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Ormond Beach, Florida facts for kids

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Ormond Beach, Florida
City
Ormond Beach City Hall
Ormond Beach City Hall
Nickname(s): 
Birthplace of Speed
Location in Volusia County and the state of Florida
Location in Volusia County and the state of Florida
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Volusia
Settled by Native Timucuans (Nocoroco) c. early 1500s
Settled by American colonizers
(New Britain)		 c. 1860s-1870s
Incorporated
(Town of Ormond)		 April 22, 1880
Incorporated
(City of Ormond Beach)		 April 25, 1950
Government
 • Type Commission-Manager
Area
 • City 38.91 sq mi (100.78 km2)
 • Land 34.78 sq mi (90.09 km2)
 • Water 4.13 sq mi (10.69 km2)
Elevation
7 ft (2 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 43,080
 • Density 1,238.50/sq mi (478.18/km2)
 • Urban
349,064 (109th U.S.)
 • Metro
609,939 (90th U.S.)
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
32174-32176
Area code(s) 386
FIPS code 12-53150
GNIS feature ID 0307388

Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. 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 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

The Village Street, Ormond, FL
Village Street c. 1908

The Timucuan town of Nocoroco was located where the Tomoka River joins the Halifax River, just north of present-day Ormond Beach, when Álvaro Mexía passed through it in 1605 on a mission to establish relations between Spanish Florida and the Surruque and Ais peoples of the coast of what are now Volusia and Brevard counties. Little is known of what happened to inhabitants of the area after Mexía's visit.

The city is named for James Ormond I, an Anglo-Irish-Scottish 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". After returning to Spanish control, 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 community was founded as New Britain by inhabitants from New Britain, Connecticut, but would be incorporated on April 22, 1880 as the Town of 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. The St. Johns and Halifax Railway arrived in 1886, and the first bridge across the Halifax River was built 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.

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, John D. Rockefeller. He arrived in 1914 and after four seasons at the hotel bought an estate called The Casements, 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 races were held on the compacted sand from Ormond south to Daytona Beach. Pioneers in the industry, including Ransom Olds with his Pirate Racer, 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." In 1907, Glenn Curtiss 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, in the record-breaking, but fatal, White Triplex, was less fortunate. Driving on the beach is still permitted on some stretches.

The municipality was officially renamed as the City of Ormond Beach following a referendum held on April 25, 1950.

  • Royal Arch Oak

    Royal Arch Oak in c. 1905

  • Ormond Hotel FL 1905

    Ormond Hotel in c. 1905

  • Santa Lucia Orange Grove, Ormond, FL

    Orange Grove in c. 1905

  • The Bostrom Oaks, Ormond, FL

    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.

Geography

Canoeing on the Upper Tomoka
Tomoka River c. 1905

The approximate coordinates for the City of Ormond Beach is located at 29°17′11″N 81°04′30″W / 29.286405°N 81.074882°W / 29.286405; -81.074882 (29.286405, –81.074882).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.0 square miles (101.0 km2), of which 31.9 square miles (82.7 km2) is land, and 7.1 square miles (18.3 km2) (18.12%) is water. Drained by the Tomoka River, Ormond Beach is located on the Halifax River lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean.

Climate

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

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 239 —
1900 595 149.0%
1910 780 31.1%
1920 1,292 65.6%
1930 1,517 17.4%
1940 1,914 26.2%
1950 3,418 78.6%
1960 8,658 153.3%
1970 14,063 62.4%
1980 21,436 52.4%
1990 29,721 38.6%
2000 36,301 22.1%
2010 38,137 5.1%
2020 43,080 13.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 and 2020 census

Ormond Beach racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 33,920 35,455 88.94% 82.30%
Black or African American (NH) 1,196 1,669 3.14% 3.87%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 56 76 0.15% 0.18%
Asian (NH) 856 1,305 2.24% 3.03%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) 13 13 0.03% 0.03%
Some other race (NH) 55 146 0.14% 0.34%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) 462 1,567 1.21% 3.64%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,579 2,849 4.14% 6.61%
Total 38,137 43,080

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 43,080 people, 18,554 households, and 11,121 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 38,137 people, 16,617 households, and 10,408 families residing in the city.

Notable people

Sites of interest

Historic places

  • Anderson-Price Memorial Library Building
  • The Casements
  • Dix House
  • Bulow Creek State Park
  • Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens
  • North Peninsula State Park
  • Tomoka State Park

Other places

  • Ormond Beach Municipal Airport

Media

Newspapers

  • Daytona Beach News-Journal, 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
  • Ormond Local Pulse, a daily newsletter published daily by email and on the internet Focusing on local news for Ormond Beach and Ormond-By-The-Sea

Radio stations

AM

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

FM

  • WAVX-LP, 107.1 FM, Ormond Beach, Contemporary Christian
  • 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 Headquarters (eye care products)
  • First Green Bank
  • Florida Production Engineering (automotive)
  • Hawaiian Tropic - Tanning Research Laboratories (skin care products)
  • ABB Thomas & Betts/Homac (electrical connectors, utility products)
  • Hudson Technologies (deep draw manufacturer)
  • Microflex Inc.
  • 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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ormond Beach para niños

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