Ormond Beach, Florida

Ormond Beach, Florida
—  City  —
Location in Volusia County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 29°17′11″N 81°4′30″W / 29.28639°N 81.075°W / 29.28639; -81.075Coordinates: 29°17′11″N 81°4′30″W / 29.28639°N 81.075°W / 29.28639; -81.075
Country	United States
State	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	7 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	32174-32176
Area code(s)	386
FIPS code	12-53150[1]
GNIS feature ID	0307388[2]

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.^[3] Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park.

History

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.

With its hard, white beach, Ormond became popular for the wealthy seeking relief from northern winters during the Floridian boom in tourism after the American Civil War. 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 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 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."^[4] 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.

• 

  Royal Arch Oak in c. 1905

• 

  Ormond Hotel in c. 1905

• 

  Orange Grove in c. 1905

• 

  Bostrom Oaks in c. 1908

City Officials

Elected

• Ed Kelley, Mayor
• James Stowers, City Commissioner, Zone 1
• Troy Kent, City Commissioner, Zone 2
• Rick Boehm, City Commissioner, Zone 3
• Bill Partington, City Commissioner, Zone 4

Appointed

• Joyce Shanahan, City Manager
• Randy Hayes, City Attorney

Notable residents

• Adelbert Ames, The last general officer of the American Civil War to die, passing away at age 97 in 1933
• John D. Rockefeller, industrialist
• Harry Wendelstedt, baseball umpire
• Paul America, actor
• Phil Dalhausser, 2008 Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball
• Alan Gustafson, NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports
• Jami Goodwin, Coffee Entrepreneur

Sites of interest

Historic places

• Anderson-Price Memorial Library Building
• The Casements
• Dix House
• The Hammocks
• John Anderson Lodge
• Lippincott Mansion
• Nocoroco
• Ormond Hotel
• Ormond Yacht Club
• The Porches
• Rowallan
• Talahloka
• Ormond Tomb, State Park

Parks and gardens

• Bulow Creek State Park
• Highbridge (County) Park
• Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens
• North Peninsula State Park
• Tomoka State Park

Other places

• Ormond Beach Municipal Airport

Geography

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).^[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.1 square miles (75 km²). 25.8 square miles (67 km²) of it is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) of it (11.42%) is water. Drained by the Tomoka River, Ormond Beach is located on the Halifax River lagoon and Atlantic Ocean.

Demographics

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 1,409.8 inhabitants per square mile (544.3/km²). There were 17,258 housing units at an average density of 670.2 per square mile (258.8/km²). 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

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.

Media

Newspapers

• Daytona Beach News-Journal - Online edition of daily newspaper covering the greater Daytona Beach area.
• Hometown News - Community newspaper in print on Fridays and every day on the Internet.

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 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 Oceanside
• Florida Production Engineering (automotive)
• Hawaiian Tropic - Tanning Research Laboratories (skin care products)
• Homac Manufacturing Company (electronics)
• Hudson Technologies (deep draw manufacturer)
• Microflex Inc.
• US Food Service (distributor)
• Vital Aire (health care)
• HoleShot Performance Wheels (Drag-racing wheels)

Shopping

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

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-04-12.xls census.gov
4. ^ http://www.birthplaceofspeed2003.com/beginning.htm birthplaceofspeed2003.com
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• Ormond Beach travel guide from Wikitravel
• City of Ormond Beach
• Tomoka State Park
• Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Ormond Beach Portal
• Historic Photos from the Florida State Archives