Ormond Beach, Florida

Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 36,301 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 37,929.[1]. Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park.


Florida
Location in Volusia County and the state of Florida
Location in Volusia County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 29°17'11?N 81°4'30?W? / ?29.28639, -81.075
Country Flag of the United States United States
State Flag of Florida Florida
County  Volusia
Area
 - Total 29 sq mi (75.3 km²)
 - Land 25.7 sq mi (66.7 km²)
 - Water 3.3 sq mi (8.6 km²)
Elevation ft (2 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 36,301
 - Density 1,251.8/sq mi (482.1/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 32173-32176
Area code(s) 386
FIPS code 12-53150[1]
GNIS feature ID 0307388[2]
Ormond Beach Skyline, from Daytona Beach looking North
Ormond Beach Skyline, from Daytona Beach looking North

Contents

[hide]

[edit] History

The Village Street in c. 1908
The Village Street in c. 1908

Ormond Beach was once within the domain of the Timucuan Indians. Their local fortified village was called Nocoroco, believed to have been located at the site of Tomoka State Park. But war and disease would decimate the tribe. The city is named for James Ormond I, an Anglo-Irish-Scotch sea captain commissioned by King Ferdinand VII of Spain to bring Franciscan settlers to this part of Florida. Ormond had served Britain and Spain in the Napoleonic Wars 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. In 1821, Florida was acquired from Spain by the United States, but hostilities during the Second Seminole War delayed settlement until after 1842. In 1875, the city was founded as New Britain by inhabitants from New Britain, Connecticut, but would be incorporated in 1880 as Ormond for its early plantation owner.

Florida experienced a boom in tourism after the Civil War. With its hard, white beach, Ormond became popular for the wealthy seeking relief from northern winters. The St. Johns & Halifax Railroad arrived in 1886, and the first bridge across the Halifax River was created in 1887. John Anderson and James Downing Price opened the Ormond Hotel on January 1, 1888. Henry Flagler bought the hotel in 1890 and expanded it to accommodate 600 guests. It would be one in a series of Gilded Age hotels catering to passengers aboard his Florida East Coast Railway, which had purchased the St. Johns & Halifax Railroad. Once a well-known landmark which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, the hotel was razed in 1992.

One of Flagler's guests at the Ormond Hotel was his former business partner at the Standard Oil Company. John D. Rockefeller arrived in 1914, and after four seasons at the hotel bought an estate called The Casements. It 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 its cultural center. It is the community's best-known historical structure. Beginning in 1902, some of the first automobile races were held on the compacted sand from Ormond south to Daytona Beach. Pioneers in the industry, including Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton, tested their inventions. The American Automobile Association brought timing equipment in 1903, and the area acquired the nickname "The Birthplace of Speed."[2] Lee Bible in the record-breaking, but fatal, White Triplex was less fortunate. Driving on the beach is still permitted on some stretches. The city would be renamed Ormond Beach in 1949.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Sites of interest

[edit] Historic Places

[edit] Parks and Gardens

[edit] Other Places

[edit] Geography

Ormond Beach is located at 29°17'11?N, 81°4'30?W (29.286405, -81.074882).[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 75.3 km² (29.1 mi²). 66.7 km² (25.8 mi²) of it is land and 8.6 km² (3.3 mi²) of it (11.42%) is water. Drained by the Tomoka River, Ormond Beach is located on the Halifax River lagoon and Atlantic Ocean.

[edit] Demographics

Granada Bridge in 2006
Granada Bridge in 2006

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 36,301 people, 15,629 households, and 10,533 families residing in the city. The population density was 544.3/km² (1,409.8/mi²). There were 17,258 housing units at an average density of 258.8/km² (670.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.28% White, 2.75% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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.

Tomoka River in c. 1905
Tomoka River in c. 1905

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 for the city was $26,364. About 4.2% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] City officials

City Hall in 2006
City Hall in 2006
  • Mayor Fred Costello
  • Zone 1 City Commissioner Lori Gillooly
  • Zone 2 City Commissioner Troy Kent
  • Zone 3 City Commissioner Ed Kelley
  • Zone 4 City Commissioner Bill Partington

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspapers

[edit] Radio Stations

[edit] AM

  • WELE, 1380 AM, Ormond Beach, News/Talk

[edit] FM

  • WHOG-FM, 95.7 FM, Ormond Beach, Classic Rock

[edit] Economy

[edit] Business

Ormond Beach is an active commercial and residential market in the dynamic 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. Industrial and business sites are available.

Recent studies show the workforce to be educated, productive and competitive with 10 percent underemployed. Seven highly ranked colleges and universities and the acclaimed Advanced Technology Center support business needs with career advancement, workforce development and research. Education, health care and government are the area’s largest employers.

Among the corporations that call Ormond Beach home are:

  • CAPO (eye care products)
  • Command Medical Products, Inc. (medical)
  • Costa Del Mar Headquarters (eye care products)
  • Florida Hospital Ormond Memorial
  • Florida Production Engineering (automotive)
  • Hawaiian Tropic - Tanning Research Laboratories (skin care products)
  • Homac Manufacturing Company (electronics)
  • Hudson Tool and Die Company (electric and automotive products)
  • Microlex, Inc. (hoses and joints)
  • US Food Service (distributor)
  • Vital Aire (health care)

[edit] Shopping

  • Aliki Plaza
  • Ormond Mall
  • Ormond Town Square
  • River Gate Shopping Center
  • South Forty Shopping Center
  • The Trails Shopping Center
  • Wal-Mart Super Center

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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