.jpg, Ormond Hotel in c. 1905 File:Santa Lucia Orange Grove, Ormond, FL.jpg, Orange Grove in c. 1905 File:The Bostrom Oaks, Ormond, FL.jpg, Bostrom Oaks in c. 1908 Ormond Beach has four downtown riverfront parks and a beachfront park along with 37 other parks and gardens large and small. The historic shopping district located along Granada Boulevard from A1A to Orchard Street is home to dozens of locally-owned shops and restaurants along with historic and cultural sites.

City officials

Elected

* Bill Partington, mayor * Dwight Selby, city commissioner, zone 1 * Troy Kent, city commissioner, zone 2 * Susan Persis, city commissioner, zone 3 * Rob Littleton, city commissioner, zone 4

Appointed

* Joyce Shanahan, city manager * Randy Hayes, city attorney

Notable people

* Paul America, actor *

Adelbert Ames Adelbert Ames (October 31, 1835 – April 13, 1933) was an American sailor, soldier, and politician who served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. A Radical Republican, he was military governor, U.S. Senat ...

, the last surviving general officer of the

, who died at age 97 in 1933 *

Lisa Andersen Lisa Andersen (born March 8, 1969) is an American four-time world surfing champion. She won four successive world titles from 1994 to 1997. She was named ASP's Rookie of the Year in 1987. She was named as one of the 100 "Greatest Sportswomen of ...

, pro surfer *

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional distr ...

, U.S. Congress member, U.S. presidential candidate *

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...

, musician *

Phil Dalhausser Philip "Phil" Peter Dalhausser (born January 26, 1980) is a Swiss-born American professional beach volleyball player, playing as a blocker. He and his former playing partner, Todd Rogers, were the 2007 AVP Tour and FIVB world champions. Dalha ...

, 2008 Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball * Jacob deGrom, MLB pitcher for New York Mets * Alan Gustafson, NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief for

Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 291 Cup S ...

* Brian Kelley, musician, member of

Florida Georgia Line Florida Georgia Line is an American country music duo founded in 2010 by Tyler Hubbard of Georgia and Brian Kelley of Florida, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. Their 2012 debut single "Cruise" broke two major sales records: it was d ...

* Paul LePage, politician *

Frederick Dana Marsh Frederick Dana Marsh (1872 – December 20, 1961) was an American illustrator. Born in 1872 to a prosperous Chicago stockyard merchant, Marsh attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he worked with artists preparing murals fo ...

, artist * John D. Rockefeller, billionaire industrialist * Freelan Oscar Stanley and Francis Edgar Stanley, co-owners of the

Stanley Motor Carriage Company The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced. Early history ...

Corey Walden Torrian Corey Walden ( sr-cyrl, Торијан Кори Волден; born August 5, 1992) is an American-born naturalized Serbian professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He p ...

, professional basketball player, 2019 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP * Harry Wendelstedt, baseball umpire

Sites of interest

Historic places

* Anderson-Price Memorial Library Building *

* Dix House *

Bulow Creek State Park Bulow Creek State Park is a Florida State Park located five miles (8 km) north of Ormond Beach. It is on Old Dixie Highway ( CR 4011), next to the Atlantic Ocean. The park is adjacent to Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park, and close ...

Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens
* North Peninsula State Park *

Tomoka State Park Tomoka State Park is an Florida State Park located along the Tomoka River, three miles (5 km) north of Ormond Beach on North Beach Street. Fauna Among the wildlife of the park are West Indian manatees, alligators, white-tailed deer, go ...

Other places

Ormond Beach Municipal Airport Ormond Beach Airport , also known as Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, is a general aviation airport located to the northwest of the city of Ormond Beach in Volusia County, Florida, United States. History OMN was established in 1943 as Outlying Fi ...

Geography

Ormond Beach is located at (29.286405, –81.074882). 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land, and (18.12%) is water. Drained by the Tomoka River, Ormond Beach is located on the

lagoon and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 36,301 people, 15,629 households, and 10,533 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,258 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.28%

White 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 ...

, 2.75%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.17% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.20% of the population. There were 15,629 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.75. Canoeing on the Upper Tomoka

In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,364, and the median income for a family was $52,496. Males had a median income of $38,598 versus $26,452 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $26,364. About 4.2% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Newspapers

* ''

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 unt ...

'', daily newspaper covering the greater Daytona Beach area * ''Hometown News'', community newspaper in print on Fridays and daily on the Internet * "The Ormond Beach Observer", a weekly newspaper published in print on Thursdays and daily online, part of the Observer Media Group

Radio stations

AM

* WELE, 1380 AM, Ormond Beach, ''News/Talk''

FM

* WHOG-FM, 95.7 FM, Ormond Beach, ''Classic Rock''

Economy

Business

Ormond Beach is an active commercial and residential market in the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach MSA. Manufacturers enjoy a healthy business climate and engage in global marketing. Ormond Beach Business Park and Airpark, a foreign trade zone, is home to 29 companies that provide more than 2,000 jobs. Recent studies show the workforce to be educated, productive, and competitive with 10 percent underemployed. Seven colleges and universities and the Advanced Technology Center support business needs with career advancement, workforce development, and research. Education, health care, and government are the largest employment sectors within the area. Among the corporations that call Ormond Beach home are: *

Costa Del Mar Costa Del Mar or simply Costa is an American manufacturer of polarized sunglasses based in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica. Their sunglasses are popular in the sport sunglasses market, and are consider ...

Headquarters (eye care products) * First Green Bank * Florida Production Engineering (automotive) *

Hawaiian Tropic Hawaiian Tropic is an American brand of suntan lotion. Hawaiian Tropic was founded by Ron Rice in 1969. Rice became the largest private manufacturer of sun care products in the United States, until Hawaiian Tropic was acquired by Playtex Prod ...

- Tanning Research Laboratories (skin care products) * ABB Thomas & Betts/Homac (electrical connectors, utility products) * Hudson Technologies (deep draw manufacturer) *

Microflex Inc. Microflex Inc. is an international corporation manufacturing flexible metal products based in Ormond Beach, Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of ...

* U.S. Food Service (distributor) * Vital Aire (health care)

Shopping

* Historic Ormond Beach/Granada Blvd. * Ormond Mall * Ormond Town Square * River Gate Shopping Center * South Forty Shopping Center * The Trails Shopping Center * Wal-Mart Super Center * Tanger Outlets * Granada Plaza

References

External links

City of Ormond Beach official website

Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce

Ormond Beach MainStreet

Historic Photographs from the Florida State Archives
* * {{authority control Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Cities in Volusia County, Florida Seaside resorts in Florida Populated places established in 1875 Cities in Florida Beaches of Volusia County, Florida Beaches of Florida